Jump to content

using a Boss DS-1 live


mbengs1

Recommended Posts

  • Members
Is there a problem with using a boss DS-1live?

 

Why would it be any different then any other drive pedal? It may have unique tones but that's why players use different pedals.

 

On my studio effects pedal board I use 6 different drive pedals and have more then a dozen others I can choose from as I get bored using the same tones. I like having variety but I don't let them dominate my performance. I use them mildly as an enhancement instead. I learned long ago, too much of anything is like standing in back of a curtain so no one can see you when you play. I'd rather play with no effects hanging 10 on the front of a stage playing my ass off then hide behind a wall of effects (crutch pedals) Its never failed me yet to simply dial the effects back less then 50% so more guitar tone then effects tone is present and and let my playing do my talking for me.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

 

Why would it be any different then any other drive pedal? It may have unique tones but that's why players use different pedals.

 

It has a different frequency response than something like a Tube Screamer - the midrange "hump" of the TS tends to help it cut through a mix a bit better than some other overdrives and distortions with less prominent midrange - such as the DS-1.

 

As carlygtr56 mentioned, you can always use an EQ pedal post-dirt to sculpt the sound to your preferences, including giving it more mids to help it cut through the mix a bit better, if that's what you're after.

 

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members
. . . it's a little hard to hear. but I don't think its hard to hear. I can still hear it. . . .

Wait, what? It's hard to hear but you don't think it's hard to hear because you can hear it? If you can hear it then it's not hard to hear, right? Are you saying the effect is subtle enough that it's hard to detect? Doesn't it have controls? Do you mean for the player or the audience?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members
I mean for the audience. it might be hard to hear the ds-1. it has a tone control' date=' a gain knob and level. but I think an equalizer would help but I think it's not enough. at least with my boss ge-7.[/quote']

Again, why would it be hard for the audience to hear? Is the amp not loud enough? Are you thinking the frequency response doesn't let your amp's sound stand out in the mix? Amps have volume and tone controls for a reason. as travisbrowning said, just turn it up.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
  • Members

Again, why would it be hard for the audience to hear? Is the amp not loud enough? Are you thinking the frequency response doesn't let your amp's sound stand out in the mix? Amps have volume and tone controls for a reason. as travisbrowning said, just turn it up.

 

The ds-1 is quite hard to hear. but it is a very low price point pedal so you get what you pay for. it's a cheap pedal that's a classic. I guess that's why I bought it. plus it looks great.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

If you crank the gain up high it can turn a guitar into a wall of white noise. It may sound OK to a guitarist up close but at a distance where an audience listens from, it may simply be masked by the drummers cymbals.

 

That's not the fault of the pedal. That falls under the experience of the user being able to dial gear up and make himself heard.

 

I used to play allot of open mic gigs and you could instantly tell the bedroom guitarists from the pros just by how much gain they'd use. The bedroom players aren't used to playing at higher volumes and try to use the same high gain setting and wind up either sounding like a bee's nest or wind up having microphonic feedback when they crank up. They haven't had enough time on stage finding the best tones to fill a big room.

 

The rule of thumb is the louder you play, the less drive you need to dial in because you eventually get to the point where the sound from the speakers makes your instrument's strings self sustain.

 

You also have to have worked with other players long enough to have developed what I call a territory. Each player occupies a range of frequencies in order to get a complete mix coming from the band that sounds good. When a person plays solo all the time he's inevitably going to widen his frequency response up to cover the frequencies of other instruments which don't exist when he's playing solo.

 

He's likely to crank up the bass to make up for the missing bass player and crank the highs to make up fro the missing drum cymbals.

 

When he's playing with a band, that's not going to fly. If he doesn't narrow up his frequency response and stay within his own boundaries of frequency response, he'll be masking other players frequency responses and what they will likely wind up doing is fight back so they can hear themselves. On the low end the bass player will simply turn up and bury the guitar players low end response and a drummer will hit his cymbals harder and bury his high end response.

 

The guitarist is then left with a weak midrange window and sounds all washed out by the other players.

 

What you should do is, establish your territory within the mix. If you narrow up your frequency response range, the other players can play at their normal volumes and still hear themselves clearly. Then you will stand out clearly in the mix because others allow you too stand out, and if you got something on the ball as a player, they may even back you, following your changes in dynamics, and anticipating your breaks and moves, Complement your gestures and allow you to be the center of attention for awhile.

 

One thing to keep in mind - No One loves a stage or mix hog. Playing in a band is a shared effort and when you are either intentionally overstepping your frequency ranges or doing it through ignorance its not considered to be a friendly act when you over step your bounds. Doesn't matter how many notes you can play either, its simply a matter of occupying your own territory.

 

They may put up with it if they are being paid to, but don't expect friendly faces if you don't have control over your sound and when confronted by other experienced players or a sound man to reel your territory in, you probably wont be a big success as a performing artist.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...