Offshore Angler
Active member
- Joined
- Jan 4, 2006
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Is to be ready when your number is called.
This includes how to hear yourself in the mix. Most people will have adequate chops by a certain point but I've seen many fail due to the frustration of " I can't hear myself" syndrome. I was asked about this topic by a patron at the last show I played and I was surprised how complicated my answer became. So much so I figured it would be worthy of sharing here.
*NOTE -this is for ELECTRIC guitar - acoustics can be extremely situational and require another level due to feedback, etc.*
**This is for LIVE PERFORMANCE, studio work is generally pretty easy and most of your studio time will be sitting around picking your nose while they work on the drum sounds
**
But if you are a working player doing live shows, this is something you deal with and one of the things that can quickly separate you from the herd. It's a skill you need that's just as important as technique and repertoire. As you progress it will become a journey since the requirements change as the size of the venues change.
Stage 1, Beginner
Chances are that you started in the bedroom or basement, and it's only you and you either have headphones or an amp pointed directly at you, and perhaps a lot of effects. The pitfall of this setup is that even a Line 6 amp on the Insane setting will work because you have no mix to cut. You also have no requirement to listen to the band around you, and certainly nobody giving counts or cues. Nothing we all didn't start out doing, perfectly acceptable and you're having fun! Falling in love with the guitar. Excellent and keep it up. The first time you play with others you may typically be in a situation where you're in chairs and have your amps in a circle and you can hear yourself just fine. Then you get into a band context and the world changes. You start with band rehearsals and it will be in a basement or a garage and all the amps will still be the Circle of Doom (COD) - and here's where bad habits start forming.
Look at the typical garage band situation: The most common setup I remember and still see is the COD with the player's amp at their heels. And now because there's a mix you get "I can't hear myself" syndrome and you - turn up. Worst mistake you can make. Let me explain why. Your amp has something we describe as "throw" which has to do with how the sound radiates from the cab. There's also something called "attenuation", but we'll skip that for now. Long and short of it is the sound of the amp is blowing by your knees and not making it to YOUR ears, but the other guys are getting a face full of it. Now, they turn up, making you turn up again, and on and on until your mix is 110dB of mush. We've all been there and the ones who survive go on. Others will get frustrated and quit. You'll need to realize that playing in a standing position requires different amp placement than sitting.
Next, after practicing in the COD, you go out and do your first show or perhaps sit in at a local jam session. Now, everything will be totally different. Totally. Now you have a backline of some sort. Depending on the room and setup, you may be able to distinguish yourself in the mix but it's going to feel really hard to understand where you're sitting in the mix out front. Often at this stage the room sucks and the sound system is less than optimum and even if you can hear yourself, you may not have the listening chops to hear the rest of the band well enough. And now, your sound is coming from behind you which is a totally different experience.
First rule to always remember at this stage - carve it into your case - if you can't hear the vocals, TURN DOWN!
The other most common mistake I see beginners make is using WAY, WAY, WAY and I mean way too much amp. Wanna sound like a newbie to a pro? Just say "Well, I play with a loud drummer so I need this many Watts." Trust me, a Pro Junior is more amp than most people need to play a 100 seater. If you want to argue that stop reading now. A Pro Junior on 5 will blow a drummer offstage if you know how to use it properly. A Princeton Reverb can handle the Ryman. I've seen EC blow away Royal Albert Hall with a single Bassman, so chances are you don't need that full stack to play a dive bar.
So the lesson here is rule 2. Rehearse in as close to your live setup backline as you can and make sure you amp is as far behind you as you can have it, and if possible off the floor and tilted up towards you . In my nascent performing years my setup routine was always the same: Grab a chair, put it against the back wall and set my amp on it with a beer bottle propping up the front to tip it back. Works the nuts. Also when you get to stages they can be "boomy" if you leave your amp on the floor. Lifting it up will usually tighten up the bottom end, especially Fender combo amps.
OK, that's out of the way now let's talk about a sensitive subject: effects. Time-based effects like reverb and delay you can usually get away with, but overdrive, distortion or fuzz - they will absolutely kill your sound in the mix. Use them as sparingly as you can and always be striving to use less. Which will now affect your sustain. Without that dirt box dimed you're going to feel like your guitar is dead. It isn't, but you'll think so. Here's where a couple hundred bucks will make all the difference in your rig: An EQ and a compressor. When you master these your life will become richer and more satisfying, girls will find you attractive and your friends will buy your beers. It'll be like playing a country song backwards.
Once you start clipping your signal it refuses to cut the mix and you're handicapping your amp. In most situations a little OD is really all you need. Even for metal.
And whatever you do, avoid a mid-heavy tone. If you can't hear yourself and your bandmates are already complaining about your volume, roll off some mids and add highs. The sound you love alone in the basement is usually not the best one for a live mix. I know this is heresy here, but at this point if nothing else works consider dropping the Les Paul and grabbing the Stratocaster. It will cut a lot better.
