Patch Building - What’s Your Process and Equipment

[jws1982]

I see a lot of threads where someone’s getting bad sound when try to build a patch or when they change what they’re monitoring through. So, I wanted to start a reference thread for everyone to describe your equipment and process for building good-sounding patches.

 

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I always build patches with the end-listener and sound source in mind.  Typically, this is a live sound environment.  I’ll mimic this setup to build the patch. 

 

I use a Yamaha DXR10 in wedge mode at lower “stage volume”.  I’ll turn on the low-cut on the speaker, as I can expect any sound guy to automatically put a low cut on the guitar channel when I play live. 

 

I’ll then build the basics of the patch (amp, cab, and comp), then change speaker orientation and volume to fine tweak it where it sounds good across the stage volume range.  I’ll then add effects, and again tweak like before. 

 

I find the DXR10 does an excellent job of being a general representation of the stage sound wherever I might play.   I’ve yet to make a patch on it that didn’t sound good on other PA systems unless the sound guy didn’t know what he was doing.

 

I’ll also test the patch by playing music in a similar style through the speaker, and see how the guitar sits in the mix.  Usually some very small EQ tweaks are needed after this. 

 

After building patches this way, I find that other monitoring sources (like my in-ears) sound good as well, especially once I’m on stage playing.  When I play live, I’m either using in-ears, or monitoring through the DXR10. Either way, it sounds great, and I don’t have to worry about what I sound like out front. 

 

Oh, one more thing.  I take breaks when I build patches.  Ear fatigue makes bad sounding patches. 

[DunedinDragon]

My process is somewhat similar.  I have a DXR12 set up at home at about chest height.  I find this gives me a pretty good indicator of what my sound will be like through most decent PA system as long as I stand about 6 or more feet away from the speaker at volume when I'm listening to it at performance levels.

 

When I build a preset I have a general tone I'm going for.  That tone I'm looking for will generally be influenced by the guitar I choose to use on it whether it's a Les Paul, Strat, Tele, Gretsch Hollow Body, Gretsch steel resonator, or acoustic guitar.  That preset will always be used with that guitar.  If it's a cover song I do some level of research to figure out what type of equipment was used on the record and go from there.  If that's not available I can typically get a feel for the type of gear used by just listening to it.

 

My Helix is setup on a bar top rather than on a floor.  It has my 1/4 inch output going to a DI which sends a 1/4" line level signal to the DXR12 with DSP contouring off, volume at unity (12 o'clock) and bass low cut on the speaker set to 100 Hz.  From that same DI I have an XLR output going to a single channel on a small Alesys mixing board that I use to monitor signal level strength to more or less get my patches into the same output level as I'm dialing them in.

 

My Helix master volume is set to 11 o'clock and I generally dial in my tones at performance levels.  I use a stock beginner preset that contains my volume pedal, a Parametric EQ  and a LA Studio Comp toward the end of my lower signal chain with a split bypass with two gain block in my top signal chain.  I drop in the amp block and an IR block and get those dialed in and make any high/low or other eq adjustments I might need on the final parametric EQ.  As I dial the patch in and as I add other blocks to the patch  I try to get it corrected to about -8db on the Alesys mixer, and with each modification listen to the results by backing away from the speaker, standing off-axis, facing toward and facing away from the speaker to get a good feel for how it will sound in different situations.  I'll also play it with the recording if one is available to see how I'll sit in a mix.

 

As mentioned above I take several breaks over a couple of days coming back and tweaking it as I go.  The whole purpose of my process is to get a good feel for how the patch will sound to the audience through the FOH.

[codamedia]

Getting my tones to sit in a mix on any number of PA's with minimal need for the soundman to EQ anything is my top goal... 

 

To get that, I approach crafting my sounds the same way I would mix a recording. I setup in my home studio where I have two sets of monitors.. studio grade near fields and a large set of older consumer three-way speakers. I monitor at about 80 - 85db (pretty loud for a small room) and a switch between the two sets of monitors until it sounds great on BOTH sets. While setting things up I take the time to balance the patch(es) via the meters on my small mixer. 

 

Once I get that far, I play along with some tracks that I may have been trying to emulate. From there it goes to the stage where I monitor through an independent monitor mix, and/or a full range powered cabinet I have. Aside from balancing the patches a little more, I rarely have to change anything else. 

 

I always make a point of engaging the sound tech... especially in a new room, or with a new tech. I have gotten the same response for years... "Its great...I didn't have to do anything to it". Goal accomplished! 

 

All that said... I'm a simple guy when it comes to patches. I have a primary patch for each guitar (Tele, Strat, Les Paul, Variax) and I can do anything I need in one patch with the 8 snapshots and stomps. My live tone has been the same for 20 years whether I use a pedal board and amps or a direct solution such as the Helix. It gets a lot easier once you know what you are trying to achieve, and how to accomplish it.