User Manual

Working with Amplifier PROFILEs, Cabinet PROFILEs, Power Amps and Guitar Cabinets 93
accompanied by a drummer and bass player. Full-range speakers don’t tend to have a membrane area as large as
the four speakers of a 4x12 cabinet - as a result, they do not move as much air, and the low-end frequency response
is not exaggerated. In addition, the mic'ed sound can often have a harsh and “phasey” sound in the high-end
frequencies that you don't get when you listen to a guitar cabinet directly, without a microphone.
Now, all of the above might well be true, but the mic'ed sound is also the true sound, in a way! It is the sound that
you hear on every record, and at every big concert venue. This is the sound that you will present to your audience.
There is no way to get the sound of your amp on a recording, or through a big PA, other than by using microphones,
positioned close to the speaker to capture the sound. That's how it has been done since the advent of guitar amps.
Have you ever had the chance to listen to the pure amp sound of your guitar heroes? The chances are that you
haven't, because to do so, you would have needed an invitation to their home or rehearsal room. What you have
actually heard is their signature tone, captured via a perfect microphone setting – the only way they can present their
art to you.
So, as you can see, it’s a good idea to become familiar with, and learn to care about, the mic'ed sound of your rig,
because this is what your audience will actually hear. You will get better results when you run the full PROFILEs and
Rigs through the monitor system of the live venue, just as the singer and keyboard player will be used to doing.
Ultimately, you will gain far better control over your sound in relation to the other instruments - in fact, most
professional musicians work like this, listening to the whole-stage sound either by stage monitors or in-ear feeds.