Tone in context

[Jamland]

This is a reminder to us veterans and a lesson to noobs that when listening to an amp's various settings straight up with no other music such as a band playing with you, you won't be able to appreciate it's tone until you do. I just bought a brand new Mark V, and while it sounds great by itself, when I got to play it in reheasal tonight with my band it sounded really great! When in context with the music you're playing with, I think you play the guitar differently than when you're just trying different tone settings. What might not sound that great alone can sound totallly awesome when it's heard with the rest of the band. Same thing with recording; little aspects of the tone you might not like when listening straight from the speaker might totally fit in the mix on a recording.
The Boogie Mark V kicks ass in my opinion. I love it so far!

 

[MBJunkie]

+1

The Mark V really "Kicks Ass" while playing in a band situation.....no doubt in my mind!
However, it can also be dialed in to sound great while playing thru it alone at moderate to low levels....just not quite the same mojo in that scenerio IMO.

FWIW....I will say that I feel the same way about my other Mark amp (MkIV)....sounds best in a band situation!

BTW....I do much prefer my MkV over my MkIV (collecting dust) contrary to other posters, but that is just my opinion. The MkV is an absolutely "Kick Ass" amp IMO! :mrgreen:

 

[MrMarkIII]

Playing with band = more mids.

 

[jb's 52]

Yeah,

I always have to tweak mine back and forth between band and home practice and after gigs for that matter.

 

[Adambomb]

Very very true. Our sound tech that runs the main PA board for our shows is new and awhile back during his first show with us, he said after the show "dude i think thats one of the best sounding amps Ive heard".
At home the sound can sound even a little harsh especially if your right in front of the V30 speakers, but in a band situation, I've never heard a better amp fit in the mix like a Mark V. The Mark V DOES kick ass!!! Hell yeeeeaaa!!! Right on right oooon!!

 

[masque]

i agree with this....as a long time studio owner and lover of all things guitar, one of the biggest struggles I've encountered has been trying to get guitar players in bands to understand what makes a great guitar tone.

so many of them come into the studio with these massively huge giant guitar tones that sound great when jamming alone but when mixed with the band makes for a sonic mess......they have a hard time actually listening to some of the great tones recorded over the years and realizing that if that tone were isolated that it might not sound as huge as they think and the key to the tone being so good to the ears is because it sits well and plays nice with the other instruments.


the mark v does fantastic with this regard.

 

[thalweg]

so many of them come into the studio with these massively huge giant guitar tones that sound great when jamming alone but when mixed with the band makes for a sonic mess....../quote]

One of the most important recommendations I could make to any musician is to take the time to understand, at even a beginner or intermediate level, the highly nuanced skill of a an experienced recording engineer. They would look at things in an entirely different light when it comes to tone and dynamics in a band setting. Those skills are almost always applicable in a live stage environment. From getting the right "stage" sound (read, monitoring and balance)to getting the best possible front of house sound in a variety of different and often difficult sound environments.

Understanding and being aware of the impact of mic bleed, reverb, eq shaping, compression, gain staging, high and low pass filtering etc etc only translates into a much more enjoyable live performance experience for both the players and the audience.

The Mark V...feels perfectly designed for the live performance and performs equally well in a studio setting.

 

[screamingdaisy]

One thing I've always found interesting (and it's something I really notice on the Mark V) is how two channels that sound kind of similar at home can sound totally different from each other in a band.

For me it was Crunch and Mark IV. At home both sound really similar with only a slight shift in mids, but with a band it's like I'm playing two distinctly different amplifiers.

Beyond that, I agree with everything posted. It's really easy to get caught up in over-analysing your sound when it's just you and the amp in your basement, particularly if you're trying to make your guitar amp sound like both a guitar and a bassist are playing simultaneously.... but once the rest of the band kicks in all the subtle nuances of your tone are swallowed up and all you really have left is midrange (which is where the Mark and the V30 excel).

 

[thalweg]

One thing I've always found interesting (and it's something I really notice on the Mark V) is how two channels that sound kind of similar at home can sound totally different from each other in a band.

For me it was Crunch and Mark IV. At home both sound really similar with only a slight shift in mids, but with a band it's like I'm playing two distinctly different amplifiers.

I hear the same similarities. I use Crunch for my rhythm tones and Mark IV for lead tones. I'm not a fan of a substantially distinct lead sound over the Crunch sound. I prefer what is perceived as a blend with a bit more gain and added bass in Mark IV sound. Mind you, depending on the song, I take significant advantage of my guitar volume and tone controls to shape the lead tones during certain passages.

I have the combo amp...and still struggle with the taming the boxyness while trying to maintain a fuller spectrum in a home jam environment. In a band setting, the bass player takes over the lower register role and it feels a ton better.

I searched the forum...but didn't quite get a specific approach applied to the combo for taming some of those lower mid boxy frequencies. At times, some our our material has some guitar progressions that don't have a specific bass part. I'm contemplating pairing my combo with a closed back thiele but am struggling with how to mic that in a stage setting. I might try micing both speakers...and doing a subtle pan and blend left and right.

Any suggestions screaming daisy?

THanks in advance

 

[pivot]

If you multi-track at practice record a song with everyone then pull out your guitar and crank the PA when you are alone. It will save you from pissing of the band mates during practice John Petrucci video on how to setup the channels and eq helped allot! :twisted:

 

[screamingdaisy]

Any suggestions screaming daisy?

A close mic'd SM57 doesn't know your cab sounds boxy. What's going through the PA will sound pretty much the same regardless of whether you're using an open back 1x12 or a closed back 4x12.

 

[thalweg]

Any suggestions screaming daisy?

A close mic'd SM57 doesn't know your cab sounds boxy. What's going through the PA will sound pretty much the same regardless of whether you're using an open back 1x12 or a closed back 4x12.

Makes total sense and might just save me some coin on the experiment.

 

[ryjan]

One thing I've always found interesting (and it's something I really notice on the Mark V) is how two channels that sound kind of similar at home can sound totally different from each other in a band.

For me it was Crunch and Mark IV. At home both sound really similar with only a slight shift in mids, but with a band it's like I'm playing two distinctly different amplifiers.

Beyond that, I agree with everything posted. It's really easy to get caught up in over-analysing your sound when it's just you and the amp in your basement, particularly if you're trying to make your guitar amp sound like both a guitar and a bassist are playing simultaneously.... but once the rest of the band kicks in all the subtle nuances of your tone are swallowed up and all you really have left is midrange (which is where the Mark and the V30 excel).

The different frequency ranges are more noticeable when the bassist is drowning out your low end and singer/cymbals are covering up the higher end. Then the meat and potatoes of the guitar frequencies are hanging out.

 

[boogieman60]

I agree. Just got back from Mexico...missed the initial postings. But the V does shine in a band situation. The Bass player in the group really loves the V because I stay out of his freq. range. I also favor Crunch and IV settings. been using Tweed lately also. The sound Man uses a senhizer..or however you spell it...you know the flat one ..that says front and back...LOL..works real well with the V. as far as playing home...Thats where the Master volume control comes in...

 

[MBJunkie]

+1 boogieman 60....

My favorite "Rehearsing and Giggin Modes" are Tweed (Ch1), Crunch (Ch2) and either MkIIc+ or MkIV (Ch3).
I am able to achieve great tones in all 3 channels set this way.

Secondly, I also own the MkV combo (C90 speaker) and pair it with the 112 widebody, closed back, front ported, MB external cab with C90 speaker and love it! :mrgreen: