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Post subject: Gig with no amp
Posted: Mon Nov 18, 2013 4:53 am
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Hi,

I'm playing a gig soon which will be using the venues pa system as opposed to an amp. I've never done this before so was wondering if any of you have experience of how this sounds? Will distortion pedals sound alright through this?

Thanks!


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Post subject: Re: Gig with no amp
Posted: Mon Nov 18, 2013 6:58 am
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sm529 wrote:
I'm playing a gig soon which will be using the venues pa system as opposed to an amp. I've never done this before so was wondering if any of you have experience of how this sounds? Will distortion pedals sound alright through this?


Been there, done that, didn't even get a T-shirt.

Distortion will work ok, but boost/overdrive won't do the same as on a guitar amp.
Also note that a PA system often goes to much higher frequencies than guitar amps, which tend to cut at ~4000Hz. So you may get unwanted high frequency sounds and harmonics, unless you have a low-pass pedal. Dial the tone knob on the guitar back, or switch to the neck pickup if you get too many piercing harmonics. This depends on the PA system, though.


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Post subject: Re: Gig with no amp
Posted: Mon Nov 18, 2013 7:01 am
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Not really. It's not really designed to run pedals directly. They won't let you mic your amp?

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Post subject: Re: Gig with no amp
Posted: Mon Nov 18, 2013 7:59 am
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Some collaborator friends of mine from South America
play live using a Korg PX5D through the board and it works
out fine they say.

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Post subject: Re: Gig with no amp
Posted: Mon Nov 18, 2013 9:32 am
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Any sound engineer worth their salt will put you through a DI box and adjust your EQ strip accordingly. I've used a Marshall DRP-1 to go direct to desk and that also works well.

Of course if your sound depends on the dynamics of feedback from a guitar cab you'll be the rock in a hard place.


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Post subject: Re: Gig with no amp
Posted: Mon Nov 18, 2013 10:37 am
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DonX14 wrote:
Any sound engineer worth their salt will put you through a DI box and adjust your EQ strip accordingly. I've used a Marshall DRP-1 to go direct to desk and that also works well.

Of course if your sound depends on the dynamics of feedback from a guitar cab you'll be the rock in a hard place.


+1 The whole key is the "sound engineer" and not some knob twiddler on the board. If you have to go that route, I'd go with a processor and not just jack the guitar ind overdrive into the board. It also depends on the quality of the PA system too. My playing style never works with it. I rely on dynamics and touch sensitivity as well as controlled feedback for sustain.

See if you can get together and give it a go. We all have different needs. It may just work out for you.

In Mike's video, I thought they played incredibly well, but I didn't like the sound at all. Just sounds processed. That's just me though. I've always been the tube amp guy with very few effects.

We have a local band that runs the whole band that way including the electronic drums and to me, they sound soulless, and toneless like an old Casio keyboard. On the other hand, I've heard bands pull it off very well. It's just not my thing, and please don't take my opinion the wrong way or feel insulted. It's just my opinion. I've had great sound guys and knob twiddlers too.

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Last edited by 63supro on Mon Nov 18, 2013 10:44 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Post subject: Re: Gig with no amp
Posted: Mon Nov 18, 2013 10:42 am
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Reminds me of a joke I heard recently:

Q: What's the difference between God and a Sound Engineer?

A: God never thinks he's a Sound Engineer...

:lol:

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Post subject: Re: Gig with no amp
Posted: Mon Nov 18, 2013 6:32 pm
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I have played a couple of amp-less gigs previously...

The first few times I did this, I used a version 1.0 Line 6 POD...it worked pretty well overall, with some pretty good tones, but it lacked the "air" movement and punch that a real amp gives you and I couldn't change effects on the fly. That was the only unsatisfying aspects of this setup.

The other amp-less gigs I played, I used my pedalboard through a channel on the PA...it made for a good overall tone, but a bit unsatisfying for many of the same reasons as the POD; no air movement or punch (but I could change effects on the fly, of course).

Both worked, and I would use either method in a pinch, but I prefer a real amp where possible.

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Post subject: Re: Gig with no amp
Posted: Mon Nov 18, 2013 8:04 pm
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sm529 wrote:
Hi,

I'm playing a gig soon which will be using the venues pa system as opposed to an amp. I've never done this before so was wondering if any of you have experience of how this sounds? Will distortion pedals sound alright through this?

Thanks!



I think you'll regret doing this.
A guitar preamp and amp gives you the guitar feel and sound.

The PA will give nothing but an imitation of the sound you are after.

Good luck and please report afterwards.

:D


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Post subject: Re: Gig with no amp
Posted: Wed Dec 04, 2013 12:28 pm
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Did the gig and it was through a DI box, sounded way better than I expected :D It worked with my pedals really nicely!


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Post subject: Re: Gig with no amp
Posted: Wed Dec 04, 2013 2:13 pm
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Cool!

Sound samples?

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Post subject: Re: Gig with no amp
Posted: Wed Dec 04, 2013 2:39 pm
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I have worked quite a lot of Rock Shows and the Band Kiss had no real onstage amps. all dummy cabs, all they used was 12 to 14 foot racks of gear straight into the PA with floor monitors and a lot of pyro
Now Ted Nugent on the other hand had all dummy cabs and amps on stage and his live Marshal was under the deck Miced sounded like it was on 11 so loud that if it was on the stage there would be no controling the feedback
mud


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