Does anyone play without an amp directly to the input of PA?

Kristen Bruno · From: Orlando, Florida, USA

Does anyone play their steel directly from a effects processor to the PA system without using an amplifier?

Thanks
K
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"Technology has given us the ability to repeat all the mistakes we have learned from history, but much faster, deadlier and with much greater accuracy" - KAB

Kevin Fix · From: Michigan, USA

I thought of it a couple times but the thought scared me. I did not want to sacrifice the voicing that my NV112 has. I only use the EQ settings of my amp. I use a Delay Pedal now and then and a Do Bro simulator also.

Bobby D. Jones · From: West Virginia, USA

When I played in a band and Used a rack with TubeFex and amp. I had a plugin in my rack box direct to the PA system. It worked well, Another steel player liked to use my amp when on a venue together. You would have to have a good sound man to work with to get the steel in the monitors till it would give the steel presence on the stage, You would lose all control your amp would put into the tone of your steel without it being in the loop.

mtulbert · From: Plano, Texas 75023

I always go direct into the mixing board. Most amps and preamps today have a direct output which gives you the signal right before it goes to your amplifier stage. All the tone controls work and you can certainly get the tonal settings you want. Now I have never taken the steel itself directly into the board. That would be another adventure and would require a lot of work to get what you want and you are dependent on the sound guy.

If you have a direct output use that.

The main reason I do it is because you get a cleaner sound; ie no leakage from the other instruments into the mic. We try to keep our stage volume low and let the PA do the work. This helps a great deal.

Here is a video with almost everything going directly into the board.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5wYeUGZlZg

Hope this helps.
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Mark T

Rittenberry Laquer D10, Rittenberry Prestige SD10, Revelation Preamp,Revelation Octal Preamp,Lexicon PCM 92 Reverb, Furlong Cabinet

Jack Aldrich · From: Washington, USA

I do it a lot, especially if I'm doing a one night gig. I tell the sound guy to mix me flat with a reverb set at 3 of 10. It works ok.
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Darvin Willhoite · From: Roxton, Tx. USA

I did for about 8 or 10 years in a church band. I played through a Digitech 2112 for effects and used a Countryman direct box. We used Aviom personal monitor mixers and I loved it. My son was the front of house engineer and had been raised listening to steel guitar and knew how it was supposed to sound. That certainly didn't hurt any. Here is my basic setup, I used phase and distortion pedals so I could switch them in and out on the fly without having to use my hands. I used a Shure PSM600 wireless in ear system since I switched off to guitar or mandolin occasionally. The transmitter is in the rack, as well as an Audio Technica wireless guitar system.

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Darvin Willhoite
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Dave Little · From: Atlanta

Yes. From my effects boxes, I go to a DI box with 2 outputs. One side goes to PA - one side goes to channel 3 of this personal monitor:
https://www.amazon.com/TC-Helicon-VoiceSolo-FX150/dp/B00IGDHSLM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1511439995&sr=8-1&keywords=tc+helicon+voice+solo

I really like this little thing.
My voice goes into channel 1. This gives me "more me" without effecting the PA send.
The main monitor send goes into channel 2.

Now I have control of how I hear 1) my voice, 2) other singer voices and 3) my steel. What the audience (and the band) hears is controlled by the main board.

I mount it (with a drummer's clamp and part of a mike stand) to my steel's leg - pointed right at my face. You could just mount it on it's own mike stand.

Marty Broussard · From: Broussard, Louisiana, USA

Kristen,
Thereâ€™s allot of good feedback from everyone and Iâ€™d like to add some comments that I hope are helpful:

-if you donâ€™t have a regular monitor man and front-of-house man working with you itâ€™s a good idea to learn to speak to them about how you like certain frequencies to be adjusted because thatâ€™s what they TYPICALLY understand. Not ALL sound people are equal in knowledge and skill set so read on.....
-you could make several index cards with a sound curve showing them what youâ€™re looking forâ€”just in case they donâ€™t understand frequency lingo. Laminate the index cards so theyâ€™ll last.
-what Iâ€™ve done more than anything is ask them to set it flat and then attenuate the Mids at 800Hz until I am good with it
-once you get the monitor correct ask the FOH guy to duplicate those settings as a starting point. The settings will likely differ if youâ€™re playing through different monitors at each show....different brands, speaker sizes, speaker voices all make a difference.
Thereâ€™s been a few times when Iâ€™ve had to tell them to take me out of my own monitor and I crank up my NV112 a little so I can hear myself. You wouldnâ€™t have that fall back if you go direct.

