Scott Henderson Discussion

dizzy · Joined: 26 Apr 2006 Posts: 406

Hey Scott

First of all thanks again for answering all these questions.

You have obviously worked a lot on your tone.

I have been working on my tone and I find it is really hard to do it without the band. For instance---I try to find a great overdrive for myself but I never really know how I will like it with the band because by myself--even if I play it at gig volumes---It still always sounds different with a band.
For me this is true about amp settings and everything.

So do you have any tips for working on tone by yourself? Or do you do it at sound checks with the band?

Thanks Scott

Scott Henderson · The Man Joined: 20 May 2004 Posts: 2135

My live tone is pretty much the same as for recording, so I tweak it in the studio over band tracks and it usually works live as well. One tip - get a looper. It doesn't have to be anything fancy - I use a Boss RC-2. I don't have it plugged in on my board because it's not true bypass - I plug it in instead of the wah when I need it. I sample my tone and go out to the board and listen to it while the band is playing. I've done this many times, especially when working with a soundman I don't know. A lot of sound guys are used to working with mainly rock bands, and add way too much low end to the bass and bass drum. That's the first thing I correct. Then I tweak my guitar amp if needed by just standing in front of it while the loop is playing, and then go out to the board and tweak it there too - usually by just taking off some high end if needed.

dizzy · Joined: 26 Apr 2006 Posts: 406

[quote="Scott Henderson"]My live tone is pretty much the same as for recording, so I tweak it in the studio over band tracks and it usually works live as well. One tip - get a looper. It doesn't have to be anything fancy - I use a Boss RC-2. I don't have it plugged in on my board because it's not true bypass - I plug it in instead of the wah when I need it. I sample my tone and go out to the board and listen to it while the band is playing. I've done this many times, especially when working with a soundman I don't know. A lot of sound guys are used to working with mainly rock bands, and add way too much low end to the bass and bass drum. That's the first thing I correct. Then I tweak my guitar amp if needed by just standing in front of it while the loop is playing, and then go out to the board and tweak it there too - usually by just taking off some high end if needed.[/quote]

Thanks Scott---I like the idea of working on tone with recorded tracks.
and that is something I love about your tone---you get the same recorded tone as live.
I also like the idea of tweaking the drum and bass tone---although the drummer and bass player might get pissed off at me!

speaking of adding too much bass to the kick drum and bass i know exactly what you mean. Sometimes in clubs we will play without the mains on in sound check and it sounds good and all of a sudden when the sound man turns on the mains it sounds boomy and weird and too loud. then they blame the band for being too loud even though before the mains were on it wasn't too loud.

Scott Henderson · The Man Joined: 20 May 2004 Posts: 2135

This is a common problem, especially in an empty room during soundcheck. We always ask the soundman to turn off the mains while we get our monitor mixes together. Hopefully when the room fills with people, the boominess goes away. Unfortunately, some clubs are dumb enough to put the sub-woofers under the stage and then you're screwed no matter what.

If you're working with a new soundman, it's a good idea for a band member to hang out at the board until you're sure he knows what he's doing. I've definitely worked with ones who don't. People usually tell me after shows that the soundman did a pretty good job mixing the band - that's the easy part. Getting great tones from all the instruments in the PA takes a guy with more experience.

dizzy · Joined: 26 Apr 2006 Posts: 406

[quote="Scott Henderson"]This is a common problem, especially in an empty room during soundcheck. We always ask the soundman to turn off the mains while we get our monitor mixes together. Hopefully when the room fills with people, the boominess goes away. Unfortunately, some clubs are dumb enough to put the sub-woofers under the stage and then you're screwed no matter what.

If you're working with a new soundman, it's a good idea for a band member to hang out at the board until you're sure he knows what he's doing. I've definitely worked with ones who don't. People usually tell me after shows that the soundman did a pretty good job mixing the band - that's the easy part. Getting great tones from all the instruments in the PA takes a guy with more experience.[/quote]

good idea about hanging out with the sound man while he gets sounds. I will have to try that. Also--no mains during sound check.

I have seen you several times and I always like it best when it is a small place without anything coming out of the pa. I feel like this with pretty much every musician who I like in jazz---for me, no matter how good the sound man is, a pa is always a compromise.
Do you like playing in smaller clubs without a pa most for sound? Obviously playing in bigger places is great because you get to play for more people but I just mean if sound was your only consideration.

Scott Henderson · The Man Joined: 20 May 2004 Posts: 2135

Even in a small room, it's nice to have a PA just to help make everything sound even. The bass drum can be lost in the mix if not miked. Also, some closed back guitar cabs are super directional - the people directly in front of it get their ears blown out but people standing just ten feet to either side can't hear it at all. So putting a few things in the PA makes for a better mix if it's done right.