Stage 2, Local Journeyman
You lived through Stage 1 and now you're starting to be recognized as "A Player" in the local market. Believe it or not, things start getting a lot easier with respect to hearing yourself onstage. You may be perfectly happy at this stage and never feel the need to push on and that is 100% perfectly fine. Most of the best musicians I've shared a stage with live here. If you move on though, you'll be onto bigger stages and start dabbling in pro sound.
Now you will be in monitor land. Your amp will be mic'ed and you will have a guitar monitor besides the vocals. You may even have your own custom mix in your monitors. You can hear yourself just fine but here's the adjustment you'll need to make and it's not as easy as you think it may be: Your guitar sound will be coming from in front of you instead of behind you, and it will have a different sound than what's coming from the amp. That's usually more disorienting than you would expect. I know it took me about a year to get totally comfortable with it.
(IMPORTANT ASIDE - at this point the subject of in-ears may come up. That's a personal and controversial subject, all I can suggest is to do your homework and make your own choice. I'm not an audiologist or doctor. )
The next step up will be when they "fly" the monitors, which simply means they suspend them from trusses or batons overhead. I love these. They are usually really easy to work with.
Most important takeaway at this stage is to trust and learn how to communicate effectively with your sound crew. They're almost universally amazing and helpful, and if you ask them for help they will take it as their duty to help you. If you can't hear yourself don't stand there in agony. Just tell them, They'll fix it and keep the stage mix where it needs to be. They can add Hot Spots, side fills and a lot more to help you. Good sound people are a guitar player's best friend and after every show I make it a point to go thank Mike. If there were issues I don't complain, we both view them as opportunity to improve. I literally cannot do my job as well without Mike on my sound. He's what makes it all come together and sound good regardless of the venue.
Stage 3, You're the Headliners at the Stadium
Dudes and Dudettes, at this point you are simply taking directions and all you need to do is listen and play. Know your material frontwards and backwards and the rest will be taken care of. Regardless of what you may want to believe the vocals are often recorded and the singers are simply doubling them live. You CANNOT deviate from the arraignment, and you'll be more focused on stage blocking, counting measures and listening for drum cues than what you're playing during a solo, i.e., your playing is pretty much on autopilot at this stage.
Conclusion
Hopefully, the gist of this is it gets easier as you work up the ladder and if you're a newbie you can nip a lot of really bad habits in the bud. Avoid the COD and use effects sparingly, don't rely on mids and realize your sound really is in your fingers. Focus on the pocket and being rock-solid with your timing, even during solos. Above all - LISTEN!
Chuck
This includes how to hear yourself in the mix. Most people will have adequate chops by a certain point but I've seen many fail due to the frustration of " I can't hear myself" syndrome. I was asked about this topic by a patron at the last show I played and I was surprised how complicated my answer became. So much so I figured it would be worthy of sharing here.
*NOTE -this is for ELECTRIC guitar - acoustics can be extremely situational and require another level due to feedback, etc.*
**This is for LIVE PERFORMANCE, studio work is generally pretty easy and most of your studio time will be sitting around picking your nose while they work on the drum sounds
**But if you are a working player doing live shows, this is something you deal with and one of the things that can quickly separate you from the herd. It's a skill you need that's just as important as technique and repertoire. As you progress it will become a journey since the requirements change as the size of the venues change.
Stage 1, Beginner
Chances are that you started in the bedroom or basement, and it's only you and you either have headphones or an amp pointed directly at you, and perhaps a lot of effects. The pitfall of this setup is that even a Line 6 amp on the Insane setting will work because you have no mix to cut. You also have no requirement to listen to the band around you, and certainly nobody giving counts or cues. Nothing we all didn't start out doing, perfectly acceptable and you're having fun! Falling in love with the guitar. Excellent and keep it up. The first time you play with others you may typically be in a situation where you're in chairs and have your amps in a circle and you can hear yourself just fine. Then you get into a band context and the world changes. You start with band rehearsals and it will be in a basement or a garage and all the amps will still be the Circle of Doom (COD) - and here's where bad habits start forming.
Look at the typical garage band situation: The most common setup I remember and still see is the COD with the player's amp at their heels. And now because there's a mix you get "I can't hear myself" syndrome and you - turn up. Worst mistake you can make. Let me explain why. Your amp has something we describe as "throw" which has to do with how the sound radiates from the cab. There's also something called "attenuation", but we'll skip that for now. Long and short of it is the sound of the amp is blowing by your knees and not making it to YOUR ears, but the other guys are getting a face full of it. Now, they turn up, making you turn up again, and on and on until your mix is 110dB of mush. We've all been there and the ones who survive go on. Others will get frustrated and quit. You'll need to realize that playing in a standing position requires different amp placement than sitting.
