I record and perform on electric, lead guitar – new country mostly. My job is both to create a sonic bed for the lyrics and emotion to fit in, and add a few lead fills every now and then to spice the tune up with. I normally use a Marshall JVM410 and Fender Twin live. Those are mic’ed with a SM57 and Royer R121 on each unit. All of my effects are kept in a rack, close as possible to the amps to keep cable lengths to a minimum. I use a GCP foot controller in my performance position – at the right of that box are two foot controllers and a tap tempo switch. To the left of the GCP are both amp controller switch boxes. I have a snake that routes all of that back to the rack and makes setup a piece of cake. I use radio between the guitar and the rack, keeps me mobile and shortens cable length.
The rack has a GCX switcher that controls all the stomp boxes I am particular to at that time, 3 maxed H9s, the RF base, a strobe tuner and power management box. One of the H9’s front ends the Marshall and Fender and is the master time control. The other two are inserted into the effects loops of each amp. I use two individual inserts to eliminate any extra noise that can happen when two amps are inserted into one unit,
I went with this configuration because I can either control each and every effect individually – very usefull for studio, or create sets of scenes for live performance, that either I (prefered), or a individual back stage can manage, When I am writing recording inventing, I use an iPad to change configurations and save them. Its actually pretty easy to keep track of. Verbs and time based effects are all relegated to the 2 inserted H9’s. I make a change on one and copy it to the other. However, I have two scenes I run live that have two different effects that really sound full and beautiful when my amps are panned left and right in the sound system. All the really neat sounds like pitch or stereo effects go to the front end H9. I save off all of the recording configurations because, you never know when that song will come up on the set list, and its amazingly handy to have what you recorded, availble to create scenes with on the effects and GCP.
I can honestly say that those 3 H9’s are used over 70% of the time in the show. They have not failed, and every year they get better and better because of the new algo’s being introduced. They allow me an almost infinite set of possiblities and with a iPAD – are so darned easy to create with. The only problem is that there might not be enough time left in my life (I’m 60) to try all the possible combinations that this configuration gives me.
Take care,
LL
