What are your ideal live and practice set ups?

[No effects]

I play in a 5-piece classic rock band that practices once a week and gigs about 6 times per year. This is definitely what I would call a "hobby" band, but that doesn't mean we don't take our playing and performances lightly. We usually play smaller venues, such as weddings, corporate parties and private functions and we use our own PA equipment. We’ve been together for 5 years.

Ideal live set up: I’m looking for any thoughts on mic’ing, monitor mixes and placement, main mix (everything through there?), use of sound men, etc.

Ideal basement/practice set up: despite our good intentions, we always get too loud and the misses gets upset – how do you manage to keep it down and still fell like you’re in a rock band?

 

[Benjy_26]

Re: What are your ideal live and practice set ups?

I use the same rig for both practice and live, this is what I use: Boss GT-6 into Peavey Classic 60/60 tube power amp into an old Vox 2x12 cab loaded with a pair of Vintage 30's. I can get pretty much any sound I want at pretty much any volume. With the Modeling pre, I can sound like I'm playing loud, but have a san volume level while the tube power section makes it all sound "real" if you know what I mean. A side benefit of this rig is that if I ever need to mic or send a line to the board, I can just use the Direct out on the GT-6 while still driving my speakers. : burnout:

 

[No effects]

Re: What are your ideal live and practice set ups?

I'm with you on using the same rig at both venues. We actually don't record much (too tedious for our taste) and so my gear decisions really are driven by live applications. I can tame my Marshall at practice, but somehow we all get louder as the night goes on (2 guitars, keys, drums, 4 vocals, bass, etc.). One of our live problems is that you can't hear the guys on the other side very well, so we're working on having full mix monitors in front of us, in addition to the vocal monitors.

 

[drew_half_empty]

Re: What are your ideal live and practice set ups?

ideal setup:

live - a wall of hotrod deluxes & modded blues driver for dirty raunch
2 ac30's & blackface twins for clean, with master volumes installed
then my fat strat (jb), my hh blackout, a nashville tele and a gretsch white falcon

then some holy grail reverbs, and a few chorus/tape echo pedals, and a tubescreamer/ds-1

practice - 1 of each, then all the guitars & pedals

now, the more practical one, which I'm working on obtaining is

live - hot rod deluxe with modded blues driver, celestion red white & blues speaker, some sort of ac30 sounding amp, an a/b pedal, holy grail reverb, and my modded ds-1, with a line selector. Then in addition to my 2 guitars, a poor man's white falcon

practice - eh, same

 

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: What are your ideal live and practice set ups?

What your asking for is very complicated ... it depends on so many factors.
Having your own studio space is essential, or some kind of dedicated practice area.

Every band has its own requirements. What is ideal for me, may not work for you ...

My band uses the same gear at rehearsals and gigs . We don't play in any place that don't supply a stage and PA.

 

[DeadSkinSlayer3]

Re: What are your ideal live and practice set ups?

Live for me would be my XXX and a matching 4x12, with a Laney VH100 for cleans and other sounds besides balls out metal...My axes but with an EMG Ha neck in the Jackson and either a DD/JB or Jazz or FS/FS set, and a Schecter semi hollow C-1 with a JB/Jazz set up for coil splitting for each pickup. Effects would be a reverb/delay pedal for the Peavey, and a volume pedal for both.

Practice...My XXX and 2x12, with those guitars, pedals, and a Peavey Classic 20 for cleans.

The VH100 in the live rig is super pushing it, I'd be fine with just the XXX.

 

[seafoamer]

Re: What are your ideal live and practice set ups?

Groupies to the left, & groupies to the right.

Hey, U said "ideal".

 

[No effects]

Re: What are your ideal live and practice set ups?

Sorry fellas, I guess I wasn't clear enough in my question. I'm not looking at it from each musician's equipment point of view, i.e., what gear you take with you to a gig. Rather, in a live band situation, what do you ideally want to be able to hear in order to play "as a group", i.e., your own instrument through your amp, your vocals, other voacls, other band members' intruments. In other words, what monitor mix do you get/want to get from your sound man? What;s worked for you, or not, frustrations, etc...this could apply to the basement/reghearsal space as well...

 

[strat_master]

Re: What are your ideal live and practice set ups?

MInes woudl be a full stack, of marshall tube amps, and a dsl 100 head.

for tpractice i'd use a combo like dsl401 or something, ame guitar and knowing me no effects

 

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: What are your ideal live and practice set ups?

Okay, much better; thanx for clearing that up!

When I play live there are basically only two things I need to hear in my monitor beside myself -- the other guitarist and the vocals. I can even live without vocals, but I MUST be able to hear the other guitarist.

Drums are easy to hear, and I really just focus in on the high hat. Since I'm on that side of the stage, it's easy.

Bass I don't even think or worry about -- that's his problem!