Hi,
Jon's suggestions are all excellent. Let me add a couple of my own:
1. Try to use the same sound system as you plan to use live. A sound programmed through a practice amp or a home stereo system will sound quite different through a keyboard amp or PA. If you can't do this, make sure that you perform a dry run before you play out, so you can tweak things a bit.
2. If at all possible, NEVER use headphones when programming -- or at least, don't use them for the final cut. The stereo imaging, effects level, and bass-to-treble balance through headphones is different than when heard live.
3. Reverb is especially tricky. When programming in isolation, get the reverb "just right," then knock it down by about 25% for ensemble use. OTOH, if you are using headphones, boost it by about 25%, because for some reason, the reverb cuts through better in headphones.
Regards,
-BW
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Bruce Wahler
Ashby Solutions™
http://music.ashbysolutions.com978.386.7389 voice/fax
bruce@...