Anyone prefers standing NOT in front of the cab?

[Akos89]

I just noticed that I like more standing in an angle (~90°) to the cab, and not in front.

There are some highs that hurts my ear, but if I turn them down on the EQ I lose the presence.

I've got a 4x12 cab, but maybe, for this reasen, a 2x12 would be better for me, since the speakers would my more farther from my ears.

Anyone prefer this?

(Sorry for my english)

 

[DudeManBrother]

I think most people prefer the off axis listening position. Just turn the cab until you like the tone from wherever you prefer to stand. A “2x12” is too general. They come in many shapes and sizes. You can disconnect the top 2 speakers in your cab and see if you prefer the sound, but you’ll want to measure the resistance of the new configuration to make sure you connect it to your amp correctly.

(Apology accepted)

 

[laxu]

IMO a worse mistake is dialing your amp so that it sounds good when you are standing to the side. It means it's super bright in front of it. With a 4x12 you should not have much issues hearing it well but with smaller cabs it's best to tilt or elevate them to reduce low end boominess and make you hear them better. If they are closer to your ears you are less likely to run them too loud or too bright.

I still like being a bit off center (maybe 30-45 degrees off center from the cab and a few meters or more away) but I don't mind sitting right in front of it either because I don't have the highs set to piercing. What speakers you use will of course have an effect, for example that V30 high mid can be pretty aggravating in this position.

 

[budda]

If it's too bright head on, turn down the presence and treble. Head on is what the mic will pick up.

If it hurts your ears, its hurting everyone else too.

 

[stevexc]

Just use a coiled cable

 

[Konfyouzd]

^

 

[DudeManBrother]

If this guy (or anyone) is just playing in their bedroom, then it doesn’t really matter how it’s dialed in or where the cab is facing. I agree that amps should be dialed in “at the speaker” when you’re using it anywhere other people have to hear you

 

[gnoll]

If it's too bright head on, turn down the presence and treble. Head on is what the mic will pick up.

If it hurts your ears, its hurting everyone else too.

Mics aren't human ears though. Settings that sound good with your ears in front of the cab are probably not gonna be the same as settings that sound good with a mic in front of the cab.

 

[777timesgod]

If you are experiencing pain in your ears, then you have no choice but to keep the angle practise.
However, this may mean more exposure to one ear than the other and damage developing over time to one side. Is pain to these high frequencies a general problem for you or just when being in front of the amp? If yes, check with an otorhinolaryngologist (ear doctor) for a check up.
A 2 x 12 will send the sound further from your ears at its first emission so it will be an improvement but regardless of this if you are having pain by the frequency, then you are just prolonging the problem.

 

[Fred the Shred]

Mics aren't human ears though. Settings that sound good with your ears in front of the cab are probably not gonna be the same as settings that sound good with a mic in front of the cab.

While that is true, truth is that if the highs are hurting him and he's already at an angle regarding the cone center (unless he's a gnome or something), you can imagine how painful it will be to an audience with the slightest bit of stage elevation. You can use "smoother" mics, preamp / desk controls to mitigate harshness, but the most correct approach is to have the tone right from the source, to be honest.

 

[TedEH]

A lot of the time, cabs tend to sit on the ground and not be angled up to point right at your face, so you're off-axis already, even standing right in front of the cab. Standing off to the side is just going to exaggerate that effect.

This whole thing sounds like a roundabout way to get around the fact that you've either dialed the amp in a way you don't like or are playing too loud. It's literally hurting your ears when you stand in front of the giant high gain amplifier dialed brightly? Sounds like you need to dial it differently, turn it down, or start using earplugs. I recommend all of the above.

 

[cardinal]

The tone from a speaker cab is directional. It's going to be slightly different depending on where you stand, there's just no way around it. Just enjoy your stuff and don't make it harder than it has to be: 1) if that means standing in a certain spot, go for it and 2) if there's an audience, get a wireless unit or have a buddy play your rig for a moment and walk around to help dial in what the audience will hear

If you really want some type of "solution," try the "Mitchell donut" described here https://www.thegearpage.net/board/index.php?threads/speaker-directivity.470956/ and here https://www.thegearpage.net/board/index.php?threads/whos-still-using-mitchell-donuts.1293067/

Basically, it's a soft foam that you stick in front of the speaker (behind the grill cloth). You cut a hole in the center of the foam. I've used them, and they do seem to make the sound less directional, so you're better able to dial in the amp so that it's not too dark to some people and too bright for other people.

 

[gnoll]

While that is true, truth is that if the highs are hurting him and he's already at an angle regarding the cone center (unless he's a gnome or something), you can imagine how painful it will be to an audience with the slightest bit of stage elevation. You can use "smoother" mics, preamp / desk controls to mitigate harshness, but the most correct approach is to have the tone right from the source, to be honest.

Yeah, pain in your ears is not good. Personally I try to be good at using hearing protection and not be in any situation where my ears hurt. And I agree of course to keep a potential audience in mind in these situations.

Still, I also find my amp sounding the most pleasant if I'm not straight in front of it, even if I would compensate by turning the treble down. And I guess I don't really agree with getting the tone right "at the source" since if you're micing/recording it, that's not how the tone is gonna come out anyway, so I would rather make sure the actual recorded tone sounds good. If it sounds good in the room/in front of the cab doesn't seem important in that scenario.

 

[Gmork]

Prefer standing ON TOP of my full stack

 

[Fred the Shred]

Yeah, pain in your ears is not good. Personally I try to be good at using hearing protection and not be in any situation where my ears hurt. And I agree of course to keep a potential audience in mind in these situations.

Still, I also find my amp sounding the most pleasant if I'm not straight in front of it, even if I would compensate by turning the treble down. And I guess I don't really agree with getting the tone right "at the source" since if you're micing/recording it, that's not how the tone is gonna come out anyway, so I would rather make sure the actual recorded tone sounds good. If it sounds good in the room/in front of the cab doesn't seem important in that scenario.

Recording is a whole different affair, but you still want the right sound at the source as much as possible to prevent the usual "fix it in the mix turned polishing a turd" debacles that often arise - thing is that whenever stuff like multitracking is involved and you're doing two or three rhythm tracks per side, it's just NOT what you'd ever use live since it's serving a different purpose, amidst many examples, really. Using your avatar as the example here, the guys in Blind Guardian have to work with way fuller tones live as it's not like they have a horde of guitarists doing all those layers and arrangements, as do most of us for sure. Mind you that there's a difference between where you like to be standing (hell, I hated it on a tour where the platform with the cabs was so high I had the cones in line with my ears, so that was not pleasant even with earplugs) and things being hurtful, to be honest, and that's generally where my post comes from.

 

[Akos89]

I don't meant literally that it hurts my ears.
Probably I can't dial it in probably.
As I mentioned it, if I roll back the highs, then it gets muddy.
Maybe it's a certen frequancy that I don't like and I can get rid of it.
Or maybe I just prefer the hear a more ambient sound from the room.

Thank you for your input!