Mic the amp or don't mic the amp?

[DRPool]

We're just a simple 4 piece cover band playing through a small PA. We don't play anything bigger than a backyard or occasional parking lot so we won't need a big system.

 

Amp is a PV C30 and 1X12 cab, sounds great cranked up in the great outdoors.

 

Would you mic and run it into the PA or not?

 

thanks:wave:

[BootRoots]

if you can't hear it over everything else mic it.

[mrbrown49]

Whatever gets you a better mix where the audience is. It may sound great where you are, but have someone walk around and make sure it sounds good everywhere else. Amps generally aren't good at filling a wide area because they beam their sound primarily in one direction. So your amp will sound loud in the mix straight on, but fade as you move off center. Going though a PA will help fill a larger area with the same mix.

[ballhawk]

Another reason to put it into the pa is if your bandmates are having trouble hearing you. I assume you don't have a soundman so if you trust whoever mixes your band it shouldn't be a problem.

[GCDEF]

We always mic everything.

[Prages]

It also depends on how good your PA is.

If it's a lower powered PA, then you'll probably want to avoid running anything but vocals into it. If it's got enough power to push other stuff, then by all means, put a mic on the guitar.

My band generally mics everything on stage (except if it's a really small place we'll not mic any drums except the kick). Sometimes there's barely any guitar in the FOH mix from the PA, but even in small places, a little bit in the PA will help your guitar blend better, and reduce the beaminess of the amp.

[cephus]

I started micing my amp even for small places and then pointing my amp more at me than trying to push the room. In all my years of playing, I finally realized that non one wants to hear my guitar blaring but me.

When I set up, I stand in front of the PA and turn up the mic until I can barely hear it in the PA. Then i just leave it there. I know over the course of the first set, I'll get all excited and turn up louder. keeping it low to start keeps it from getting out of hand in the mix.

This is for small places where we mix from the stage - which is like 90% of my gigs.

[DRPool]

It also depends on how good your PA is. If it's a lower powered PA, then you'll probably want to avoid running anything but vocals into it. If it's got enough power to push other stuff, then by all means, put a mic on the guitar. My band generally mics everything on stage (except if it's a really small place we'll not mic any drums except the kick). Sometimes there's barely any guitar in the FOH mix from the PA, but even in small places, a little bit in the PA will help your guitar blend better, and reduce the beaminess of the amp.

 

 

It's not a big PA by any means, 220w per side. It really helps the vocals though. We're just trying things out for the 1st time. I'll mic it up this weekend and see how it sounds. Hell, experimenting with it is half the fun.

[csm]

Sometimes it's worth mic'ing up simply so you can run some guitar into the monitors -- without putting it into the main PA. At our last gig, we were having trouble hearing the guitar on stage, but out front it was VERY loud verging on TOO loud -- because of the 'throw' factor, where it seems louder a few yards way than it does close up.

 

So I turned it down a little, the sound guy chucked a little guitar into the wedges -- and everybody was happy.