Question about playing live

[Matt Wildman]

I haven’t done very many gigs before and one of my first ones will be in April. My situation is I’ll be playing a song and at the end of the song is a solo. “Lost by A7X”. I have noticed that when I’m playing with my other band members I’m too loud in the beginning of the song because I want the solo to stand out when I get to it. So my question is do you guys usually use a foot pedal to switch to a different/louder channel on your amp for solos? I would just use the volume knob on my guitar but it effects the tone a lot. And if not what do I need to do?

 

[idssdi]

I ALWAYS use a volume booster when playing live. I’m convinced that’s the way to go when you want specific parts of a song stand out. I personally use the TC electronic spark booster mini. It is small so it doesn’t take a lot of space on your pedalboard. Also, it’s really affordable but it does the job really well!

 

[Matt Wildman]

That’s cool, how much is it Ids?

 

[idssdi]

It’s around €40 I believe

 

[Matt Wildman]

So about 45 US dimmers dollars that’s not bad

 

[Matt Wildman]

If I can’t get one of those, would a regular switch pedal work?

 

[idssdi]

You could also try and get an equalizer with everything in the middle and the volume a bit higher. Usually volume is decided by the last pedal(which has a volume knob on it) in you rig and the amp. So you could put all the effects of the pedal on zero besides the volume

 

[Ed Seith]

Yeah, Ids has got you on the right track. I’m no Syn, but I have played many hundreds of gigs in my day (plus two in 2018!). Two things I have always done for my solo tone is a maybe 1.5db boost, and I alter the tone curve, boosting more mids and cutting deep lows for my lead channel, which helps it cut through a mix a little better and also makes the tone a little rounder and warmer for leads than a good super chunky rhythm channel has. Depending on equipment, I’ve also boosted gain for leads, too. From my earliest gigs, I was using a digital multi-effects unit instead of individual pedals, but the concept is the same.
If you want to look up “old shit that’s not old enough to be retro but is still kinda cool,” I think I paid in the neighborhood of $1,500 US for a Roland GP-16, plus foot controller and expression pedal, in around 1989 or 90. I still have them (and they work!), though I kinda want to list them and sell them soon, get a few bucks and clear out some closet space. They were still my rig until I got the AxeFX 2 years ago.

 

[Ed Seith]

PS: If you are unable to boost for the solo, you need your level to be right for the SONG and the solo will have to suffer. Sucks, but tis the way of things. The solo is 30-40 seconds. The song is 5 or 6 minutes. The song wins, every time.

 

[Firsty Lasty]

A quick note about volume boosts, it can make sense to put the boost either at the front of your chain or in the effects loop of the amp so it doesn’t drive the preamp. I don’t know what pedals are better for which spot, this is just one of those things that when I heard it I thought “that’s so obvious and useful, why didn’t I think of that!”

 

[idssdi]

Volume boosts should AlWAYs come after your drives and preferably just last. If you put it in front of your drive (distortion overdrive etc.) All it will do is boost the gain and not the volume.

 

[Andrew Saunders]

My friend has a pedal board with an expression pedal and when its not being used for anything specific its acts as a master volume. So its quite easy to adjust on the fly what volume level you want and accurate too.

 

[Tyrone .]

All good suggestions! I either use a BB preamp pedal (expensive) or an EHX Soul Food boost pedal (~$75) for parts that are already distorted but need to stand out a bit more. Any semi-decent boost or EQ should be what you’re looking for, just make sure you aren’t killing the song with too much guitar. Volume and gain Boosts can sound awesome and really get you to that solo sweet spot but they also make it easy to destroy a good instrument mix. Like Ed said, everything in service of the song.

 

[Tyrone .]

P.s. it’s so awesome you’re covering Lost!!! One of my oft unsung A7X favorites