I figured Trey uses monitors to assist in guitar sustain. I know it helps me. I might have at least 50% of my total volume come from monitors in a gig. But in the recent Trey video he said he only wants vocals coming out of his monitors. Not sure if that excludes guitar or not. What is your preference?
I like to hear my guitar in the monitor, but I'm not really a singer. Having good monitor sound can help you reduce your amp volume and overall stage volume. It's a balancing act and changes with the room...
I almost always prefer using my amp as my monitor onstage, and leaving the monitors with just my vocals. Depending on the room, ill add a little guitar here and there to the onstage mix. I like my tone better coming out of the amp itself.
I take vocals and a lot of keys in my monitor. It's the only way I get to hear everyone. I am in the camp where my amp is my monitor for guitar, but my band mates like having guitar in their monitor mixes.
Suppose i need to upgrade my PA so that I can customize each players monitor mix. That would solve many issues.
Quote from: Happyorange27 on June 17, 2013, 10:47:43 AM
Suppose i need to upgrade my PA so that I can customize each players monitor mix. That would solve many issues.
This is how Jimmy Herring rolls, volume pedals for his monitor mix. That guy is ridiculous.
(http://www.premierguitar.com/Stream/StreamImage.aspx?Image_ID=CE47981D-46D7-4AEF-B377-7A58B86FF003&Image_Type=image)
This is freaking awesome^. Thanks for sharing. I would step it up a notch by using Visual Sound pedals so that you know which pedal is set at, for some reference points.
Jimmy Herring is the man. The volume pedal thing is so over the top, I love it.
Generally speaking, the lower the stage volume, the better the sound front of house. It's one reason bands switch to in-ear monitors. Personally, it depends on the stage. I only want to put stuff in the monitors that I can't hear well otherwise - so usually just vocals. In improv situations where I'm comping for other band members I'll lower my volume a bunch and move closer to them, which makes sense because I don't want to be too loud, I'm not the focus. When I'm playing a solo on the other hand, the volume goes right back up. In composed sections I find it doesn't matter nearly as much. Usually all I need to hear then is bass and drums. All that being said, I'm playing on stages that are probably 1/1000th the size of the ones Jimmy Herring is playing with Panic.
For years i have been doing the poor man's mix with the PA. Left channel goes to monitors and right channel goes to FOH. If the monitors need more or less of a channel, I pan it accordingly then adjust the channel fader to get the balance. It's not too shabby but you lose stereo effects and such.
Wow, Herring is nuts!
I tend to go with the sentiment that my speaker cab is my monitor as well. Like what Trey said in his video - he needs to hear the rest of the band, then he never has to create melodies for his leads, just play off of what he hears. I think that makes the music more alive and complex - you get all sorts of feedback-loops where a melody is interpreted and reinterpreted and altered and affects the entire direction of the song. Otherwise, you might as well play along with BIAB ;)
Sometimes when I listen to Phish I focus on listening to Gordon and Page for rhythmic and melodic influences on Trey's leads. I have a tendency to focus on Trey, which I think translates to focusing on my playing when I am jamming with a band. Consciously focusing on how other members of Phish are influencing Trey's leads helps me to get out of my head and into the band mix when playing.
Playing small bars I've had a hard time getting my amp up to the volumes I want, for tone, without pissing off the guys in my band. Seems to be a constant struggle...finding the tone I want, without overpowering the band, mostly the vocals. The conclusion I've come to is that a pissed off band makes for a crappy show, even if it's just one member. So I sacrifice what I'd ideally choose volume-wise as a compromise for everyone's happiness.
But when the band starts rocking loud it's easy to get lost in the mix. So I've found having a little of my own sound in the monitor mix helps prevent getting totally buried.
Having good quality monitors helps. I have a QSC PA system and the sound is really good. If it were shitty house monitors I'd probly only use amp sound.
It's a balancing act with lots of variables...and always a learning process.
I think one advantage Trey has is that his sound is likely nearly the same at every gig. Wouldn't that be nice!!!
Quote from: picture_of_nectar on June 18, 2013, 01:54:31 PM
Playing small bars I've had a hard time getting my amp up to the volumes I want, for tone, without pissing off the guys in my band. Seems to be a constant struggle...finding the tone I want, without overpowering the band, mostly the vocals. The conclusion I've come to is that a pissed off band makes for a crappy show, even if it's just one member. So I sacrifice what I'd ideally choose volume-wise as a compromise for everyone's happiness.
But when the band starts rocking loud it's easy to get lost in the mix. So I've found having a little of my own sound in the monitor mix helps prevent getting totally buried.
Having good quality monitors helps. I have a QSC PA system and the sound is really good. If it were shitty house monitors I'd probly only use amp sound.
It's a balancing act with lots of variables...and always a learning process.
I think one advantage Trey has is that his sound is likely nearly the same at every gig. Wouldn't that be nice!!!
Interesting - the last band I played in, setting my MKIII similarly to how Trey sets his, I sat perfectly in the band mix at practices in the garage, but needed to turn up for gigs.