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Pointing them towards the ceiling also works, but you tend to need them mic'ed as well or the sound can get a bit lost out front. (I haven't tried any steeper angle than the Fender tilt-back legs though.) I'm not really a fan of tilting though, it tends to make them very shrill if you're in the beam at close range, so you dial them in too dark which makes them sound worse out front.
It is worth experimenting a lot with physical placement, height and angle though - it's really important and makes a big difference to the mix both onstage and out front.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
Bandcamp
Spotify, Apple et al
Speakers have a usable on-axis frequency response. It's not so crucial with a guitar speaker as there's no tweeter or indeed any high frequencies but the best sound is still in front of it, not 90% to the side.
IMHO, he - and the bass player, who's amp is positioned next to him - are both too loud but unaware of it as the sound flies past their ankles out into the audience. We're all fairly able to hear ourselves (and each other) onstage, but I'm unwilling to turn up and make things worse just to make a point. If I turn up to their levels, there will be no audible vocals. So I'm usually playing fills and ornamentation that no-one offstage can hear and hitting a big vilume boost for solos that then jump out.
I generally put my amp onto a chair or stand so I can hear myself better.
We're an old-school primitive live act - backline, un-mic'd drums, generally no wedges and only vocals through the PA. we don't play many gigs as we're a writing and recording band.
Any suggestions that can help me persuade them to change will be gratefully accepted. Ta! :-)
It's difficult sometimes to get across to players how their onstage habits come across in the room. Generally, not always, audiences are neither on your side nor actively hostile. They are wrapped up in their own dramas but willing to engage with a band and each other if it looks like a good invitation.
Players who get this can capture an audience in seconds and retain their attention indefinitely. Those who don't manage to gain this insight and behave accordingly will always be playing to friends and family.
This is not about music, of course, it's about group dynamics but it's as true for black metal as it is for K-Pop.
Video your gigs, watch them individually and make notes. Compare notes. The aim is not to critique each others' playing but to assess the overall presentation.
It may be a waste of time but that in itself is good information.
Judging the situation I reckon the band would be difficult to persuade to spend big to solve a problem they don't think exists. If they did there are much cheaper solutions.
The ads suggest this works on bass. If it did it would revolutionise studio acoustics - it hasn't.
There's no reason just to put vocals through the pa unless you don't have enough channels on the desk. It takes a couple of minutes to set up and will make your band sound better.
Also is your amp on the floor? If it is, then raise it off the floor as it will improve your onstage sound alot.
The natural mix improves massively when you can get the guitar amps decoupled from the floor so they're not fighting the bass amp over the fundamentals - it helps stop volume wars because you can now hear both instruments properly even if one is louder than the other - not to mention largely fixing the problem of the guitar amp being inaudible to its own player.
He may not want to tilt it because the resulting increase in treble will be disconcerting to him - although that may also help the overall mix, if he then turns it down - but raising it to about waist height and pointing it slightly sideways so it's not aimed directly out into the audience should help.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
listen back to the mix afterwards then play it at the next rehearsal to support your point of view.
I once played a festival gig where were we had been asked to share backline with the band before or after where possible to minimise changeover times - I had my Mesa 1x12" combo, and I thought letting the previous band use it would be a good opportunity to see how it sounded out front. Fifty yards back next to the sound desk, I was directly in line with it and I could hear it clearly over the top of the PA. Five feet to the side, I couldn't hear it at all other than in the mix. Luckily, the soundman was about five feet the other side of the beam. That taught me a lot about beamy amps and making sure they're aimed in the right direction!
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein