geordiebluesman
397 posts
May 31, 2011
1:01 PM
|
Hi guys, i am in the process of trying to put a stage rig together and am thinking along a couple of different routes but because i will be the vocalist/harpist i was thinking i could change my Green Bullet for a mic better suited to vocal use then feed the mic into an A/B unit then run one side straight into the amp for the vocals and the other side via a Lone Wolf Harpbreaker pedal for the harp work.
My question is whats a great mic for such a set up and would this even work?
|
5F6H
702 posts
May 31, 2011
1:22 PM
|
If you're going to be singing, you'll be making life hard for yourself if you sing through the green bullet...so ideally you want a different mic, so buy a SM57 or 58, either of these will neve outlive their usefulness. You say, "then run one side straight into the amp for the vocals" are you going to be singing through a combo amp, or a PA style amp? If a combo amp, with a high impedance input, you'll want an in line mic impedance transformer (IMT).
Here's a "way out" idea ;-)...sing through your PA mic, then cup up your harp & blow through it too, people have been doing that for years...or keep 2 mics, one for the harp & amp, the other for a PA.
|
hvyj
1409 posts
May 31, 2011
1:26 PM
|
You don't want to be singing through an amp. You can buy a Shure SM 58, which is a good vocal mic, for less than $100 and a quality mic stand for less than $25.Put your vocal mic on a stand and run it into the PA and use whatever mic you think sounds best for harp into your amp.
If you feel you MUST use a single mic, a Shure 545 would work pretty well, but you would probably need a volume control on it as you wouldn't want the mic set at the same volume level for harp as you would for vocals. Also, you EQ differently for harp than you would for vocals. You may be able to get away with using the harp EQ'd mic for occasional background vocals, but if you are a lead vocalist you really should consider using a dedicated vocal mic and it wouldn't be very expensive.
|
geordiebluesman
398 posts
May 31, 2011
1:34 PM
|
5F6H, hi there, yeah i know people have been cupping into the PA mic for years but that gives amplified accoustic tone and what i want is a full gritty amplified tone hence the Harpbreaker pedal, could you explain a bit more about what yuo mean by a combo amp.
I should also say that i am hoping to work out a portable rig that i can use to busk but mic up to the PA when on stage
|
5F6H
703 posts
May 31, 2011
1:41 PM
|
You can have the volume set the same for harp as for vocals, if both are through the same amp/PA.
It is perfectly feasible to sing through an amp, as long as it has sufficient headroom for the venue...a Twin Reverb is adequate for small to medium venues, with a PA mic & an IMT.
There is no law that says you have to EQ harp differently to vocals, if you are singing & playing through the same mic (as many venerated harp players have done at one time, or another), you may have to compromise some but focus on the vocals & the harp will sound OK if you can play. If you vocals are unintelligible through the mic, your harp is unlikey to sound particularly great either.
|
5F6H
704 posts
May 31, 2011
1:52 PM
|
"5F6H, hi there, yeah i know people have been cupping into the PA mic for years but that gives amplified accoustic tone"
Hi Geordiebluesman, if you are cupped up to the mic it is amplified tone, it might be through a PA or an amp, but it's definitely amplified. There isn't really a strict dividing line as there is no such thing as an electric harp, there are devices that contain microphones so there is always some acoustic factor (unlike the magnetic pickups in a Strat or a Rhodes keyboard). Likewise a PA is an amplifier, as is a mixing desk, just a clean amplifier. People usually regard playing uncupped as "acoustic" and playing cupped as "amplified". A good player playing cupped through the PA may sound better than many playing through a combo/instrument/guitar/harp amp.
|
Oxharp
435 posts
May 31, 2011
1:58 PM
|
Geordie,
what is your green bullit?
is it a dx with the mexican element?
or is it an older one with a cm or different element in.
The reason is I have an sm 57 with mic stand as a swop for your green bullit.
The sm57 is a low impedance mic ( Low Z) so as mark has said if you want to run a Low Z mic into an amp with a 1/4 guitar jack input then you need an IMT to boost the signal from low z to high z.
Russ
----------
Oxharp
|
geordiebluesman
399 posts
May 31, 2011
2:04 PM
|
Hi Russ, just had a look and it is a DX made in Mexico, i don't know if thats a bad thing or not but i have a nasty feeling i'm about to be educated!
|
Oxharp
436 posts
May 31, 2011
2:41 PM
|
Hi Gordie,
No I am not going to educate you but I am not a bigg fan of the DX from Mexico.
I played through one at the weekend at a jam I just took my harps to through a laney 15w amp that was miced to the pa and it just had no life to it atall just a fizzing high gain sound with no soul and I consider I have good tone acoustic or amped so good luck with your journey.
If I can help in any way then drop me an email
Russ
----------
Oxharp
|
bluzmn
27 posts
May 31, 2011
2:45 PM
|
I don't know what others experiences have been, but in my experience, if you cup the mike that you're using for vocals when you play harp through it, the harp will be louder, probably too loud and might even feed back. Maybe the best solution would be to have a good vocal mic, e.g. a Shure 57 or 58, and a bullet mic (or whatever you prefer for harp) attached to the Harp Attack, both plugged into the P.A. Regarding the Shure 520DX, it's not the best harp mic in the world, but it's certainly not the worst. With the right amp and good cupping technique, you can get a decent sound out of it.
|
oldwailer
1624 posts
May 31, 2011
3:30 PM
|
Hey, Geordie! Looks like you are going for the gusto on playing out--that is great and congratulations!
One thing you said back there is that you are looking toward a rig that is portable--so you can use it for busking as well. (At least, that's how I understood what you said--maybe you meant to get a separate rig for the street). Anyway--check out the Duracell Powerpak at
http://www.amazon.com/Duracell-DPP-600HD-Powerpack-Starter-Emergency/dp/B000TKHMWK
I had a chance to get them for half that price a couple of years ago on the Home Shopping Network--they work great to power your rig on the street and they are as portable as an amp. I have played for a whole day with mine and it never ran down. With one of those, all rigs can be taken to the street.
I use a little mixer to put all mics, guitars, harp holders, and stomp boxes into--then just plug that directly into an amp--that gives me individual volume control of each component--and a little onboard EQ and even some limited FX like reverb that I can control on each component.
This rig works for me--but I might add one more amp this summer. I'll tell you right now--learning all this shit about the electrics and rigs is as hard for me as learning to play the harp!
----------
====================================
Always be yourself--unless you suck. . .
-Joss Whedon
|
geordiebluesman
400 posts
May 31, 2011
4:11 PM
|
I'll tell you right now--learning all this shit about the electrics and rigs is as hard for me as learning to play the harp!
That's a bit intimidating coming from a sparky! Te He!.
Thanks for that info i am gonna investigate futher 2morra coz it's past midnight in blighty so nighty night.
|
oldwailer
1625 posts
May 31, 2011
11:51 PM
|
Yeah, I'm a sparky--but that's got nothing to do with mics and amps and stomp pedals. Sparkies and Electronic geeks got about as much in common as plumbers and sewage plant workers! Hmmm, I guess they really aren't all that different after all--electrons is electrons and turds is turds ;-) . . .
----------
====================================
Always be yourself--unless you suck. . .
-Joss Whedon
|
