7 Easy Ways to Improve Your LIVE Guitar Sound

Live sound can be tricky. Here are some tips to make sure that your live guitar sound is as good as it can be, so that you can get on with enjoying your performance with an inspiring guitar sound.
- Alpine Earplugs
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- Boss NS-2 Noise Suppressor
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00:00 - Intro
00:36 - 1. Preparing Sounds
01:12 - 2. Soundcheck Tips
02:41 - 3. Stage Volume
03:37 - 4. Amp Placement
04:48 - 5. EQ Adjustments
05:48 - 6. Reverb and Delay
06:45 - 7. Noise Reduction and Noise Gates
07:23 - Protecting Your Ears

[@migrantfamily]

A looper can be useful, enables you to go into the room and hear your own sound the way the audience does.

[@MichaelBanfieldGuitar]

Yep that’s a great tip, I think I’ve mentioned that in another video but forgot to include it here. Thanks!

[@ianparr1533]

Here's my take on amp placement in the context of small pub gigs, primarily using 1x12 combos. The amp needs to be well off the floor on a stand (very few punters ears will be at floor level, at least during the first set) and pointed inwards at front of stage head level, sort of midway between the player's and the lead singer's position. Adjust amp EQ to get a non-lethal tone and volume level on axis. Then DI the amp to provide a spread of sound to the wider audience, rather than turning up the amp to fill the room. I don't mic the amps on the small stages I typically play because there's too much bleed from other sources (aka the drum kit). Also, the mic stand is bound to get kicked during the show. And don't get me started on sound persons who dangle a SM57 on it's cable from the amp carry handle and think that's the last word in mic placement... Many amps these days have decent speaker emulated line outs built-in and those that don't can usually be DI'd fairly simply by using something like a Palmer PDI-09 or H&K Red box, or one of the many IR boxes that are now available. Essentially, this is using the amp as a stage monitor for me, the lead singer and anyone immediately in front of the stage area, with the more distant audience getting guitar sound reinforced via the PA. There's a bit more work involved and I really don't like lugging amp stands around but this method works for me to keep the stage levels down as much as they can be with acoustic drums, without losing the amp-ness of your set up.

[@phil.7064]

Always love the abrupt beginning of the videos

[@singersonspeakerphone2421]

I love that snare : guitar ratio tip, thanks!

[@singersonspeakerphone2421]

And bringing an emergency noise gate is brilliant!

[@MichaelBanfieldGuitar]

Thanks. Glad you like it!

[@Jacobcfuller]

On reverb: I got a new amp with a nice spring reverb. First gig, excited to use it. Turn it on and can't even tell because of the natural room reverb lol. oh well

[@MichaelBanfieldGuitar]

Yep I've had that too. I'll crank that verb if I want it as a feature sound.

[@Jacobcfuller]

@@MichaelBanfieldGuitar yep I did the exact same 👍

[@peterkerr9822]

Fabulous vid as always 😊👍Quality 🎸

[@binface9]

Insightful!

[@felliperockz7857]

Glad to listen someone talk about ear plugs for protection. It does really make a difference. Congratulations on that! I would just add a volume pedal or learn to use guitars style Les Paul with separate volume controls if a pedal was not available. Or use a drive pedal Just to shut down the whole sound if needed it. Sometimes it is necessary.

[@singersonspeakerphone2421]

My best tip: if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. Meaning, sometimes you plug right into whatever the last setting was on your amp/pedals or backline amazingly, you sound great! Resist the impulse to turn knobs try to get into the heat of the battle with your heart and not your head

[@christhompson9378]

Nooo, this made me miss my jag like crazy 😢 beautiful blue that.

[@adrianjaramilloman]

D.I boxes are very useful for long cable set-ups. Amp sims like iridium also very helpful to easily dial a tone before mixer

[@michaelfowler3187]

Nice stuff!! Often what we like at home will change live and in studio - once someone equated it to how they use makeup in theatre - often going super bold and extreme where it looks crazy up close but from the audience and lighting etc it's necessary to see their expressions more clearly. This is similar where we need to compensate- I have some Velcro on my amp specifically where I like to throw in either a basic EQ to open up my amps treble at lower volumes maybe a compressor to stabilize and sit in the mix with a bit more stability - or a sorr or foundation overdrive where it blends with my amp or sounds like a quieter version of my amp when it's cranked up. Sometimes these results become more nasal and pronounced when changing from a tiny solid state to a big tube - then having to turn it way down. And I have to emphasize the washy rooms phenomenon - nuanced slap backs and reverbs get a lot harder to hear and I often make a slap back way shorter or longer than at home just to get it to still be valuable in the band

[@MichaelBanfieldGuitar]

Great tips, thanks for sharing this

[@gibs8412]

I love how sound guys insist on dialing me in before we even play together and I always need to turn up once I hear the drums, and match my volume to them.

