Super frustrated!

[rmcfee]

I love my Mk V but sometimes at gigs the sound man says " It sounds thin" or "it doesn't cut through". It always sounds great onstage but it drives me nuts to not be heard out front.
I do dial out a lot of the mids though. Could that make it not cut through or is it just lame sound men? Thanks.

 

[thunda1216]

yep - you need some mids. Electric guitar is all about the mids, it's what people hear

 

[Longer]

If it sounds good in the stage mix it should sound good out front, not thin.
Bring a trusted guitar friend detective out to the gig.

 

[rmcfee]

Too much mid on stage sounds bad to me so I dial them back. A Mark v should be able to make my presence known!

 

[Heritage Softail]

What you think you hear is not as important as what the crowd hears.

Do you record anything at a gig? What does it sound like?

I always practice with more bass and then this it back when a bass player is added. If you listen to the iso tracks of Randy Rhodes, they sound quite thin.

In the mix it sounds like legendary tone.

Don't sweat it. Record it. Make some fact based decisions.

Would you rather it sounded great to you but a bit mushy and dull to the crowd?

:lol:

 

[tonefordays]

It's not about what you hear onstage. It's about what it sounds like to the audience.

 

[screamingdaisy]

Guitar is a midrange instrument.

The bassist will obliterate your low end while the drummer obliterates your high end. All you're left with is the middle, which you turned down. Since you turned down the midrange all the crowd will hear is what's left of the top end that isn't being crushed by the snare/cymbals... Hence the thin sounding guitar comments.

The reality of modern heavy guitar tone is that it's the combination of a guitarist and bassist working in tandem. Everyone thinks its the guitars that sound huge when the truth is that it's the bass that's doing all the heavy lifting.

If the mids sound too honky and the amp sounds kind of bad on its own it'll probably sound perfect in a mix.

 

[cradlefish]

Guitar is a midrange instrument.

The bassist will obliterate your low end while the drummer obliterates your high end. All you're left with is the middle, which you turned down. Since you turned down the midrange all the crowd will hear is what's left of the top end that isn't being crushed by the snare/cymbals... Hence the thin sounding guitar comments.

The reality of modern heavy guitar tone is that it's the combination of a guitarist and bassist working in tandem. Everyone thinks its the guitars that sound huge when the truth is that it's the bass that's doing all the heavy lifting.

If the mids sound too honky and the amp sounds kind of bad on its own it'll probably sound perfect in a mix.

Absolutely nailed it!

It doesn't always sound good alone, but with a full band. It should sound killer!

The sound guy is trying to tell you something how to eq your mp for live situations.

He's probably done many sound checks and has an idea how bands can sound good depending how they eq their amps.

 

[ProgMetal_Lover]

This is a good thread,something for me to learn by!

 

[rmcfee]

Thanks for the advice. I love the amp and I want to get that tone out front. I'll experiment with pushing up that mid slider and see what happens.

 

[bdubbs]

What speakers are you using? I cut through like a knife.

 

[rmcfee]

I'm using a Marshall 2x12 cab with a pair of G12-75 (whatever the standard ones are). It seems clearer and brighter than when I had Vintage 30s in it. Less mids again.

 

[Heritage Softail]

I'm using a Marshall 2x12 cab with a pair of G12-75 (whatever the standard ones are). It seems clearer and brighter than when I had Vintage 30s in it. Less mids again.

Those should give you good cut live. I use my 4x12 angled Marshall cab, same speakers, and set it to cut heads and dial back the tone on the guitar.

I picked up a Tele and a friend that is a long time tele guy said the tone knob works wonders. He was right.

I you gotta get more mild speakers, the classic 80's in the Egnater OS2x12 are a little less cutting. They have a nice warm top end, and it gets better as it gets louder.

 

[ATR1]

+1 for the mids. Watch video of Dillinger Escape Plan: Rig Rundown w/Mark Vs. He cranks mids up.

 

[bdubbs]

I would go vintage 30s. They will add back in the mids that you need while still being scooped. Mesa's and V30s go together really well. I have both a v30 cab and a 75 cab so I have extensive experience with both.

 

[rmcfee]

OK maybe I better experiment a bit! I'll get my Vintage 30s out and see how they sound.

 

[cradlefish]

OK maybe I better experiment a bit! I'll get my Vintage 30s out and see how they sound.

Either get a pair and run them in X pattern with your GT7512 or full set. I like the combo to get the best of both worlds.

I would bump the slider up a bit but not too much for that can make your amp sound way too honky and gnarly. I would use your parametric more so with the slider as a touch up.

 

[pivot]

screamingdaisy nailed it!
Bring the mids up a touch look at Petrucci's EQ in the youtube video he explains it in detail.
Move the 750 on or just above the bottom line dont push it all the way down. It may not sound the way you want it when you play alone but in the mix it will really stand out and sound killer.