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Equalizing for 3 guitars?

makanudo

makanudo

Dec 26, 2008
1,677
1,033
#1
So I recently joined this band that has 3 guitar players. One has a Bugera trirec, another a peavey valveking and the last one a fender something (can't remember exact model but its 2x12 silver grill and all that jazz).

Anyway I'm going to get a Darkglass B7K and run it through the fx loop of my Acoustic B100 combo amp and I was wondering what would you suggest/do in this scenario?

I usually have plenty of mids in my sound, bot low and high mids are usually around the 2/3 o clock mark and bass and treble pretty much flat. However the valveking player loves his mids aswell and sets them at around 3 o clock too and the rest of the guys I'm not exactly sure.4

I am aware the best course of action is to see what they are boosting/cutting and leave some room for them and fill what they leave out but I was thinking this could be a good palce to start.

:hyper:
 
#2
The best course of action is to join another band. There's no way you can compete with that ****. There's no possible way to mix that in a live setting. It's just going to sound like **** all around, all the time.
 
#4
The kind of music you play in this band would help alot. If you are doing blues three guitar players probably isn't that bad. Where as if you are playing anything even remotely heavy/hard rockish there is little room in the mix for a bass with three guitars.
Maybe you could tell us about the role everyone plays in the band?
 
#5
makanudo said:
It isn't a volume war if that's what you're talking about:hiding:
Click to expand...

It's not what he's talking about at all... :rollno:

The problem is that the instrumentation of the band is ill-conceived from the start, so there's only so much you can do to compensate for the difficulties that it presents. A three-guitar band plus bass guitar is inherently difficult to mix properly, if not outright impossible. Too many instruments competing for the same frequency range and the same sonic territory; not enough bandwidth to accommodate everybody, yet still retain a clean mix.

The only way to do it effectively is if: 1) everyone in the band has been made thoroughly aware of the full extent of the challenge; and 2) each player makes a commitment to exercise some serious self discipline & restraint with respect to keeping his sound from blurring into the sound of his bandmates. Given the fact that you've got three people playing the same instrument, all operating in the very same frequency range, that's going to be tough. Even for a pro producer it could be tough.

If you get that kind of buy-in and that kind of self discipline and sacrifice for the good of the band as a whole, then you've got a shot at it. If you don't get that, i.e. if personal ego gets in the way, if one or more of the guys doesn't "get it" or doesn't want to cooperate, then you don't have a chance. In which case, you're screwed. :eyebrow:

MM
 
#6
Yeah, run away dude.

First off, your amp is ridiculously small and underpowered for this. Second of all getting guitarists to actually give a crap about EQing for a band mix is difficult enough, much less when there are 3 of them.
 
#7
it's not about eQ, it's about making arrangements in order to avoid everybody playing same parts w/ different eQ. the goal to accomplish is for everybody to leave some room for each other.
 
#8
gricko said:
it's not about eQ, it's about making arrangements in order to avoid everybody playing same parts w/ different eQ. the goal to accomplish is for everybody to leave some room for each other.
Click to expand...


What? Dude, it absolutely is about EQ. You can arrange 3 different, complimentary parts and as long as no one has a clue about EQ, nothing you can do will make it sound like anything other than dog crap.
 
#9
makanudo said:
So I recently joined this band that has 3 guitar players. One has a Bugera trirec, another a peavey valveking and the last one a fender something (can't remember exact model but its 2x12 silver grill and all that jazz).

Anyway I'm going to get a Darkglass B7K and run it through the fx loop of my Acoustic B100 combo amp and I was wondering what would you suggest/do in this scenario?

I usually have plenty of mids in my sound, bot low and high mids are usually around the 2/3 o clock mark and bass and treble pretty much flat. However the valveking player loves his mids aswell and sets them at around 3 o clock too and the rest of the guys I'm not exactly sure.4

I am aware the best course of action is to see what they are boosting/cutting and leave some room for them and fill what they leave out but I was thinking this could be a good palce to start.

:hyper:
Click to expand...

It depends on what amp they play through and how they equalize their tone. If you play with a guitarist who has a full Marshall stack and detunes then they can dominate the low mid frequencies. Or if you have a guitarist who plays a tele with singlecoils and uses a 15 watt small amp then he will have a trebly tone.

Start with a good amp and a flat eq and adjust from there.

I figure the frequencies 150hz and below should be mine. But you need low and high mids so your bass has definition, and a little treble to give it bite. You also have to compete with the bass drum.
 
#11
gricko said:
it's not about eQ, it's about making arrangements in order to avoid everybody playing same parts w/ different eQ. the goal to accomplish is for everybody to leave some room for each other.
Click to expand...

Exactly

3 guitar players playing the same voicings all night long: put the EQ you want , (almost) nothing to do.
 
#12
Floyd Eye said:
What? Dude, it absolutely is about EQ. You can arrange 3 different, complimentary parts and as long as no one has a clue about EQ, nothing you can do will make it sound like anything other than dog crap.
Click to expand...
EQ is a strong tool, but at some point note selection will override eq. There's only so much low end you can get from a guitar B string at the 17th fret.

I tend to agree that three guitarists is two too many, but it can happen, even without much EQ work, but they'll have to work double hard at addressing voicings and leaving space.
 
#15
Unrepresented said:
I agree. It's about EQ and arrangement. Neither is going to work without the other.
Click to expand...

True. I thank god I only have to deal with one guitar player. Even in a 3 piece though, EQing can be a challenge in the beginning. I found what worked and my band mates do what I say. I control the sound so it's all good these days. I feel bad for the OP. I could never be in a band like that unless whoever it was that was in control of the menagerie had it all well in hand.

And he definitely needs more amp.
 
#16
I can think of a few 3 guitar bands that have audible bass. Don't listen to all the guys saying to run.

You will need a more powerful amp. You will need to eq carefully and make sure the guitar arrangements don't clutter.

Hell it could give you a chance to play all over the neck like in Isis and explore the bass as a melodic instrument.
 
#17
skulletwhip said:
I can think of a few 3 guitar bands that have audible bass. Don't listen to all the guys saying to run.

You will need a more powerful amp. You will need to eq carefully and make sure the guitar arrangements don't clutter.

Hell it could give you a chance to play all over the neck like in Isis and explore the bass as a melodic instrument.
Click to expand...


Point taken. Kind of. It very well could also trap him in 8th notes on the root as well though.
 

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