[@MichaelBanfieldGuitar]

Yep, I've had that too!

[@Scott__C]

Depends on the size of the place. I once played with a drummer who played like he's in an arena (not a bar for 100 or slightly less), adding guitar volume to match will just injure your audience's hearing.

[@gibs8412]

@@Scott__C I always match the drummer, don't use in ears, old fashioned, my one drummer brings different kits depending on the venue, so that makes a diff.

[@Scott__C]

@@gibs8412 Absolutely and sounds like he's actually got good dynamics and good sense.

[@3rdStoreyChemist]

I'd only worry about placing the amp at an angle if there's no microphone on the amp. It's more important you hear the direct sound because being at an angle will cause you to think its lacking treble & volume and its not worth trying to find a balance. It's better to hear your amp properly and have a great sound as a result and leave the rest to FOH.

[@mamfredvonclouseau8468]

These are some great and very useful tips. Some things I had to learn the hard way: 1) Combo amps are way less directional than head/cabinets, several small speakers are way less directional than large speakers. When amps double as monitor, 2x10 or 4x10 combo amps will be heard everywhere at the same volume and tone. 2) Some amps just CAN'T be adjusted well. E.g., Fender amps with built-in reverb will go from very quiet to stupid loud in few degrees of the knob. Single gain stage amps, or solid-state amps like quilter are WAY easier to adjust.

[@roscius6204]

Playing to backing tracks and looping is a great way fit your instrument into a mix. Delay and Reverb... reverb in particular generally needs to be backed off as you get louder/room gets bigger And gain... gain is not volume people. If you turning up the amp, lower your gain or you'll be loud but still lost in the mix.

[@Santaheckler]

Try to keep the rig simple for stage. Simple enough that changes can be made without messing up a complex eco system and the change is effective. Then again, I’m also the lead singer so I’m usually balancing a few duties along with the guitar. My moto is: the stage is for performing, the studio is for nuance.

[@erikhartley2494]

Actually the EHX HumDebugger is the absolute best solution for 60 cycle hum or LED light noise! Doesn’t affect the trials of your tone AT ALL!

[@NYCguitarist]

more treble/less bass

[@JuneIsFinallyHere]

Wait, you are the Mike from don cab or i'm tripping?

[@FarmerSlideJoeBob]

I see a Jaguar, I automatically like this Video😃

[@brian91145]

another tip; have a A and B rig so you can keep on set up

[@davemish4163]

Generally speaking, I turn the bass completely down on my amp.

[@PabstBand]

your videos are always very interesting and helpful! that said tHAT IS ONE SEXYYY JAGUAR O_o

[@MichaelBanfieldGuitar]

Ha. Thanks, I don’t play it very often so I thought I’d pull it out for this one.

[@thechannelforeverything2170]

Turn down that gain. And don't remove all the body from your sound 👍.

[@leftundersun]

I never increase mids on my amp because it's already too focused on low mids, so I just increase the highs to make it balanced

[@niteshades_promise]

this is all usuless if youre on stages. this sounds like running your own pa in a tiny bar. if youre playing stages, let the sound people do thier jobs. if you need to hear yourself, ask to have your monitors turned up. worried about tone? no one cares as long as it sounds good in a full mix. dont worry about how good it sounds in your room, it will never sound like that night after night in different clubs on different pa systems.🍻

[@3rdStoreyChemist]

FOH needs a decent sound to work with in the first place, so knowing how to place an amp on stage as well as other advice here is a great habit to get into. You'll see a lot of this happening in large venues, whereas bad habits are rampant in small pub venues.

[@Scott__C]

@@3rdStoreyChemist True. While you need to hear yourself properly, the sound is for the audience. Someone cranking their amp is going to blow things out of proportion in a small place. Or the drummer playing at top volume all the time.