how do I hear myself better on stage?

[wylderubicon]

hey folks,

I recently started playing live with a new band and having a blast. However, I struggle to hear myself at times. I think this is mostly due to me standing only 3 feet in front of my 2x12 vertical cab and only being about 4 feet away from my drummer's symbals.. the sound projected to the crowd is good and I'm sitting in the mix pretty well, when playing riffs and rhythm its fine, but when it comes to solo's I can't hear what I'm playing... we play on very small stages, so moving away from drums/cabs is not an option. what could I do to hear myself better without turning up my amp any louder? I do mid-boost for my solos, so I'm cutting through. Ideas that I have is connecting an extention 1x12 cab to my amp and have it face me. Any other techniques?

thanks


amps is DSL20H or Origin50H depending on the show. cab is a slanted 2x12 cab with celestion v30's

 

[Dogs of Doom]

if the cab is at foot level pointed at your ankles, raise it up... if the cab is above waist level, below your chest, is a good height...

 

[speyfly]

A wedge under the 2X12 to get more sound to your ears. Be careful not to tilt it where it becomes unstable. Or rearrange the play area so you can get farther away from the speaker cab.

 

[Mike_LA]

Like he said....

 

[PelliX]

An extra cab for yourself is not a bad idea - proven technique. I presume the amp(s) isn't/aren't being mic'ed, right?

If they were getting mic'ed, or if you have another reasonable means of getting a feed you could try an in-ear solution. Not my thing at all, but but many swear by 'em and it's what all the pros have been doing for ages, give or take...

 

[Dogs of Doom]

Like he said....

I have one similar to this & the arms are changeable, so the cab can be held w/o the tilt, as well.

If the crowd are getting a good beam, w/ the cab straight out, you probably don't want to tilt the cab too much, because nobody in the audience will be able to hear you anymore...

 

[Mike_LA]

If the crowd are getting a good beam, w/ the cab straight out, you probably don't want to tilt the cab too much, because nobody in the audience will be able to hear you anymore...

Ok, right.
Get yourself am anvil case to hold the amp and put the amp on top when you get to the venue...

 

[speyfly]

One more thought is a powered monitor speaker in front of you. I say powered so you can tweak the volume separately of the amp.

 

[aikiguy]

Ask to have your guitar put in your monitor…

 

[Resident 217]

One other way may be to do the house mix in stereo and have your guitar amp placed in the mix to where you are standing.
The other instruments should be put where they are too of course.

 

[10kDA]

As stated by others here, if you can't move forward away from the cab, the easiest way is to get your speakers up a bit, more toward (your) ear level. A case, even a drum case, a stand designed for an amp or cab, a folding chair, almost anything can make a big difference. Do you use earplugs? If you slice those foam earplgs diagonally across the long way, so one end remains circular and the other end comes to a point, when they expand they don't block all the sound yet still reduce the SPL a significant amount. They smooth out everything, and take the white noise of cymbals way, way down.

 

[DreamerDeceiver]

Boost that signal !

 

[21fret]

When you find it necessary to cut through use your favorite EQ pedal. Use these similar mid boost settings.

You might not like your tone right off but you'll hear the proof in the recordings.
you will be heard!

 

[Browneyesound]

Turn it up!

 

[wylderubicon]

ok everyone,

took me a while to reply because I was out testing out all of the suggestions.
1) turn it up louder. Not an option, I'm heard out to the crowd.
2) EQ pedal. I already use an eq pedal for boost.(BOSS SD1 with BOSS GE7 combined) again, I cut through just fine.
3) raising the cabinet. this works, I put my 2x12 on a milk crate and I can hear better, however, its a terrible look to have amps on a Milk crate, not to mention, its not stable. The PA mixer also sits on top of my amp head.. small stage...
4) mic the cab and into a wedge floor monitor. This works, but its a shared monitor. everyone else is in the monitor mix too, so doesn't help me isolate.
5) extra cab. 1 tried a 1x12 cab on the floor angled towards me. best choice so far, but no way to control volume. is there a cheap way to add volume to a cab? i would think attenuator, but thats not cheap

so looks like having a personal monitor is the best way to go. which monitors would you recommend? I'm using a sm57 for this. I have a fishman loudbox mini, would this work? how about a boss katana? For wireless in ear, which do you recommend on a budget worth a while?

thanks

 

[Emiel]

Sounds like all you'll need to do is to raise the speakers more up to ear level. It might not look nice but I guess you'd rather hear yourself than not being able to? Otherwise just stick to that 1x12, have a similar V30 speaker in it and have it point right at your ears.

Some other options:
- Cost-effective: try some Weber Beamblockers in front of your speakers, these diffuse the high frequencies and lets you hear yourself better. Might just do the trick for $20/€25 each....

- More expensive: a vertical 2x12, I find these project better than a cab with the speakers horizontally or diagonally. They're even better with Beamblockers (or foam, etc.)

 

[Tatzmann]

2x12 on a milk crate and I can hear better, however, its a terrible look to have amps on a Milk crate

Thats why you should put it on a case of beer, or for the ultimate barbaric look, a keg of beer!

He puts it on a milkcrate.

 

[nickfox]

 

[Tatzmann]

Was browsing for some 2555X info and found this on here, courtesy of Ray Baker.


He likes his keg's, so give it a try and ditch the milkcrate, if your'e at it, ditch the SD-1 too and your sound will be much fuller, so you may be able to use that keg as intended.

 

[aikiguy]

so looks like having a personal monitor is the best way to go. which monitors would you recommend? I'm using a sm57 for this. I have a fishman loudbox mini, would this work? how about a boss katana? For wireless in ear, which do you recommend on a budget worth a while?

I’ve been using IEM’s every show for years,now. I’ve used the good ones and I’ve used the cheapest ones, and found that give or take, they all sound the same, really.

These days I’m using a really cheap but effective unit from Amazon called Anleon S2. They work,well and are awesome for monitoring your singing, but tbh, I don’t think you’ll Ike your guitar sound in them. I don’t think your guitar will sound better in a Sennheiser unit, either… That’s just IMO, of course. A little something to think about before you spend the money….