Tips for tweaking your amp for playing live vs. tweaking your amp at home

 Posted on the Boss Katana FB group by Alse Elseth

A tip to those who find their sound lacking bottom going on a stage after tweaking your amp at home (I take it for granted that you tweak at stage levels):

Scenario 1
- if it's s in a corner you get approximately 9 db added to your low/mid frequencies.

Scenario 2
- if it's against a wall approx. 6 db is added to your low/mid frequencies.

Scenario 3
- if it's standing free on the floor with around 6 feet from walls you get approx. 3 db added to your low/mid frequencies.

Scenario 4
- if you lift it of the floor nothing is added to your low/mid frequencies.

If you tweak in Scenario 1 and move to a stage with Scenario 4, you're down 9 dbs in the low/mid frequencies and your amp will sound shrill and lacking bottom end.

If you tweak at home in Scenario 4, and move to a crammed stage forcing Scenario 1 placement, your amp will sound bass heavy and dull due to 9dbs added to your low/mid frequencies.

So, the trick is to tweak for the expected scenario to get optimal sound transition from practice to stage.

PS. If you tweak a big fat bottom end to your sound at low levels you'll get an amp that "farts out" at higher level settings.

PPS. Some reading from Universal Audio's blog:https://www.uaudio.com/blog/how-the-ear-works/