Best way to replicate gig volumes at the work bench.

[Gus]

When I adjusted effects for friends(some play professionally) I would ask them to bring their effects, amp, cable etc. to my house.
I would ask them to play at stage volume.  

This is only helpful if they have an effect they like when used live on stage with a band then you could compare the effect EQ etc. to each other at stage volume.

When I adjusted TS effects for one friend I would set the high pass frequency higher because they used a open back amp(fender twin) and played with a person who plays keyboards and synthesisers loud on stage. This kept the speakers from losing control at lower frequencies.  

A surprising good sounding effect was a old stock dist + with a fretless J bass at loud volumes(IIRC the bass had Lindy Fralin pickups)  IIRC it was with a solid state 15" combo amp.

Another interesting test session.  A friend brought over a ?  it only sounded "special" with their modded 70's fender strat into a brown deluxe.  I did not want to adjust that because it might lose value.

I seems with open back speakers you often reduce the lowend at loud volumes

When I was at a studio a friend had me test a tube microphone solo in headphones it sounded like too may highs and missing lows BUT in a dense rock mix it sounded great with the singer.

I have not done any adjust/testing effect for friends for a number of years but if I started again I think I would build or buy different types of EQs with enough headroom not to clip to try before and after to help figure out how to adjust the EQ and then add that to the effect.

You might be able to record an effect you like to a PC and run a FFT and frequency graph Use the same bass/guitar cable and settings.  Then try other effects and see how they compare with the FFT and frequency response.  You should not need to play loud.  You could use a PC sound section and sweep different effects and record and measure things that might help used for comparisons

Find something you like and use that as a reference.

Things to read about
How do we hear a singer over an orchestra?
How do we hear bass when there is very little (old portable transistor radio with a small speaker)?

[FUZZZZzzzz]

kemper profiling amp?
http://www.kemper-amps.com/home