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Dirty-South Blues Harp forum: wail on! >
My first rig!!!
My first rig!!!
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WestVirginiaTom
38 posts
Aug 26, 2011
6:49 AM
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A few weeks ago, I came to this forum seeking advice from you more experienced players on purchasing my first rig. Thanks to LSC, earlounge, and others who steered me in the right direction! I now have my first home rig, and I thought I’d share my early experiences.
I was looking for an inexpensive rig (< $300) that I could use for home practice/recording (with backing tracks) and for occasional use at house parties and coffee house settings. Primarily, I wanted to sing and play harp acoustically with the mic on a mic stand. This is what I ended up buying:
Amp/PA: Roland Cube Street portable amp with two 6.5” speakers. ($230)
Mic: Shure SM58 ($95)
Mic stand: K&M round-bottom stand with two-piece telescoping boom. ($83)
Mic cable: GLS Audio XLR, 12’ ($10)
Impedance-matching transformer: MIT-435 ($13)
Headphones: Sony MDR-V6 ($64)
As you can see, I went over my $300 budget by about $200, but in the end, I’m glad I decided to get a few more bells and whistles. I suppose I could have gotten a simple PA unit for around $100. With the Cube, I get a guitar amp as well. If I plug the mic into the Cube’s XLR input, I get a good, clean (and loud, if I want) sound for singing and playing acoustically. That side of the unit has a two-channel EQ (bass and treble), and I can also add delay or reverb if I want. If I add the IMT to the mic circuit, I can plug the mic into the guitar input and have access to a three-channel EQ, delay/reverb, four effects (chorus, flanger, phaser, and tremolo), and eight guitar amplifier emulators (Marshall, Vox, Fender, etc.). I’ve only had time to play with a few of these, but I really like what I’m hearing so far. I will be playing with these trying to find ‘my sound’ for many months to come.
The Cube also has an aux stereo input to allow me to play with backing tracks, etc. Also, my wife, dogs, and neighbors undoubtedly appreciate the headphones jack that allows for quiet practice. The Sony MDR-V6 headphones are pretty sweet. Comfortable on my semi-large head and ears. I can tell already that the mic/amp/headphones will really improve my hand technique, my dynamics, tone, breath control, etc. as I get instant feedback on how subtle changes in my playing style affect my sound.
The SM58 is really nice. Solid. Love the built-in pop screen. It’s the best mic I’ve ever owned. (Of course, it’s the only mic I’ve ever owned.) One mistake I made was buying a 12’ cable. That seemed plenty long when I ordered it, but once I got it, I could see that I should have gone with a 25-footer. Heck, by the time I strung the cord along the boom and mic stand, my cable was halfway gone! That really limits my rig arrangement. I suppose I’ll be buying a longer cable soon.
On LSC’s advice, I scrapped my idea of buying a $25 mic stand and went with the K&M stand and boom. This thing is built to last. The heavy round base provides super stability. All adjustments are easy to make, and the boom stays where you put it.
All in all, I am quite pleased with my new setup. My Kevin Baker Hoo Doo harps and my Jon Harl customized Seydel 1847 have never sounded better! I really look forward to my practice time now. I was hooked on the harp before, but now I’m moving towards obsession!
Sorry for the long-winded post. Can you tell I’m excited?
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tookatooka
2434 posts
Aug 26, 2011
7:10 AM
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Nice one WVT. I have the Roland MicroCube which is a step down from yours and I find it great.
Regarding playing to backing tracks, I tried plugging an MP3 player into the aux-in socket but the MP3's don't quite have the volume I would like so I'm thinking of buying a cheap portable CD player to use. This will mean burning my backing tracks onto CD but if I get the volume I want, I don't mind.
You can also plug the rec-out into the line-in of your computer which is good if you have a decent soundcard and software. You can do some mixing of sounds.
Anyway now you're all set up with a home studio, I expect you'll be entering BYBO3?
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WestVirginiaTom
39 posts
Aug 26, 2011
7:30 AM
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@tooka times 2: Yes, eventually I'll be putting together my recording setup. It took me awhile to convince my wife that I needed more than one harp. Then it took even more time to talk her into the mic and amp. I think I'd better wait a spell before I approach her with another wish list. I'll be back here then to get more newbie advice!
As far as BYBO3 goes, I'm getting the right equipment, and my playing ability is getting better all the time, but my courage level is still lacking. I'll try to jump in for BYBO4 or BYBO5!
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FreeWilly
21 posts
Aug 26, 2011
8:26 AM
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Congrats Tom! So looking forward to that moment myself :)
What made you decide for the Street rather then the Micro Cube RX? The double input?
@Tookataka: I have a Sony MP4 player myself (Looove that btw, because it has a variable speed thing (with pitch correction) and a karaoke with pitch adaptability) which I sometimes find to low in output as well. What seems to help is to mess with the EQ. Not the prettiest of options, but it brings a quick fix without losing the above mentioned options which a CD don't have!
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WestVirginiaTom
41 posts
Aug 26, 2011
8:52 AM
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@FreeWilly: Yes, the dual inputs attracted me to the Cube Street. If I recall, the Street is listed at about $20 more than the RX. I thought $20 for a second input was a good deal. I also found a factory-refurbished Street with a full warranty that saved me about $50 off the going price for a new unit.
On the other hand, the RX has the rhythm training feature that sounds nice. I think I would have been happy with the RX as well. I suppose you could find a refurbished RX for around $200. A used one even cheaper. Not a bad way to go.
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LSC
73 posts
Aug 26, 2011
2:19 PM
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@WVT: Sounds like you got a well thought out rig that suits what you need for it to do. You've got quality gear that will do excellent service for years. Glad you went with the K&M stand. It really will save you money in the long run and they're just nicer to use.
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LSC
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