![]() For many players, one or the other of these solutions has proved a real game-changer in the volume wars. With all of that in mind, you'll find among these units discussed some truly outstanding ways to make your big amp viable again (or make any amp, small or large, function well in a small, constricted venue). That being said, many will still do the trick just fine for a little low-volume, late-night jam. But there are few, if any, that can really knock a 100-watt amp down to "bedroom volumes" with entirely satisfying results. Reduce the volume, and any amp will sound different to us, regardless of how much it "sounds like itself when loud" in terms of distortion content and frequency parameters.Īs such, most players find that many of the volume-reduction solutions discussed here are excellent for knocking off enough decibels to make an amp that usually suits a 250-capacity venue sound good in a 100-capacity venue, for example, or for making their soundman and lead singer just that much happier on a large concert stage. The human ear perceives frequencies differently at different volume levels. If you reduce the power to the speaker (as master volume controls, output attenuators, and reampers do)-even if the tone and distortion content remain the same-you change that sound. The strength with which the speakers are driven also contributes to any amp's overall sound, causing compression, the enhancement of certain frequencies (which displays any particular speaker's character), and speaker distortion in and of itself. ![]() This is for several reasons, and usually for a combination of reasons, but chief among them are these: It's important to acknowledge right up front that no amp will sound exactly the same at lower volumes as it does at higher, regardless of how transparent the volume-reduction technique used. Below, we'll check out seven of the most reliable means to the end. In other cases, we're already using smaller amps in the sub-20-watt, but those can still be too loud for some smaller clubs or to be satisfying for home or studio use.įortunately, we've had a solid five decades of clever engineers puzzling out excellent solutions to the problem of achieving cranked-amp tone at suitable volume levels, and there are more great ways of getting there today than ever before. ![]() We'd rather stick to that amp, and that sound, and help it fit the room better, rather than change up our rig entirely. But plenty of us just like the sound of our bigger 30-, 50-, and 100-watt amps. Plenty has been written about using smaller amps to reduce volume levels while still hitting the amp's "sweet spot" tone-wise, and there's some sense to that. Yet, we all still like to sound big, even if we're not pegging the needle on the decibel meter. Volume levels on stage seem to have declined steadily since the glory days when big full-stack amps ruled the world, and anyone who regularly plays small- to medium-sized clubs in particular will tell you how restrictive many venues are regarding room volume these days. Within the realm of tube-based guitar amps-and there are still a lot of us who play them-the most common how do I.? question posed still revolves around obtaining fat, juicy, cranked-up tone at reasonable volumes.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |