HarpNinja
2837 posts
Oct 30, 2012
8:02 PM
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Random noodling with two different mics. All I did was change mics. The amp/delay/reverb settings stayed the exact same. Mic too had less output so I bumped it up so it was consitent in volume.
http://mikefugazzi.com/files/Sans_Amp_Mic_Test.mp3
I would welcome comments on the two tones including which you preferred and why. Would you prefer one over the other in a certain context? This isn't very scientific as I should have played the same stuff on both, but I tried to play some similar riffs, or at least the same techniques.
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Mike
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Last Edited by on Oct 30, 2012 8:09 PM
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1847
310 posts
Oct 30, 2012
9:39 PM
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wow! ...... i am at a loss for words
let's try "brilliant"
i hear pat ramsey
also john popper
then a seamless interpretation of the two
what grabs my ear is the perfect intonation
earlier you had a "conversation" re: tone
80 per cent of tone comes from the player
attack articulation phrasing etc.
the last 20 per cent is mic.. amp ..speakers etc.
it is an embellishment
anyway.it seems you have evolved
in to being a top player by any rights
my hats off to you
Last Edited by on Oct 30, 2012 9:43 PM
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dougharps
286 posts
Oct 30, 2012
9:54 PM
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Your playing (even noodling) is wonderful, and has continued to improve since 2010 when I saw you perform. I thought you sounded good then.
Regarding the tone of the samples, I prefer the first mic, not particularly because it is more distorted, but because it seems to have more bottom, more punch, with more complex overtones. Maybe the distortion is part of it, but usually I like cleaner sounding harp than most do, and I still preferred the first sample. It doesn't get all "fuzzy" sounding like some distorted harp does, and it has a full rich complexity, with good low end.
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Doug S.
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Willspear
218 posts
Oct 31, 2012
4:38 AM
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The first sample is great IMO
The second sample especially the high end work sounds very pretty and articulate.
Both sounds are good the first has the edge little more distorted but it is kept to tasteful levels.
The playing is fantastic.
As to the Mics in question are they both 57's
The first sounds right on the second sounds more like a 58
Last Edited by on Oct 31, 2012 4:44 AM
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Martin
149 posts
Oct 31, 2012
6:04 AM
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Natural inclination towards mic 2, but would have preferred a little more bottom and ... fluffiness (is that an English word?). No 2 a tiny bit boosted in volume and punch and then you´d have sort of an all round working sound (something I´ve been looking for myself).
Disagree with Djcripey above: "clean", yes but amplification brings -- CAN bring, more correctly -- warmth, which is a scarce commodity in the harmonica soundscape.
/Martin
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HarpNinja
2839 posts
Oct 31, 2012
6:56 AM
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Thanks for the kind words, guys! The feedback on the tone differences is much appreciated.
I am kinda bored as I am not playing out hardly at all right now and mostly just woodshedding. I get lots of time to practice playing acoustically, but not so much "amped up". I am trying to dial in a good sound going straight to my computer/studio monitors. I don't get to crank the volume much, so it is of great benefit to get some thoughts on the sound as others hear it.
Sometimes, I get some rattle or buzz from stuff in the room and worry about overdriving the preamp and getting digital clipping, etc. An audiophile I am not, lol!
The first mic is a Greg Heumann bullet. The second is an AKG D5. In all fairness, I didn't dial in the D5 at all and at the last second decided to A/B. I had spent an hour or so tweaking the sound of my board/bullet to taste.
The Para Drive DI I use has a TON of flexibility and it can be overwhelming. I got it for solo gigs where I wanted a clean eq'ed sound, but am know trying it as an "amp".
Regarding the first mic. Did anyone notice anything like too much bass, or weird clipping or anything? I am not suggesting you should. The level shouldn't be clipping, but I guess I can't say for sure. The drive is off and the eq was pretty much flat bass, a 1-2dB attenuation of the treble, and a 2-3dB boost of the mids at around 3,000hz. Almost all the breakup is from the actual mic. I think the blend was maybe 1/2 way up.
I would have used my 57, but it wasn't in the same room and I was too lazy to dig for it, lol.
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Mike
OOTB Harmonica Price List
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HarpNinja
2840 posts
Oct 31, 2012
6:58 AM
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FWIW - I can dial in the D5 to sound like mic 1 with the DI. I can't get mic 1 any cleaner, though. Mic 1 sounds a bit boxier than the second. I like the breakup, but maybe not the mids?
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Mike
OOTB Harmonica Price List
VHT Special 6 Mods
Note Layout Comparisons
Quicksilver Custom Harmonicas (Updated 10/25/12)
Last Edited by on Oct 31, 2012 6:59 AM
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ridge
378 posts
Oct 31, 2012
9:40 AM
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First mic sounds like it gives you more range in terms of allowing you to thicken or thin the sound depending on embrochure and whether you are tongue slapping or puckering.
It could also just be the way you handle the mic. I've come to discover I have an easier time overdriving some mics than others. To my ears, it sounds like the first mic (Greg Heuman's) is better suited for the range of the harmonica and you can handle it better.
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HarpNinja
2870 posts
Nov 07, 2012
5:37 AM
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Here is an Audix Fireball with the Para DI. For this, I just twisted the Blend and Drive knobs around. The treble was higher than the clip in the OP. I also had a bit more bass. The mid control was set at noon. I did not adjust eq settings between riffs.
The first passage is totally clean - the Sans amp is off. It is probably my favorite because it is so dynamic. As soon as I play with Blend, it starts compressing and you loose the big bass and clear highs. The Drive adds some bite and grit, but it comes in the form of mids that aren't very pleasing to my ear.
Around :30s is a solid combination of Blend and Drive so the sound is more "amped" than acoustic. The last one is a good modern rock tone. I had a lot more flexibility in sound than with the bullet. The D5 is a lot like the Fireball.
http://mikefugazzi.com/files/Fireball_Demo_Para_DI.mp3
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Mike
OOTB Harmonica Price List
VHT Special 6 Mods
Note Layout Comparisons
Quicksilver Custom Harmonicas (Updated 10/25/12)
Last Edited by on Nov 07, 2012 12:05 PM
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JD Hoskins
18 posts
Nov 07, 2012
7:17 AM
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Hi Mike, great playing, I agree with ridge, first mic,I like the upper mids, you aren't getting that with any of the others. For me electric blues harp lives in the upper mids, without that, I prefer acoustic playing.
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