It don’t matter cause the audience can’t tell the difference..

[the-trooper]

Would Rembrandt have been what he was when he had only payed attention to what/how others see?

Rembrandt sucked balls LOL
Van Gogh, 1867.

 

[banned]

I didn't say any of that nonsense. What I am saying is that music is for the audience and to think it's all about the player and nobody else is just insane.

I didn't say that - but I want sound that inspires me to play my best - because in the end, that's something that the audience notes and appreciates.

Some people are 'recreationists' - trying to exactly match tones on a record. That hardly matters much to be honest. If you're in the ballpark, that's all that's needed.

What matters is how the whole thing comes together - the entire band. That's where having a little actual volume on stage is a good thing - so you can all gel together better - you, the drummer, the bassist etc. It doesn't need to be all or nothing.

With modelers into a guitar cab (virtual cabs disabled)- I get a perfect sounding guitar rig - I get some audio behind me with some air moving - but it's not at earsplitting levels like with an actual amp turned up. Of course, you need monitors as well - but you get the point.

What I send to FOH can be either a mic'd cab or just the same signal via modeler with virtual cabs/IRs. It ain't rocket science.

What do you do more showing extra 'care' more for the audience?

 

[newholland]

These guys that say their tone is for themselves only and they don't care about the audience.......WOW

you and i clearly make music for totally different reasons, and you cant seem to make the connection that its not about being antagonistic to the audience, but about refining your craft and YOUR relationship to the instrument. showmanship and performance is utterly different than making sound and your connection to your gear, and not even related to this discussion.

 

[Frodebro]

The audience doesn't care what kind of underwear I have on, either. Stupid argument, really.

 

[GuitarBilly74]

These guys that say their tone is for themselves only and they don't care about the audience.......WOW

I think these 2 things are not mutually exclusive. Saying the tone is for yourself doesn't mean at all you don't care about the audience. You still want to put on a solid performance, connect with the audience etc
I personally think having my tone the way I like helps me with that. Because my playing is responsive to the tone.

But there are player that are not like that. Not everyone is tone oriented or even conscious. My wife (who plays bass and sings in my band) is like that. She spends zero time dialing in a tone and doesn't care at all. I actually dial in her rig lol She's a great musician and performer though. Just not into gear or tone.

 

[KingsXJJ]

“Your glove better fit in the major league.” - Yogi bs Berra

 

[timbuck3]

"Tube amps are often praised for their warmth, dynamic response, and the natural compression they provide when pushed". - Guitar Thrills Magazine

It is a really simple device, almost minimalist, if it weren't for the three Switches (very useful) and the integrated Reverb, but once you try it thoroughly, you realize that nothing is missing, anything you could add would help only to unnecessarily complicate manufacturing, increase cost, and...

www.guitarthrills.com

 

[paisleywookiee]

Guys, just make sure you do your ABX tests guys. Okay guys?

 

[Alex Kenivel]

The audience doesn't care what kind of underwear I have on, either. Stupid argument, really.

But if it's all that you're wearing

 

[paisleywookiee]

But if it's all that you're wearing

 

[TSJMajesty]

Of course what the audience hears matters, but my tone being great starts at my ears. The whole band's tone matters. Having that nice, full bass, syncing with drums thumping, gets people moving. And a killer guitar tone partly inspires me, and is a big part of the fun I have. And when I'm having fun, it's easy to focus on locking in with the band, and feeding off the energy from the crowd.

 

[riffy]

Never let anyone tell you what you can or can't do.
Just look at Beethoven. Everyone told him he would
never be a musician, just because he was deaf.
But did he listen?

 

[AutomationBias]

Never let anyone tell you what you can or can't do.
Just look at Beethoven. Everyone told him he would
never be a musician, just because he was deaf.
But did he listen?

 

[spawnofthesith]

Depends on the situation. Basement-dwellers care about the sound for themselves. As above. Those of us who play out every week, we care about the sound for the intended recipients. Then there are the Eric Johnson's of the world, who want perfection in every note for themselves and for their audience.

It depends on the situation. The wedding/bar band is not Rembrandt. They're blue collar musicians getting a job done.

The guitar player for Taylor Swift is not Rembrandt, he's providing guitar parts while staying out of the focus of the show.

Metallica is not Rembrandt, they're there to perform massive hits and their performance success not necessarily hinges on the accuracy of the guitar tones.

Eric Johnson, Joe Bonamassa, etc are Rembrandts. They care about the smallest details of their rigs and their audience appreciates that.

Personally, I care. That's good enough for me.

My interpretation of the OP is that there doesn’t “need” to be some sort of “race to the bottom” just because the audience “doesn’t care”

Of course, if one’s $200 all on rig gets the job done and they’re happy with it, more power to them

But I also don’t think the weekly tiggers/wedding band grinders are doing that anyway

 

[spawnofthesith]

These guys that say their tone is for themselves only and they don't care about the audience.......WOW

I feel like this misses the point of OP entirely…. In theory it the performer is pursuing what is great to them that will still translate to the audience


I think playing the absolute worst and cheapest gear possible because “the audience is too dumb to notice” is a far bigger insult to them than “I don’t care if the audience can’t tell the difference or not, I play what sounds great and is inspiring to me”


Perhaps there’s a communication breakdown here and I’m missing someone’s point though

 

[Alex Kenivel]

I reflect back on my time in the funk band with the band leader who played to backing tracks on a Juno through a Harbinger PA, with his guitar plugged into his Digitech Elements using a cheap wireless, with cab Sims on, into the front end of a Crate 1x12 combo.

That man was always gigging and always making money. $100 minimum for his players. Not jut bars and clubs, but private parties and Yacht Club ceremonies. He had no shame at all, his heart was bigger than his ego.

I think as long as your tone isn't hindering your performance in any way, it really doesn't matter. See: Carlos Santana, Randy Rhoads, Dimebag Darrel

 

[Jazz Padd]

I was approached recently to do a short solo guitar set at a community event. The organizer asked to see some sample video, and liked the ones with high notes played loudly better than other stuff I suggested, which was fingerstyle and the somewhat intricate chord melody type of playing.

So I’m putting something together with that in mind. But I didn’t see audience whim as a slow slide into mediocrity; I saw it as an opportunity for limitation to breed creativity.

 

[paisleywookiee]

I notice the audience really gets restless when I don’t run my JCM800/SLO patch with stereo delay and reverb mixed in parallel, with Uncle Leon’s Famous Micropitch block. We gotta serve the song AND the audience, guys. I ABX’d it, and it’s true.

 

[AFKAEjay(retired)]

I am not egotistical---or delusional---enough to ever imagine that Rembrandt is the bar I am aiming for in life.

That's a lot of pressure. How do you do it?

I didn’t mean to suggest that everybody needs to set the bar at that level.

With the Rembrandt analogy I was trying to say, that you as a performer, have build your craft, ear, taste, eye…and as a result you have expertise the beholder of it has not…and that it might be worth it putting that expertise to the table, even if the beholder doesn’t immediately recognize the nuts and bolds of it.

 

[AFKAEjay(retired)]

My interpretation of the OP is that there doesn’t “need” to be some sort of “race to the bottom” just because the audience “doesn’t care”

Of course, if one’s $200 all on rig gets the job done and they’re happy with it, more power to them

But I also don’t think the weekly tiggers/wedding band grinders are doing that anyway

I feel like this misses the point of OP entirely…. In theory it the performer is pursuing what is great to them that will still translate to the audience


I think playing the absolute worst and cheapest gear possible because “the audience is too dumb to notice” is a far bigger insult to them than “I don’t care if the audience can’t tell the difference or not, I play what sounds great and is inspiring to me”


Perhaps there’s a communication breakdown here and I’m missing someone’s point though

Thnx for clearing that up!

It’s not even about gear exclusively, or its price.…parts, preparation, delivery. God only knows how many times I faked my parts in last minute calls for a sub and got away with it. Question is, should that experience set the standard for any in the future?

Personal monitoring is maybe side/parralel path, and in my mind not black and white across all situations. Most certainly a “clean feed to the desk” is not always in the best interest for the listener.
There’s music/settings where a coherent and best possible stage sound trumps a little spillover in mics, or monitors/amps touching the ear of the listener.
There’s music/settings where people can play their part regardless, and the choice to prioritize a clean feed to the desk maybe valid.