SweetBlood
38 posts
Feb 04, 2018
1:43 PM
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Does anyone have any advice on getting good tone when playing through the same mic that you are using for vocals?
I generally sing with the mic pretty hot and usually have to cut the lows a bit and maybe even boost the highs to get a clear sound for my voice. When I play the harmonica it sounds shrill, especially with higher keys. With the mic being hot I can't get right on it with the harp without it being too loud and/or feeding back, so I lose even more lows. I like to have the mic hot enough so that I can get right on it and sing quietly and back off if I need to belt.
I'm just trying to get serious about the harmonica and have considered that it may be time to break down a get an amp, but I would still like to be able to get a good acoustic sound.
I do understand that it is entirely possible my problem is just that my tone sucks and it doesn't have much to do with the EQ on the mic.
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dougharps
1706 posts
Feb 04, 2018
2:11 PM
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When playing to a vocal mic in a stand, EQed for vocals, it can be a challenge. What helps for me is to almost completely enclose the harp in cupped hands to cut highs and approach the vocal mic partly to the side, off axis, until the volume sounds right in the monitor. If you get too close to a hot mic it may ring, thus the angled approach. It still may sound a little bright, but this works.
Rather than an amp (unless you need that sound) you can also run a second mic to the board that is EQed for harp, perhaps with effects if you like.
Since I just sing and play harp, unless I need an amped sound I usually just use my Ultimate 58 for both, and handhold the mic. I set a mic level cut back from max for the harp and cup the mic with the harp close, getting a low boost from proximity. When I sing, I open the volume wide and sing a little back from the mic so my vocals don't get muddy.
There is no singing in it, but on the updated video with board recording I just updated on the MBH YouTube list I was using my Ultimate 58 cupped.
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Doug S.
Last Edited by dougharps on Feb 04, 2018 2:12 PM
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hvyj
3520 posts
Feb 04, 2018
2:51 PM
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Loose but full cup and hold the mic element BELOW the back of the harp so the airflow does not go directly into the mic grill.
Last Edited by hvyj on Feb 04, 2018 2:52 PM
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jbone
2477 posts
Feb 04, 2018
7:02 PM
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My voice is about 180 degrees out from what a harp needs mic wise. The times I have played and sang through the same mic the vocals were ok and the harp was dry and flat, or the harp was ok but the vocals sucked. My answer was bring an SM57 to the jam and get it plugged in and set for harp, and use the vocal mic that was there to sing.
I tried this kind of setup last summer with our Yamaha p.a., and also plugged a guitar in for Jo. Really didn't care for the instruments sound. One gets spoiled using a tube amp for years.
If I needed to again I'd figure out how to plug a delay in between harp mic and p.a. and at least have a little more depth.
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Reverbnation
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SuperBee
5238 posts
Feb 04, 2018
11:44 PM
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Do you need to cup the mic?
I mean, if you want to play off the mic it seems you have an ok arrangement already
But if you want to hold the mic you are gonna struggle. If i wanted to cup the mic for harp and also sing through it I’d use a foot switch. That’d be a pill if i was playing fills though
This is a good approach though:
https://youtu.be/Q0ytSK5HmNY
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Rishió
6 posts
Feb 05, 2018
12:32 AM
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After seeing this facebook video from Vincent Bucher, the fireball V he used directly into the PA seems like a killer acoustic mic! They say that Mic is good for vocals as well so perhaps that could be tried for doing both on one Mic (although this artist used a separate mic for voice). Of course, what do I know - I’ve never used a mic..
https://www.facebook.com/vincent.bucher.9/videos/10156065134654393/
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nacoran
9734 posts
Feb 05, 2018
5:56 AM
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My go to mic isn't particularly hot, but I had the same issue of trying to get vocal and harp levels close. What I did was get a gain pedal. My voice isn't as loud as my hard, so I just set a bit of gain on the pedal and click it to switch to vocals.
Another option is to get a volume control for you mic.
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Nate
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HarveyHarp
755 posts
Feb 05, 2018
8:12 AM
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Try a xlr volume control from Blowsmeaway.com
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HarveyHarp
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The Iceman
3474 posts
Feb 05, 2018
10:52 AM
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In situations in which I've had to use the vocal mic for harmonica, I adjust in real time based on the sound....if it is a sit in situation, I'll ask if I can have about 20 seconds to judge the mic alone.
Full cupping is usually not an option, but working the mic includes acoustic in front of, acoustic in front of with harmonica held inside hands cup style and even getting close to the mic with a very loose semi cup.
As I matured in concept, I left behind the need to have every aspect (mic, amp, effects) in total control and moved towards playing the situation and learning to make it work.
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The Iceman
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