What's YOUR favorite method to get better tone when playing with a band?

I really like how you don't have to promote your own pedals to get your point across. Awesome job.

I love listening to AC/DC and focusing on just how little gain / distortion is actually on the guitars - yet they still sound monstrous.

It's all about staying in your lane (freq speaking) and matching volume

I'll never get this chord progression out of my head as long as I live ...

Brian, You make great pedals... but YOU are what makes the Wampler brand so awesome!

So what you’re saying is that I should play through my Metalzone with no mids and all the gain right?

What are you saying?! Korg miku is always perfect!!!

That Fuzz Face still sounds absolutely amazing with the EQ added in after it. Not at all wimpy.

Your so on point with the gain comment. Scaling back some of the gain when recording tends to bring out the guitar parts in a mix. Having fun with IR cabs at the moment and wow!

"it will sound a little bit whimpy.. I would not use this when playing alone"... and proceed to play and sound exactly what I would use at home :-)

I find edge-of-breakup-type cleans to be better live than crystal clear cleans. Gives it a nice punch!

Frequency, frequency, frequency! Exactly, the right conversation. Have to have mids and high mids to cut through. Just have to be careful not to step on the vocals. Treble booster!

I've heard about "disappearing in the mix" many, many times on KZfaq. Thanks for finally providing a video where you demonstrate perfectly how this happens. Love your videos, and your pedals! Rock on!

Good tips. I've been recording long enough that I've actually learned to like my tones tweaked for the mix, because I'm hearing how they'll sound in the mix.

This is the best demonstration of fitting into a mix that I have seen. Excellent video sir!!!

I liked how you kept both before and after one next to each other with no cuts in between in this video, helps noticing the difference better

1. Cut some Bass. There is a bassist for a reason, and it can muddle everything up. 2. Cut some Highs. Your pickups have alot of highs already. 3. Less cables if possible.

Sounds rad man, another way of getting sweet tones in recording is using different sounds for each side of the stereo field. For example - using the TS on the left and the Fuzz Face on the right. Because they take up different frequencies, you get a huge stereo spread! This is my favourite trick for guitars in the studio.

I think the less gain thing is very important. I guess we all love a good amount of drive but in the band context a little less is more. This principle is applicable to modulation effects, too. If I am using extreme settings it is getting to wobbly in the mix, so I try very light or even almost not noticable flanger/phaser/chorus/vibrato settings. It will open up and make my sound big, wide and funny enough it will add some contour in the band context. And, yeah, an eq-pedal is perhaps the most underrated tool...

Thanks Brian. i have been telling local musicians some of this stuff lately and some didn't want to take it serious. I have been applying your suggestions with my live gigs with good results. I needed these suggestions. Art

Mandatory video for every guitar player, everywhere, in every band, in every century...in the world. Just a thought from a bass player.

One of the best videos for dialing in a good tone for band playing. You can actually hear the differences on a phone speaker.

Hi, love ur vids👍 the problem many players have, is like you said, the bedroom tone is NOTHING to use in a live situation, and this is why, when you put a microphone in front of ur amp with bedroom settings then turn it up so you hear it and send that to the PA, all the so called bad frequencies that sounds cool in the bedroom amplitudes with thousands of watts, it will sound like a mess, when I do sound check I go out and listen at the pa and adjusts the amp after that, if I take the amp home and play after a gig it will sound horrible, so you must understand it’s two different worlds

BW this was one of your best videos ever!!! I can’t believe I liked the tubescreamer the best over the fuzz and BE-OD... context is of paramount importance for tone!!

Your channel is consistently the most helpful. I like what you do.

You're F*&kin excellent Brian... I love you're uploads !!!

yes this is what most of us musicians need that play live. It is a problem getting the same tones and cutting through the mix. I had learned from some Nashville recording engineers and sound men about guitarists needing to turn down their bass frequencies and boosting the mids when playing live and not just turning up the volume. I have argued this for years with other guitarists who just don't get it. I am forwarding your video to some of them. thanks much

Dat tone doe. Your Dracarys really did the job. Thanks for the vids, man.

