Bedroom warrior tone improvements

[Delayman]

One of the issues with bedroom practicing is that the sounds that work in a bedroom do not translate well in a louder more open setting. Not sure how you address - but especially if you're programming effects etc and they don't translate well

One of the benefits of a digital rig is I can have my gig sound at any level, was bloody handy for dialling stuff in at home or practice, and also for quiet practice sessions

yep that is a good feature of the digital rigs and FRFR set ups.

When I was a new player I remember being caught out with sounds that worked at home/practice - but totally disappeared live - using through over-distortion and poor eq. Also clean/dirty relative volumes were magnified a thousandfold.

[Anvil Amps Alan]

Try using the Boundary effect.
Basically if you put any speaker or sound source against a flat wall (pointing outwards) you will gain 3dBA, if you stick it in a corner you gain 6dBA.
3dBA is twice as loud, 6dBA is twice as loud again. = FREE POWER!
Due to acoustic efficiency.

If you raise the speaker off the floor you lose the boundary effect of the floor but you do increase the sound projection (reaching further back in the room in use).

This applies to inside the room.
Some more interesting stuff here:
Or am I a silly old C*nt?
http://livesoundadvice.com/semi-silent- ... e-guitars/

[willow13]

Iv never understood the concept of a 4x12 with 100watts of valve tone for bedroom warriors. In my room i use the smallest wattage possible with a single 12 or 10, so you can actually turn it up and push the tone properly, instead of choking the valves out.

well to be fair my 5153 is 50 watts ...... and it sounds great a whisper volumes into a quad plus I have the option when I jam to go full on ear blowing fuck off loud. It also means I don't need to have multiple speaker cabs anymore.

The difference in volume better a 15w and a 50w amp is stuff all so why bother going lower

[LucyTheSpud]

Iv never understood the concept of a 4x12 with 100watts of valve tone for bedroom warriors. In my room i use the smallest wattage possible with a single 12 or 10, so you can actually turn it up and push the tone properly, instead of choking the valves out.

well to be fair my 5153 is 50 watts ...... and it sounds great a whisper volumes into a quad plus I have the option when I jam to go full on ear blowing fuck off loud. It also means I don't need to have multiple speaker cabs anymore.

The difference in volume better a 15w and a 50w amp is stuff all so why bother going lower

Each to there own. I prefer a 15watt amp cooking over a 50watt amp barely turned on. But i dont play high gain amps, and i get that those style amps dont benefit as much from being pushed.

[willow13]

Each to there own. I prefer a 15watt amp cooking over a 50watt amp barely turned on. But i dont play high gain amps, and i get that those style amps dont benefit as much from being pushed.

agreed .. although a 15W amp "cooking" is still going to be frikken loud

[Olderama]

Yep I love my 100watt Marshall at 1\2

[godgrinder]

Each to there own. I prefer a 15watt amp cooking over a 50watt amp barely turned on. But i dont play high gain amps, and i get that those style amps dont benefit as much from being pushed.

You can never really get amps "pushed" at home regardless of wattage. Just remember that your common 12" guitar speaker has a sensitivity of 97-100dB @ 1W. So even if you use a 1W amp it'll still be too loud for home use when actually pushed.

I find that a lot of 100W amps with good master volume design are perfectly usable at lower volumes, yet some lower wattage amps with simpler designs are really finnicky to control at home.

And even at lower volumes, more headroom still translates to a fuller/bigger sound.

[zedhed71]

All this makes me feel like Im currently residing in the overkill department.....My "practice" rig at the moment is, Mesa electradyne on a 4x12 with a 2x12 off to the side angled up plus the slave out on the mesa into a fender performer 1x12 sitting on another 1x12 extension cab and the stereo out on the pedal board going into a peavey delta blues 1x15 (also angled up)on the other side of the room.
All this makes for an astounding wee whoa zone after a couple of vodkas....

[JHorner]

All this makes me feel like Im currently residing in the overkill department.....My "practice" rig at the moment is, Mesa electradyne on a 4x12 with a 2x12 off to the side angled up plus the slave out on the mesa into a fender performer 1x12 sitting on another 1x12 extension cab and the stereo out on the pedal board going into a peavey delta blues 1x15 (also angled up)on the other side of the room.
All this makes for an astounding wee whoa zone after a couple of vodkas....

This post needs a picture

[jeremyb]

I like that my 800W amp can be quiet enough to talk over, or loud enough to DESTROY!

[Kiwiaxe]

If it's any consolation my home rig is my kemper into a mixer and then through 2 CLR FRFR powered speakers. My dear son plays electric drums through the mixer too. And every now and then he turns them up really loud so when I hit a chord without expecting it I get a rude shock.

The amps in the CLRs are supposedly 500W

[chur]

I use my heads into a mic'ed iso cab shoved in the closet and monitor through some AKG semi cheapo studio headphones. (Via a small mixer which also connects to a laptop for recording or MP3 playback)
The JC can get to about 4 on the master without annoying anyone and to me it sounds good as things are working. Probably a bit overkill for practicing the bands cover songs, but had the gear so why not..

[Reg18]

Tilting your amp back sounds like the augurment I used to have with a sound guy a few years back, he would tell me it's only my perception that it sounds different and I'd be like, well isn't how I perceive it still valid??
Always found listening to my cab slightly off access with it coupled to the floor got me the most grins when playing.
Tilting up is defiantly clearer but it's like miking the centre of the cone in the mix, it can sound a little thin and harsh.
Obviously everyone's amps sound different and people like different things so take it for what it is......just my 2c.

[higainer]

Each to there own. I prefer a 15watt amp cooking over a 50watt amp barely turned on. But i dont play high gain amps, and i get that those style amps dont benefit as much from being pushed.

You can never really get amps "pushed" at home regardless of wattage. Just remember that your common 12" guitar speaker has a sensitivity of 97-100dB @ 1W. So even if you use a 1W amp it'll still be too loud for home use when actually pushed.

I find that a lot of 100W amps with good master volume design are perfectly usable at lower volumes, yet some lower wattage amps with simpler designs are really finnicky to control at home.

And even at lower volumes, more headroom still translates to a fuller/bigger sound.

+1

My set up is a 100w head thru two 4x12's running wet/dry.
Does everything I need from mouse fart to blow your head off.
Master is excellent for late night noodling without annoying anyone.

There's just something about running a couple of 4x12's.
Even at conversation levels they provide such a pleasing tone a 1x12 will never match.

Overkill & somewhat ridiculous, absolutely.
Wouldn't have it any other way.

However it's very amp dependant.
An excellent master does wonders for preventing hearing loss & happy neighbours.

As godgrinder alluded to, simpler circuits can be problematic.
AC-30's or plexi's really only give up the goods when pushed, but by then the vol is just impractical.

Choices.
: digital
: master vol
: attenuator
: slave/re-amp

Pick ya poison

[sirvill]

Yeah I'm loving my 100w amp on about 1.5 right now... I mean yeah, it sounds better even on 3, but still sounds really good at quiet levels.