how do you configure your live rig (mono, wdw, etc)?

[Michi]

Thx for the tips mentoneman!

I actually have access to a Rocktron Velocity 300 and an additional cab as well at our rehearsal space. Gotta check out my JVM's preamp out (=does it work as a line out or the like), but I am assembling a loadbox with a line out as well in the near future. So I could try w/d setup at rehearsals...and see how addicted I get haha! After that...will have to see how it develops!

 

[mentoneman]

you know at the end of the day if i had to start from scratch all over again i'd take a long hard look at this exact rig for a wdw system

life was never easier in regards to setup/teardown than when i used my axe ultra, and that single spaced 3 channel power amp is just cheating!!!

 

[Michi]

So I had some time before going to work today, and decided to go and try wet/dry at our rehearsal space .

My setup was a poor-poor man's one:

Dry: guitar -> JVM -> Marshall JCM900B
Wet: JVM's preamp out -> Digitech GSP1101 in -> GSP1101 line out -> Marshall Mosfet 100 fx return-> Marshall JCM900A

The cabs were about 5 meters apart facing each other and I was in the middle when I hit the first chord after setting the levels somewhat ok...WOW ! Pretty...HUGE & FULL !

This short test already makes me rethink my rig setup. I think I'm going to have to get two 2x12's to haul around when we start gigging again next year. If the venue is big enough I can go w/d and if not enough space I can always use one cab only and the fx needed from the GSP.

What an eyeopener!

 

[philb]

Just mono for me. I have to haul too much gear and I'm just too lazy. I bring a backup amp and that's it.

 

[Michi]

Just mono for me. I have to haul too much gear and I'm just too lazy. I bring a backup amp and that's it.

You know I was thinking the same thing before, but then I realized I'm still bringing my GSP (=wet fx) with me in any case and we will have to have a backup of some kind (=wet power) with us...so I kinda figured I'll just get the extra cab, that's not so much extra to haul...I think .

 

[mentoneman]

for some the addition of one powered speaker/monitor, cable, and power outlet is all it takes to go from mono to w/d

i've been tweaking my rack a bit lately trying to blend fx units for a better big picture of what i hear in my head. the lexicon and korg in the rack aren't midi controlled yet--only the gforce in my pedal/rack on the floor has midi control with patch changes programmed so the lexi and korg stay at home for now

 

[Sick Michael]

Mentoneman owns.


Mono, usually for me. Played a wedding last year with a roland cube and a mi audio crnch box....surprisingly not crap.

Mesa Quad owns too by the way. Currently recording a cd with it. Orange v30 cab, 395....its metal, but shifting into that gales sphere is way possible - shift to class A / el34 outer tubes, plus a pedal....

 

[mentoneman]

sickness!!

quad/395 = face punching tones.

 

[lordriffenstein]

Pretty much used every possible combination live except wdw.
Most of my gigs this year were mono, dual mono or w/d.
Some of the best tones I've had were running a 50w JMP clean with a channel switcher.
Both into a 4x12 that is split left/right, both amps always on. FX would be in the loop of the channel switcher (Elmwood).
Adding the clean signal of the JMP to the overdriven tones was pure gold, you can get away with more gain and still have it sound in-your-face. Lotsa fun!

 

[mentoneman]

Pretty much used every possible combination live except wdw.
Most of my gigs this year were mono, dual mono or w/d.
Some of the best tones I've had were running a 50w JMP clean with a channel switcher.
Both into a 4x12 that is split left/right, both amps always on. FX would be in the loop of the channel switcher (Elmwood).
Adding the clean signal of the JMP to the overdriven tones was pure gold, you can get away with more gain and still have it sound in-your-face. Lotsa fun!

i took my peacemaker and fx to a friend's house, plugged the mojave into his gh30 avatar 4x12 and took the wet out to his fender deluxe and it sounded amazing and the most organic of several w/d rigs i've pieced together, including a similar deal using my mojave/bogner dry and a peavey classic 50/50 in mono to an avatar 4x12 for wet.
pushing a small tube amp for the wet cab really adds it's own vintage quality, but for rack effects clarity, using frfr monitors as wet cabs really makes modern studio sounds shine.

 

[Zachman]

Stereo/WDW = you are the only one in the house that benefits

Mono = better sound to everyone else

Also, the easier the load in the better I play because I usually have more time to properly warm up and get in the proper mindset musically.

if you have a soundman who you work with regularly and is a team player the results can be great with wdw or stereo

but i totally agree with your second statement that the sooner you are set up the more you can warm up and rehearse.

My bet is that if you have the best of soundmen mixing a mono set up one night and WDW the next night, I bet 99% of the audience wouldn't know the difference. IMO of course.

i will say that the best live tones ive heard in my life were larry carlton and mike landau running wdw rigs-carlton at a medium sized venue with his dumble dry/mackie mixer/JBL eon powered wet speaker, sand landau at the potato with either his dumble modded super combo or marshall dsl200 half stack into a bradshaw/lexicon/marshall wet rig into a pair of passive CAE 1x12

radically different players but sonically the clarity and massiveness of the tone running that config cannot be denied.
compared to seeing landau with renegade creation running two newer fender combos and a line 6 dl4 delay-- it was the first time i was totally unimpressed with his sound after seeing him many times over the years.

I bet to the trained ear, such as yours, it sounded massive. But, to the regular concert goer, wouldn't matter much.

I've seen/heard your argument re: the audience not being able to tell the difference.... Here are some thoughts:

* I would argue that if the player is happier with their sound, they're more likely to give a better performance, which the audience would likely appreciate.

* In all the years I've been doing this, I have NEVER (NO, not even 1 time)-- bought gear for the audience. I figure, since I'm the one responsible for deciding what it is I am going to serve the audience, it's up to ME to be satisfied w/ my gear selection. (There isn't a "one size fits all" approach for me)

* The audience likely can/would perceive the difference, though may not be able to articulate the subtleties.

* Some, record their live performances in stereo-- even though there may only be a mono FOH setup.

* w/d/w doesn't necessarily = big, heavy or expensive, nor automatically mean that it takes too long to setup/tear down. Even my huge rig is less BS than dealing w/ transporting and setting up/tearing down a drum set, or a PA, and once the gear is staged-- 5 minutes and I'm ready to play, though that's hurrying it up a bit. Truly, not the setup I'd take nor suggest taking to take to a battle of the bands scenario.

 

[Michi]

I've been seriously considering making my setup w/d instead of mono. I'm curious, are there any (inexpensive) speaker simulators I could use with two cabs to FOH?