We now have a regular guy who knows what to do but I still have to remind him occasionally about starting with the board flat etc.

Good luck!!
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John Sluszny · From: Brussels, Belgium

Mitchell Smithey · From: Dallas, USA

I run direct on stage quite a lot. Always when Iâ€™m on a fly date. I use a Sarno V-8 give the house the xlr out and take an in ear mix. If they canâ€™t give me a good in ear mix I take the line out and run it into my Presonus in ear amp and make my own mix.

mtulbert · From: Plano, Texas 75023

Thanks for the kind words

That is a Revelation preamp
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Mark T

Rittenberry Laquer D10, Rittenberry Prestige SD10, Revelation Preamp,Revelation Octal Preamp,Lexicon PCM 92 Reverb, Furlong Cabinet

Kristen Bruno · From: Orlando, Florida, USA

Thanks for all the advice. And I am looking for future options when playing out. I have a nice boss effects unit and it is too huge to go under the guitar and use the built in volume pedal. In the future I may try placing it "away from the guitar". But then have to bring a separate volume pedal.

So right now what I tried using for band practice is my little 4 speaker Roland micro cube. I plug into the cube, set it for JC Clean with a little reverb and leave the EQ flat, and use the line out to the PA. Its a 1/4 inch line out, but it really sounds great. Unfortunately it mutes the sound from my amp when I do this, so a monitor will be needed in the future. I just started playing with band and are in "practice mode", so the monitor type options will be looked at for the future.

Thanks
K
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"Technology has given us the ability to repeat all the mistakes we have learned from history, but much faster, deadlier and with much greater accuracy" - KAB

Fred Treece · From: California, USA

I use the pre amp models in a Boss GT10 with a Tech 21 Power Engine. I could go direct to PA from the GT, but relying on a sound guy for stage monitoring is too complicated. I run a Stage One volume pedal into the GT and keep the unit away from under the steel for the same reason you mentioned.

Damir Besic · From: Nashville,TN.

I've done it a few times and loved it... I just have my monitor set up exactly the same as the house mix, that way I can get an idea how much of the steel guitar is going out.... I just had a sound guy add some reverb, and it sounded great... if I was working with a major artist using ear monitors, I'd most likely go directly into the board ....
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Mack Quinney · From: Texas, USA

Most of the gigs I play we use my PA, so I don't bring an amp anymore. I use a Digitech GSP 1101 guitar processor for reverb and any other effects I might want, direct out the back with a XLR to the board. We have the ability to mix monitors however we want, so I have a little more "Me" in my monitor mix. I also play keyboard and I do the same thing except I go to a DI then the main board.

I've done this now for over two years and it works great for me. Also my back likes it! Winking

Mack
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Fred Treece · From: California, USA

Guys...the OP is in a practicing band, not a road tour with a major artist. Homey probably doesn't have a board that can do 10 separate monitor mixes.

The sound of a guitar going direct to the board can get pretty thin and is tricky to set gain and volume levels, especially with a volume pedal in the mix. Let alone working out the tone.

A pre amp or multi fx unit with built in amp modelers of some sort makes the instrument sound less artificial and gives it some body, as well as affording the player some on stage volume and tone control for when the drummer starts taking things up a notch. That is why I prefer the multi-fx (with amp simulators) run into my own powered speaker over going into one of the PA monitors.

David Cubbedge · From: Toledo,Ohio, USA

I did for a couple years with a top 40 country band and I found the experience not satisfactory. I used Shure ear buds, not sure of the model #, but they were $100 at Gtr Ctr. I found when playing alone as in sound check, I could get a sweet tone in my ears, but when the whole band started in things got bad, sometimes distorted. We had a Bluetooth system where I could adjust monitor settings via my iPhone, but there were times when the system would lose its' connectivity.

I was happy to get 'fired' from that outfit, reason being the lead singer couldn't hold his pitch with fretless instruments in the band! I think the real reason was money. Not to mention that current top 40 country has NO psg anyway......
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Paul Stauskas · From: DFW, TX

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