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Volume Questions For Live


mdvolk1234
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How do you all figure out what volume will work in a live setting (for example direct into PA) when making tones.

 

It is clear that when you turn the volume up, the tone sounds completely different.  I am trying to get my POD gig ready but am just having a hard time figuring out at what volume the tone sounds good enough that I will trust it at a gig.

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trial and error is always the only way. but beyond that --- 

 

1. as long as your tones have the same volume as each other, it doesn't matter where you set the volume. 

2. the mp3 input is not affected by the volume knob. if you hook up a player, you can set your volume by matching the audio. 

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It is trial and error however i have found setting the podhd master at 3 o'clock and adjusting the volume through the mixer to be a safe bet. I think i am at about +5?That way you still have some room to go louder if the engineer needs it (i have not had that issue once though)

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  • 2 weeks later...

The only way I've found to do a good level check is playing at (more or less) stage volume and using a sound level meter. I downloaded a level meter for my iPhone, and then set my rig up in my house at about 60% of my stage volume. then I played thru all my patches for gigs, and adjust them to have about the same volume.

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TL;DR of some tips:

 

- Look up "fletcher munson curves" for important/helpful info about volume and tone.

- It's rare to nail it the 1st several gigs; roll with it best you can, and tweak after each show.

- The better you can simulate gig conditions at rehearsal (esp. volume) the better off you'll be.

- dB meters help a lot, but beware of tones that measure as louder or softer than they sound to human ears.

- During sound check or rehearsal, try using the built-in looper so you hear from the audience perspective.

- When possible, edit *in context* of the full band; sometimes what sounds good by itself doesn't work.

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1. as long as your tones have the same volume as each other, it doesn't matter where you set the volume. 

 

 This is not even close to true. Patches leveled at moderate listening levels will almost never have the same volume relationship when the volume goes up. You should set your patches at a loud, but not unbearable listening level, and level your patches to each other at that volume. Its never going to be an exact perfect translation between your practice gear and a large venue PA, but it will be close enough that the sound guy won't have too much EQ work to do, and you'll be comfortable with your volume/tone.

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So I am getting ready to embark on this same mission here as I am going to be audition for a new band for the first time with this POD.  I get what all of you have been saying with testing everything out at gig volume so I will be doing that in the next few days, my question is what is the best way to have the Master volume, mixer levels and power amp level set for gig levels?  Right now the Master level is cranked to 100% always for all applications (I can't remember where I read that it should be set that way but it's been that way for a long time) my mixer levels are at +4 and I am using my power amp levels for my overall volume adjustments.  Is this fine or should I back off the main volume and compensate by boosting something else?  Does it matter?

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A cheap trick: play a chord progression into the looper, leave it play and go stand out in the room and hear it. I do this at sound checks all the time. You have the added benefit of messing with the sound guy since he'll hear you playing but you're standing next to him. :)

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Using the mini plug input and matching your rhythm and lead tones to records is a very good idea. I do a lot of gigs as a single and use the input for playing backing tracks from an iPad. Honestly it's a piece of cake to set your levels this way. I keep my master at about 1 o'clock and the iPad at max.

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In addition to the already great tips above, I also use this one: 

record my live set with the entire band and then

1) listen to it again the next day and check if I notice something odd in terms of volume

2) open the recording with Audacity or any other sound editing software and visually compare the amplitudes of the sound graphs

 

I also have two presets on my POD that I use as reference tones (one clean and one distortion tone): these are simple, dry tones with as little volume tweaking as needed (just amp volume set, the rest to its defaults). I use these tones to compare volumes when I create new tones, and as a starting point/template for new tones.

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Best way I've found is to rehearse the gig like the gig will be performed.  This is true both technically and musically.

If you're going to play through a pa at the gig, then rehearse through a pa.  If you're going to plug the POD to an amp at the gig, then rehearse with the POD to an amp.
The only way you're going to perfect the scenario is by continuous troubleshooting of the scenario.

Also, if your band has recorded at all, try to get a copy of the band mix sans your guitar.  This will help you to set your preset volume levels for each part of the song, song by song.

I set up all of my HD500X presets this way.  Live, all I have to do is give them a reasonably strong signal with the master volume at about 2 or 3 o'clock, and they don't even have to eq my channel.  They give me what I need in my monitor & I'm good to go.

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Ultimately, it doesn't matter where you have the volume set. But, I always say: 

2. the mp3 input is not affected by the volume knob. if you hook up a player, you can set your volume by matching the audio. 

I'm sorry dude, but this is bad advice with a modeler. I get leveling the patches to the MP3, but volume absolutely has an effect on how tones sound and how they level across several presets. At headphone volume, my recording patches are all about the same level, but if I plug them into my PA and play at "gig levels" my cleans and overdrives are nowhere near sounding like the same volume. The Fletcher Munson curve is a real thing that needs to be considered in this scenario.

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I'm sorry dude, but this is bad advice with a modeler. I get leveling the patches to the MP3, but volume absolutely has an effect on how tones sound and how they level across several presets. At headphone volume, my recording patches are all about the same level, but if I plug them into my PA and play at "gig levels" my cleans and overdrives are nowhere near sounding like the same volume. The Fletcher Munson curve is a real thing that needs to be considered in this scenario.

 

 

By the time you stand on stage, it is really too late to tweak your patches. That should have been done long ago. 

So, assuming that your patches are already tweaked, the question is still... 

Where should he set his volume for live playing. The mp3 player will come out of the same PA system, so why is adjusting your master volume to match the same level a bad thing? 

 

 

Do you have a better solution? 

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