Great Bloopers at the end. Good info video!

In terms of recording and to some extent playing live (depending on what level you'er at) one of the best ways to EQ your sound is mic placement. Loads of videos on that but I find it to be a more natural way of EQing a guitar sound... plus speaker choice helps too! Great vid! :)

Really great video! In then 90s had a cover band gig where everyone used lots of chorus and effects... I ended up dry into a twin with just a TS-9 and no reverb as the room handled all of that. Cut through nicely.

So useful! I've been thinking of getting an EQ pedal, and this has helped me make up my mind.

Thank you for your PSA, and the pedals you make. I appreciate you. And your pedals.

Excellent tips, massive tone, fantastic builder and really great player!! Thanks.

This is wise and super helpful. Again, the EQ pedal is the hero of the day!

Oh man ,this is incrediblely helpful . As useful as your tumnus deluxe pedal . Thanks a lot man !

Thanks for this one. Appreciate your videos. Bass player gone to guitar. Difficult to find that mix tone sound at home. Learning to embrace the mid boost for mix. Good video for me at this time!

Great stuff. As you say, some of it is common sense, but still good advice. I recently added an EQ to my board - it definitely makes a difference! Thanks, as always, for sharing your experience. We are listening out here ... 🤘🏻

I just recently purchased my first tube amp snd a Ibanez tube screamer I was amazed of the actual sound of my guitar such great tone and clarity after years of using high gain distortion pedals...

This video was extremely helpful to understand how to stand out in the track!!!

Incredibly useful practical advice by a Jedi master. Thanks!

I 100% agree with this video. I normally play with an EQ and winker big muff for my main dostortion. I had to change to an overdriven plexi in the studio the other day. Sounded killer!!!

This bookends really well with the That Pedal Show episode on getting a better rhythm tone.

Ok. So I need that dirt box you had run into that boss delay. That thing sounded great. Please keep doing the bloopers, btw. Thanks for another great video!!!

This is the best channel ever! I learn. Brah

Playing a few gigs this weekend, and I've gotta say, even though I've tried to follow these lines already, this video is a great reminder! My biggest struggle is setting the mids, because the mid-range is such a wide spectrum. I don't scoop mids, but I do like to "re-align" them with an EQ pedal. Dip some frequencies and raise others. Tonight, I'm using a Blackstar that is pretty bright so I'm going in surgical and cutting a little bit of 2k-4k to bring up the rest of the mids. Body without that unnecessary ear fatigue

Why have I never thought of putting an eq after fuzz. I’ve been trying to use a fuzz for years and just can’t get it. I’m going to try this now.

I love that you added the brain fart bloopers at the end. It’s nice to see a little humanity in the polished world of KZfaq

Thanks for doing all this helpful content!

Great video. Real world stuff. Keep them coming!!!

Best explanation of why the mids are so important for guitars in the mix

Appreciate your videos

Good tips. One thing I had to do was to compensate for having to drive a long cable to an isolation cab from my board. Those longer cable runs suck your high end off and make your tone get lost in the mix. A good buffer, or if lacking that, cutting bass and boosting treble EQ, can help in that regard.

The very end is awesome. Looks totally like me recording something ^^

Great tips thank you!

I started using that EQ pedal in the effects loop trick that you showed on an earlier video, when my Hotrod Deluxe lost its preamp. I don't use it all the time, but it seems easier to dial in a usable sound when you have lots of competition in certain parts of the sonic spectrum. AND it is quick to change too!

I played one gig with a fender that was set to Bass 0, Mid 10, Treble 4 and as the OD a tube screamer. And if you want to be heard, a short delay can help.

i adjust my mxr 10 band eq at the end of my chain,stereo out to two Marshalls.all I need to add or dump frequencies. Thanx Brian. I take you alot more seriously than I do some of these builders, and when it comes to ODs and distortion I think you stand out above most all, your hard to beat and I am looking forward to showing everyone how I get these massive tones, Play wampler pedals .then its easy

Totally agree Thanks for the great video

I like your attitude... You're not doing a hard sell on your own products.... just focusing on the science of tone....which actually makes me more interested to check your gear out ;)

This video has a really good content, I love it.

In live playing less gain ,bass and more upper mids help to cut through and delay as needed ..a lot of the tunes i play live need the delay ...i hate my live tone at the house but it works in the band context and larger room . The band has keys,bass drum acoustic and at least 3 or 4 vocalists lead harmony ect and me on electric guitar. Enjoyed the video ..man you are making me regret selling my eq pedal years ago ..be blessed .

Brian man this video was great, really is something I'll use.

Focusing a dirt pedal can be done with eq before as well. I use a clone of a Catalinbread Varioboost in front of my dirts, especially for leads, and it really takes them to a new place. Also, post-distortion tone shaping can also be done with a boost or light OD with bass and treble controls--something like an Xotic RC Booster or a Timmy--or an od that naturally does that, like a Klon, can get you that "frown" eq curve that you had on the GE-7.

I usually play along with backing tracks to see where my tone fits. But the thing is, when you turn your volume up, all the frequencies get boosted, so it’s a good idea to check where your frequencies are too much or too little. But Brian nailed it, midrange is the key. For me, a TS pedal usually does it.

Great and very helpful video. This Noob appreciates it!

my amp pots have been corroded & crackling for a while , and i recently washed them with contact cleaner ...wow ! the ability to fine tune them has put a lot of tone back into my sound. !!!

Nice demo of the difference between bedroom tone and concert tone.

Very nice thank you! I also love the very last part of the video :) I did some videos myself and I know how it can sometimes be so difficult. There is a lot of work in each video!

It’s just what i was looking for thanks

Great video! Thank you very much!

Good cabs is the best investment you can make in my opinion. They change your sound more than anything else and can make or break a band mix. I have a handful of different cabs and they all sound great for different applications.

I have been having this exact conversation a lot lately. If you want to sound great within a band you’ve got to sculpt your tone so it appears to have the same qualities you’re used to in isolation on your own. Sound engineers will help you if they like you by dumping all that bass and adding mids, but if you’re going to truly have great tone you have to learn to achieve this on your own and then the sound guy will really like you! Smaller combo amps help too because big amps and lots of speakers just give you extra of what you need to dial out anyway. When you learn to do this you can even get great tone with a crappy practice amp. Great point with the fuzz thing Brian! That’s why I’m loving the new Billy Gibbons fuzz with the built in 7 band graphic eq lately, especially before a wah for extra mix popping fun! Hearing where a wah makes your tone cut through in a mix will help you get the idea of what to dump or boost at the amp end for any great tone. The magic is in the mids! Tone is a fun journey and we’re all in this together. Happy hunting guys! Ride your tone! ❤️⚡️🎸⚡️❤️

I have to agree with all the points you've brought up,especially using EQ pedals. I always use 2 on my board. One for my chunky dirt drive and on for my lead drive. Even if you have your drives set perfect, the venue can affect your stage sound. The EQ's let me tweak this. In addition, it's also like having another channel on your amp if you it use as a boost. As far as gain, I set it where I like it and then notch it back. Placing a compressor in front allows me to push it harder if needed. Your videos always bring up some points I miss. Well done!

great points, drives me batshit crazy how good my tone is at home, then i get to rehearsal and it sounds like mud.. EQs rock!

Great video as usual by the way.. as usual

i agree and use those methods when with a band,..especially eq and watching gain level

Very nice. I might add that if you want delay, verb... in a live setting. You may want it wetter than when you play alone. I really agree on the gain point. Try to use the least gain you need live.

Keep doing you!!! You got this.

Solid advice, mate. Cheers

Great video. I play worship, have recently gone back to amp and cab froml modeler. For me, the digital thing is just... digital. And it really gets lost in the mix easily. EQ demo was awesome.

Great video and so true. Thanks

Thanks a lot, I wanna share this video! I'm a bass player and every new band I join, I always have to argue a lot to the guitarists to pull their bass down. When you play alone at home there is no kick drum and no bass guitar. Some guitarists have taken 2 - 3 years to get it. Lately my method is saying, you play very loud but I don't hear you at all. It usually makes them start thinking.

Brian you are brilliant.

The tube screamer is a mid booster so they work good with fuzzes

loved the ending

My '91 GLP Standard with a SDJB in the bridge (no neck pu, 1 volume knob) into an early '90's 100 watt Mesa Dual Rectifier with 4x12 Recto cab (Volume around 10pm, B - 1pm, M - 11pm, T - 2pm, P - 9-10pm, G - 1pm). Boss tuner, Boss delay, HOF reverb (as needed for songs).

I actually liked the tone with the delay-as-reverb thing you had there. It filled in the gaps like a fuzz but not as prominent.

I absolutely love the bass-cut knob on my Reverend. Instant mud-cutter.

Ty, I love it!

Gonna try these tips today

Nice to see someone giving Schecter some love! Don't see too many people rocking a Schecter anymore. Too many boutique guitars getting attention lately. But I love mine.

What usually works for me when playing in a band compared to at home is one simple thing: Using the tone knob either on my amps clean channel or the guitar itself to make it brighter and cut better through the mix. Or switching to single coils (I have a PRS with coil splits), but that means I also have to increase gain. But I feel like changing things on the guitar has the biggest impact on the overall sound in my setup and its something I can adjust any time.

There are 2 guitar players in my band. I get everyone to take a jam. I then sweep the bass treble mids knobs until I start to cut through the mix. We all set our levels to the drummer's level. When we all start to play I play a whole bunch or wrong chords... if I can hear the mistakes; my tones are good to go. I use a Les Paul Studio into an MS3 with a Soul Pog and Soverign pedals in the loops 1&2, all feeding into a Mesa Boogie JP2C or Mesa Boogie Mark IV. Depending on what I'm going after

The gain tip is number 1. I also push the lower mids, cut the bass, and flatten out the highs. The mids depends the singers range, so I don’t drown him or her out.

Great video. Sometimes less is definitely more. If it’s a single coil I always use a Wampler Ego, first in the effects chain, with all controls at noon and the tone switch on bright. I usually don’t use the Ego with him buckets unless I am playing slide or occasionally if I am going way crazy. I have another pedal from Creation Labs called the Holy Fire. I keep the gain and crunch down but it gives me a “big” sound. Think SRV like I am playing an extra large guitar if that makes any sense. Good note separation as well. The most important tone is being able to get a good clean tone.

The favourite method to get a better tone? Watching Wampler's and JHS bosses videos and eventually get their pedals ! Really cool to see bosses taking a guitar and prove us that they like it and know how to make it sound right ! Really really cool video .

I use the Might of Mids and Highs with an EQ pedal in my FX loop of my amp generally in a live scenario. I use my trusty Rat as a base rock rhythm sound on a lower gain setting, then stack that with a Plimsoul to stand out in a mix during lead lines or solo's - oh, and I use a Compressor first in the chain to round off the drive (Got that from one of your previous video's lol). My main guitar is a 96 Les Paul Studio, my amp is an Orange Micro Dark with a swapped out Preamp tube, using a Groove Tubes 12AU7 for cleaner headroom (allowing my pedals to really do it's thing). Almost always get compliments on my tone. I don't really use a lot of gain, if I need more than what the Rat and Plimsoul are giving me, I use a TC Electronics Boost but that's honestly rare if I have to do that. Have a delay and reverb in the Effects loop after the EQ pedal, have those on during worship sets to add space as usually I am the only electric guitarist on stage.

Loved the Fuzz Face with the EQ in the loop. I'm an old feller who just plays at home so I need good tone at low volume watching your videos is gonna send me broke buying pedals. Bought a two watt Hayden Petite Blonde but it's still too damned loud. A video using low watt valve amps and appropriate pedals for good tone in an apartment might be good.