Peavey 5150 setup

Does anyone know a good live setup for Peavey 5150. Just got it off ebay and haven't had a chance to play it loud coz I've found that it sounds well different as it gets louder and I'm gonna be using it on stage on Fri. Any advice on settings? Also, do you think I should use the lead channel as main distortion and the rhythm channel as a clean channel or use it normally? Oh yeah, it's metal style music that I play.
THanks :rolleyes:

Any amp will sound different at different volume levels. This is partly due to the electronics, but probably more so due to psychoacoustics(the way your ears process and make you perceive sound). This is why a setting that sounds good playing soft in your bedroom most likely won't sound as good, if not completely horribly, when you crank the amp.
I always played with the mids on my 5150 on maximum and very moderate highs and lows...

If you only need two different distorted sounds, use the rhythm channel as your distorted rhythm sound. If you need a clean and a dirty sound, use it the way you described it.

Yes. Tube amps will sound different at different volumes... generally alot better when cranked.
I agree that using the mids is a good idea with this amp because it is what its good for.
I dont know about having to change the settings a lot when crank the amp though.

Originally Posted by: Death55I dont know about having to change the settings a lot when crank the amp though.

When changing the volume level of an amp, you need to compensate for the effects of psychoacoustics. As you turn up an amp, you'll perceive an increased amount of highs and lows which will make your amp sound like crap. By adjusting your EQ you can compensate for this.

Do a search on the Fletcher-Munson equal loudness contours...

The fact that tube amps saturate at high volume levels is a completely different thing. The saturation of the tubes influences the overall compression and timbre of the sound, not so much the general equalization.

I have this amp, and play metal as well and my favorite setting for gigging is as follows:
Low: max-awesome low end, and i cant count how many shows ive been to and found there to be no thump whatsoever in the sound, this alleviates that problem
Mid: ZERO- cant stand mids, they make the sound kinda tinny
High: about 3/4 max
Resonance: 8
Presence: All the way

i find this setting to be an excellent setting for both my heavy rhythms and my soloing, picks up dynamics very well

I just read the other half of your original post and I realized I didnt answer your question about the rhythm/lead channel, I myself keep both with gain all the way up and the difference is minimal between the two, the rhythm has a bit more of a sedated sound to it, but less hiss to it, while the lead channel is balls to the wall overdrive with awesome compression, its pretty much for giving your amp that little extra push to allow it to cut through the mix better for leads (hence lead channel) and for my clean tones, because the 5150's cleans are good but could be alot better, I use an A/B switch with a little marshall MG30 w/ reverb, its small but the cleans are freakin sweet and plenty loud