Recommended FRFR for live use?

[ledvedder5150]

Hi everyone! 

Long time HX Effects user here. I've been using it for live gigs in 4cm with my tube amps. Now I have an HX Stomp XL on the way. I'm trying to decide which FRFR to go with. Or would I be better off with a power amp and guitar cab set up? What's working for everyone? 

[DunedinDragon]

There's a real mixture of different approaches across spectrum of users depending on preferences, music style, places they tend to perform and many other factors.

 

For example I personally go direct from my Helix to the mixing board and depend on our standard floor monitors (Yamaha DXR12) as does everyone in the band.  I didn't start off that way however when I got my Helix originally in 2015.  I used my own dedicated DXR12 in the place of a stage amp and sent a separate signal direct to the mixing board while others in the band were using traditional amps along with traditional drum kits.  Over time I changed incrementally until the current band was in a state in which we could all go direct to the board which simplified our setup and gave us a much better feel for what the audience was hearing.  It also easily scales from small venues to the largest of venues without a lot of changes on stage other than the volume of the monitors, and our setup and sound check time is minimal.

 

You'll likely hear from all sorts of folks with different setups such as 4cm through a standard stage amp, to using setups like mine, setups like you're describing, or powered FRFR cabinets.  A lot depends on what you and the rest of the band are doing more than anything.  What drives our configuration is we're a vocal multi-harmony based band so getting a really good stage mix is crucial to getting the stage mix precise so everyone can play as well as hear the vocals clearly.  But what works for us may not work for you in your situation.

[brue58ski]

QSC is a brand I keep seeing listed a lot. No personal experience but it's listed a lot.

[theElevators]

Not the first post about FRFR recommendations. 

 

I still firmly believe that you get the best feel if you have a guitar cab on stage and run Helix 1/4" out through a power amp.  FRFR's have a very narrow range in terms of stage area they cover, unless you get a really big one.  It just operates like a wedge monitor: you can hear very well if you are standing directly in front of it, but if you step away, the sound goes away.  Plus you absolutely need to put the FRFR on a stand, otherwise you will have a problem with it having too much bottom (explained at the end).

So once again, what works for me is to simply run my signal through a clean power amp into a single 12" speaker for stage volume/personal monitoring.  I toured Europe for 2 weeks and played through a rented Fender Deluxe amp.  I disconnected the speaker cable, and plugged it into the "out" of my Mooer Baby Bomb 30W solid state power amp.  It sounded like the real thing and endured 5 hours of operation per day.  I heard myself clearly on stage, and got feedback, etc as needed.  But to emphasize, I ran the actual sound via Helix's XLR L/R to the front of the house, the amp on stage was just for me to hear myself.  

 

When a speaker cannot be disconnected from an amp, I just run the combo amp on the cleanest setting.  Fender Deluxe, Fender Twin work the best in my experience as clean amps that simply amplify what you feed into them.  

 

I've been following what people did back in the early days of guitar modellers--and most people did precisely that.  They would just run the sound out of a rented amp for stage volume, tapping into the power amp section (return jack).  

 

For my personal rig, I bought a single 12" speaker cab by Orange, and also power it by Mooer Baby Bomb.  Works consistently.  

 

I also have a FRFR-108 2000-watt 1x8".   It's great because it's light.  It is amazing for small coffee shop gigs, or living room rehearsals.  But I will never use it onstage.  It always lives in my car.  If you are planning on using it to dial in your sounds, don't!  FRFRs can be very bass-heavy, despite their name (not full range, and definitely not flat response). That was the case with mine.  When I first started dialing in my sounds, I quickly discovered that the sound I had dialed in was unusable for live use, though it sounded great at home through my FRFR.

 

 

[ricstudioc]

I'm the pragmatic type - when I got the Helix back in '16 I picked up a set of Alto 10" FRFR's (forget the model atm).  I've always set them up in front of me like floor wedges, firing back up at me.  Never had any complaints.  But your application should dictate your choice.

[codamedia]

On 11/1/2023 at 8:18 AM, ledvedder5150 said:

I'm trying to decide which FRFR to go with. Or would I be better off with a power amp and guitar cab set up? What's working for everyone? 

 

I prefer a good full range speaker (ie: FRFR) over a traditional cab, but I'm also a multi-instrumentalist that requires full range on some of my presets (acoustic, dobro, mandolin, banjo, etc..). 

 

A good powered monitor works great for me. QSC, Yamaha, Yorkville (Canada), etc....  My personal monitor for my Helix is a Cerwin Vega, but I only use it when the stage monitors are not up to quality. 

 

If I were to buy a marketed FRFR (not just a stage monitor), I'd go to the Line 6 Powercab or one of the new Fenders.