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Should we all be Worried about Silent Stages? – Is the Death of loud amps Approaching?
Introduction
Speak to any guitarist and I would say that 80% of them would agree that valve (or tube) amps are a dying breed! You’ll find them less and less on stages and at concerts! However, we often hear the question: Should we be worried about Silent Stages? Will they take over? Is it something to hate-or something to embrace?
As someone who has gigged with both live Loud Amps and also modellers with a silent (ish) stage, I feel I can weigh in with my thoughts and give you my opinion on whether we should be worried about Silent Stages-and whether we are witnessing the death of Loud Guitar Amps! So, in this article, we’ll be going over our thoughts on why this is happening, and also whether we should be worried-plus why I personally think we shouldn’t be as concerned as people are at the moment!
So, before we dive into our opinions, let us first go over what the issue actually is!
What is the Issue with Silent Stages?
So what is the issue? What are people talking about? Well, the lack of full-blown loud amps on stage! If you’ve been to any gigs that are club-size and above, then you will have noticed that many bands are either running a Silent Stage or at least the guitarist is using an amp modeller or some kind of silent rig!
If you were to look at most 60’s and 70’s live shows, they had multiple stacks behind them running at full volume! Now, compare that to a modern gig and you’ll either see small amps, small digital amps with direct out, or modellers! There are a lot of people who don’t like this, think it sounds different, and believe it’s ruining live performances!
We aren’t here to discuss how it sounds-maybe we should put together an article going over sound differences and do some comparisons! We’re here to discuss why this is happening, and whether we should be worried! Do we all need to sell our amps?
Why is it happening?
So why is this happening? What has started all this, and why-if people are moaning-do we continue to see more and more modellers and amp sim pedals on stage? There are many reasons why this is happening, but they are all very simple and very, very minor fixes to small issues. However, added up, they make a big difference.
The first issue is transport! If you’re doing many gigs and travelling a lot, then you will soon discover that carrying two guitars, a pedalboard, and an amp is not only heavy and hard work but also takes up a lot of space when transporting. Fitting it all into a van or your car is much easier without a big, heavy amp!
Speaking of space, this brings us to the next issue that is solved-stage space! Stages aren’t that big! So having a big amp behind you will shrink the space a good amount. You’d be surprised how much space an amp takes up on stage!
Any more Reasons?
Noise! This is the biggest one! A lot of venues and clubs have noise limits, and cutting sound can be critical to playing a good gig. So removing the amp and going silent will reduce sound massively-making venues (and their neighbours) a lot happier! We have to remember that there are people who don’t care for cranked guitar amps or Loud Bands-they just want to have a boogie to some tunes!
The final reason is because of something we are huge fans of-IEMs! IEMs (In-Ear Monitors) are a way of monitoring your sound from the stage through headphones. They bring down noise, make soundchecks easier, and overall-once it’s set up correctly-make playing so much easier and more fun! But by far the most important benefit is that they help prevent hearing damage!
IEMs can be used with an amp on stage and a mic (and many people do!), however IEMs tend to lead to Silent Stages as well. So removing as much noise from the stage as possible will make the sound engineer very happy!
"Does it sound the same? Yes! Does it feel the same? No!"
Will Silent Stages be permanent?
I don’t think it will be permanent! I think people will always like playing loud amps live! Moving air around you is different to modellers. Does it sound the same? Yes! Does it feel the same? No! So people will always love amps. However, carrying around a 2×12 cabinet and an amp head can be hard work, whereas sliding a modeller into your gig bag is a lot easier. So you can understand why people are swapping!
Most bands will still use amps for small bar and local gigs! You won’t see many bands playing with Silent Stages and IEMs in a small pub or bar gig! So grabbing a small to medium-sized amp will be perfect. That is why, if I need to take an amp to a gig, I will always take my RD Custom Amp-made to be the perfect option for power and size! Small amps will also help with the “we have to play quieter” issue. A lot of people overlook small amps-however, they are amazing! You can crank them, get amazing sounds from them, and they will still keep up with drummers and a full band! Plus, if you make sure your amp has a master volume, then you will be golden!
You have many options!
There are, of course, other options! It doesn’t need to be amp or no amp! You can use something like a load box (Two Notes Captor review) to take the signal from your amp, put a cab sim on it, and run it to the front of house-and also come out of the load box and into your on-stage cabinet! Giving you the best of both worlds! The sound man gets a nice clean signal for front of house, and you also get on-stage amp noise without having to mic up any amps! This is an amazing way to do it! Plus, with amp FX loop returns, you can run your modeller into them and even use an amp on stage with a modeller!
I think everyone should aim to be versatile-especially in a professional environment. You should be able to play using an amp and pedals, with IEMs, and also with a modeller! As Silent Stages are a big thing, you might have to turn down a lot of gigs if you don’t have the gear or knowledge to play in that environment. Something worth thinking about if you want to gig more!
Conclusion
Hopefully this article has made you think about Silent Stages and whether you should be concerned! Overall, I think we shouldn’t be! I think people should embrace both amps, modellers, and hybrid solutions. At the end of the day, it’s all about the music! You need to play through what makes you perform your best and enjoy it the most! Don’t worry about what other people are doing or using-focus on yourself, be comfortable, and the rest will just fall into place!
What is your rig looking like currently? Are you using amps? Modellers? Do you run a Silent Stage or full-blown Loud Amps? Drop us an email and let us know! We want to hear from you all about what you are using-and also why! Maybe we’ll put together an article going over the various forms you can run rigs, then explore what they sound like and try to decide which one sounds better!
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