[studiotan]

Who still gets to play with a big amp live these days?
I mean, the sound levels have gone down seriously on stages big and small (I'd even argue more so on big stages).
I went from a Deluxe Reverb I wasn't able to push beyond 5 for fear of being sacked from the band to a Blues Junior which I can't push much above 4 for the same reasons. It's very much possible I suck in general. 

We play with good PA's and monitors. It's PLENTY loud on stage. I'm just wondering how others manage with those bigger amps - especially if they're not tucked safely  in an ISO booth below the stage. I use a clean sound which I distort with pedals or (gasp/shudder) a Line6 Helix. If I needed a big Marshall sound, I'm not sure it would be feasible using the real thing in today's live configurations. 

How are you 6-string people doing it?

[Moonrider57]

Amp? What is this "amp" you speak of?
In my quest for ever smaller and simpler rigs I've finally arrived at the point where I don't use an amp at all for most club gigs. My pedals feed into a Quilter Phantom Block, which goes directly into the PA.

The gigs where I do use an amp are all have ginormous stages, and are either outside or very large halls. Then my preferred weapon is a Tone Master Deluxe Reverb.

[Tim Halligan]

Backline is still king down here, but it is getting smaller.

Gone are the days of 100 watt Marshalls.

The Fender Hotrod Deluxe is pretty ubiquitous these days.

Whenever I play out, if it's not supplied backline, I'll use my Matchless DC30...but it's not running that loud. I aim to balance my sound with the drums. I'm certainly not trying to overpower everything else.

I think the concept of a "quiet stage" is fine, but it relies heavily on having a monitor engineer who has a clue about mixing for IEMs, and at pub-level where I live that is not a given. I can't think of any local venue that even has an IEM rig as part of its kit.

I think the whole "turn down, but if you need more I'll put it in your wedge" does nothing to keep the stage quiet, and is a pointless exercise. That just seems like a FOH/Monitor person being a dick...er, control freak, and shifting the direction of the noise.

Just let me run my amp at a reasonable level, and mix person can distribute it on stage as needed.

Cheers,
Tim

[tannoy]

I'm not playing in a band right now. But I went the Helix road some moons ago and decided that whenever I'm gonna be playing live again, I will most probably not be carrying an amp with me but an FRFR box or some amp satellite thing (like a Boogie Satellite 60).

[Moonrider57]

I'm not playing in a band right now. But I went the Helix road some moons ago and decided that whenever I'm gonna be playing live again, I will most probably not be carrying an amp with me but an FRFR box or some amp satellite thing (like a Boogie Satellite 60).

The Helix has amp and cab sims right? If it has an option for balanced line level output, feed straight to the PA. If it doesn't, get a good DI and and use that to feed the PA. Why carry an extra cab when you have a perfectly good monitor in front of you?

[tannoy]

The Helix has amp and cab sims right? If it has an option for balanced line level output, feed straight to the PA. If it doesn't, get a good DI and and use that to feed the PA. Why carry an extra cab when you have a perfectly good monitor in front of you?

Yes, that'd be one option - and probably the simplest - to do it. One can create several signal paths with that unit, it is possible to create one stereo path which goes to FOH and another one which goes to an FRFR speaker on stage. The reason to do so is to get a more 'amp on stage' kinda feeling through dialing in an extra path with different settings.

Since all those devices (Axe-FX, Neural DSP, Helix and whatnot) recreate a sound which is taken from a specific spot at the virtual speaker via a virtual microphone, it is not uncommon to use some different settings for the stage. The sound which goes to the PA might be perfect for mixing, but not necessarily what one wants to listen to on stage while playing live. Hence the idea with the satellite combo speaker - some guys say that using that kinda cab instead of the cab simulation and an FRFR speaker gives a better playing feel.

[Moonrider57]

The Helix has amp and cab sims right? If it has an option for balanced line level output, feed straight to the PA. If it doesn't, get a good DI and and use that to feed the PA. Why carry an extra cab when you have a perfectly good monitor in front of you?

Yes, that'd be one option - and probably the simplest - to do it. One can create several signal paths with that unit, it is possible to create one stereo path which goes to FOH and another one which goes to an FRFR speaker on stage. The reason to do so is to get a more 'amp on stage' kinda feeling through dialing in an extra path with different settings.

I'm all about that simple! Dumb ol' Southern Boys like me need it that way. It took me a gig or two to adjust to having the guitar in my face rather than hammering the back of my head, but the feel of "amp on stage" is there. 

Hm. That may be due to my signal path being totally analog when I'm not using an amp. The chain looks like so:

Keeley Aria ( comp -> OD) -> Ernie Ball MVP volume -> MXR analog chorus -> Behringer Ultra Tremolo -> MXR Carbon Copy delay -> Quilter Phantom Block -> PA

Not using an amp has other benefits too. I had one female sound tech squeal and kiss me when I handed her the male end of an XLR, and told her, "Plug me into the snake and we're golden."

[tannoy]

I'm all about that simple! Dumb ol' Southern Boys like me need it that way. It took me a gig or two to adjust to having the guitar in my face rather than hammering the back of my head, but the feel of "amp on stage" is there. 

I like it simple as well. It could easily happen that I'll go the same route as you and might be happy with the sound of a wedge. I have yet to find out. The problem with all the possibilities those devices offer is that it can lead to a lot of try and error.

Not using an amp has other benefits too. I had one female sound tech squeal and kiss me when I handed her the male end of an XLR, and told her, "Plug me into the snake and we're golden."

That got me all excited. I mean - I could hand two male ends of an XLR. Imagine what could happen then. I will find out somewhen (and hopefully the soundtech isn't male).

[AlexReverberi]

Stages are becoming more and more silent over here.

Not uncommon to see in-hear monitors with an helix on the floor. I havent played live since the pandemic, but my current set up is a Helix, with a pedalboard and an actual amp for stage monitoring. Pedalboard runs in the effect loop of the helix, signal get split. The post amp simulation goes to FOH the signal after the pedals goes to the real amp for stage level. Both Helix amp sim and my real amp are of course fairly close sonically wise