Next, after practicing in the COD, you go out and do your first show or perhaps sit in at a local jam session. Now, everything will be totally different. Totally. Now you have a backline of some sort. Depending on the room and setup, you may be able to distinguish yourself in the mix but it's going to feel really hard to understand where you're sitting in the mix out front. Often at this stage the room sucks and the sound system is less than optimum and even if you can hear yourself, you may not have the listening chops to hear the rest of the band well enough. And now, your sound is coming from behind you which is a totally different experience.
First rule to always remember at this stage - carve it into your case - if you can't hear the vocals, TURN DOWN!
The other most common mistake I see beginners make is using WAY, WAY, WAY and I mean way too much amp. Wanna sound like a newbie to a pro? Just say "Well, I play with a loud drummer so I need this many Watts." Trust me, a Pro Junior is more amp than most people need to play a 100 seater. If you want to argue that stop reading now. A Pro Junior on 5 will blow a drummer offstage if you know how to use it properly. A Princeton Reverb can handle the Ryman. I've seen EC blow away Royal Albert Hall with a single Bassman, so chances are you don't need that full stack to play a dive bar.
So the lesson here is rule 2. Rehearse in as close to your live setup backline as you can and make sure you amp is as far behind you as you can have it, and if possible off the floor and tilted up towards you . In my nascent performing years my setup routine was always the same: Grab a chair, put it against the back wall and set my amp on it with a beer bottle propping up the front to tip it back. Works the nuts. Also when you get to stages they can be "boomy" if you leave your amp on the floor. Lifting it up will usually tighten up the bottom end, especially Fender combo amps.
OK, that's out of the way now let's talk about a sensitive subject: effects. Time-based effects like reverb and delay you can usually get away with, but overdrive, distortion or fuzz - they will absolutely kill your sound in the mix. Use them as sparingly as you can and always be striving to use less. Which will now affect your sustain. Without that dirt box dimed you're going to feel like your guitar is dead. It isn't, but you'll think so. Here's where a couple hundred bucks will make all the difference in your rig: An EQ and a compressor. When you master these your life will become richer and more satisfying, girls will find you attractive and your friends will buy your beers. It'll be like playing a country song backwards.
Once you start clipping your signal it refuses to cut the mix and you're handicapping your amp. In most situations a little OD is really all you need. Even for metal.
And whatever you do, avoid a mid-heavy tone. If you can't hear yourself and your bandmates are already complaining about your volume, roll off some mids and add highs. The sound you love alone in the basement is usually not the best one for a live mix. I know this is heresy here, but at this point if nothing else works consider dropping the Les Paul and grabbing the Stratocaster. It will cut a lot better.
Stage 2, Local Journeyman
You lived through Stage 1 and now you're starting to be recognized as "A Player" in the local market. Believe it or not, things start getting a lot easier with respect to hearing yourself onstage. You may be perfectly happy at this stage and never feel the need to push on and that is 100% perfectly fine. Most of the best musicians I've shared a stage with live here. If you move on though, you'll be onto bigger stages and start dabbling in pro sound.
Now you will be in monitor land. Your amp will be mic'ed and you will have a guitar monitor besides the vocals. You may even have your own custom mix in your monitors. You can hear yourself just fine but here's the adjustment you'll need to make and it's not as easy as you think it may be: Your guitar sound will be coming from in front of you instead of behind you, and it will have a different sound than what's coming from the amp. That's usually more disorienting than you would expect. I know it took me about a year to get totally comfortable with it.
(IMPORTANT ASIDE - at this point the subject of in-ears may come up. That's a personal and controversial subject, all I can suggest is to do your homework and make your own choice. I'm not an audiologist or doctor. )
The next step up will be when they "fly" the monitors, which simply means they suspend them from trusses or batons overhead. I love these. They are usually really easy to work with.
Most important takeaway at this stage is to trust and learn how to communicate effectively with your sound crew. They're almost universally amazing and helpful, and if you ask them for help they will take it as their duty to help you. If you can't hear yourself don't stand there in agony. Just tell them, They'll fix it and keep the stage mix where it needs to be. They can add Hot Spots, side fills and a lot more to help you. Good sound people are a guitar player's best friend and after every show I make it a point to go thank Mike. If there were issues I don't complain, we both view them as opportunity to improve. I literally cannot do my job as well without Mike on my sound. He's what makes it all come together and sound good regardless of the venue.
Stage 3, You're the Headliners at the Stadium
Dudes and Dudettes, at this point you are simply taking directions and all you need to do is listen and play. Know your material frontwards and backwards and the rest will be taken care of. Regardless of what you may want to believe the vocals are often recorded and the singers are simply doubling them live. You CANNOT deviate from the arraignment, and you'll be more focused on stage blocking, counting measures and listening for drum cues than what you're playing during a solo, i.e., your playing is pretty much on autopilot at this stage.
Conclusion
Hopefully, the gist of this is it gets easier as you work up the ladder and if you're a newbie you can nip a lot of really bad habits in the bud. Avoid the COD and use effects sparingly, don't rely on mids and realize your sound really is in your fingers. Focus on the pocket and being rock-solid with your timing, even during solos. Above all - LISTEN!
Chuck
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