MichaelAndrewLo
564 posts
Sep 03, 2013
12:14 AM
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Anybody use a vintage crystal or controlled magnetic mic straight into the PA or through a clean solid state amp with reverb/delay, or even just no effect? I have been using this for a while and it is my favorite sound to play with.
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Andrew Larson, R.N.
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MichaelAndrewLo
565 posts
Sep 03, 2013
12:15 AM
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I am using a astatic biscuit with a vintage controlled magnetic and mogami gold cable going to a roland mobile cube or PA.
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Andrew Larson, R.N.
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Greg Heumann
2344 posts
Sep 03, 2013
9:45 AM
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In the end the ONLY thing that matters is that you (and your audience) like the way it sounds.
A bullet with an element like yours was DESIGNED for voice! Through a PA, it was the way taxis, fire trucks and police were dispatched, the way announcements were made on the factory floor, and the dance rules were announced in the gymnasium in high school. When used cleanly (uncupped) through a modern PA it does a good job of this, though with a bit of an old school sound due to a high frequency cutoff much lower than modern mics.
When harp went electric in Chicago, harp players gravitated toward these mics because they were plentiful and cheap. The amplifiers they played through, whether for guitar or PA - were tube amps - and they discovered that overdriving the input section of the amp by cupping the mic gave a satisfying, fatter, warmer tone.
Overdriving a modern PA means overdriving DIGITAL circuits and tends to be less warm - the quality of the distortion is often harsh. In other words - if you want a primarily acoustic sound and will play through your mic uncupped it is OK - if you want an overdriven sound - not so good. That's why people who want to use a PA for this kind of sound often use a tube preamp pedal between the mic and the PA - something like Lone Wolf Blues' Harp Attack pedal; OR an amp simulator like the DigiTech RP series.
Personally - if I want clean acoustic tone I like a regular modern vocal mic through the PA. And if I want overdriven fat sound I like a bullet mic through a tube amp. But once again -
In the end the ONLY thing that matters is that you (and your audience) like the way it sounds.
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***************************************************
/Greg
BlowsMeAway Productions
See my Customer Mics album on Facebook
BlueState - my band
Bluestate on iTunes
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mr_so&so
728 posts
Sep 03, 2013
9:56 AM
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Hey MAL, I have to agree with you. I do the same with a Vox DA-5 on Clean setting (well, Clean 2 so a little help from the amp). The CM by itself produces some nice tone when cupped. I just add a little delay or reverb and skip the amp models. Sounds good to me.
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MichaelAndrewLo
567 posts
Sep 03, 2013
8:16 PM
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Greg I do primarily play cupped but I sing through it as well. Sometimes the tone feels a little light when I push it through my mobile cube but through the PA it's otherwise full. I was thinking of getting a harp break or harp tone plus pedal, leaning more towards the harp tone. I would like just a touch of distortion and was wondering if the harp tone would offer it. Any suggestions about that? Thanks for the input. I was playing through a audix fireball V but prefer the softer highs with this mic, even when playing clean and soft melodies.
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Andrew Larson, R.N.
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Georgia Blues
93 posts
Sep 03, 2013
8:28 PM
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I have a practice amp, a Fender Sidekick 30, with volumn, gain and reverb. Years ago the speaker was replaced with a Pyle Driver 12". The sound has always been great.
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Alex
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Martic
34 posts
Sep 03, 2013
8:56 PM
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I play a Shure Green Bullet with a Controlled Magnetic element. Since I actually don't have an amp, I play through a DI Box to the PA, boosting mids and adding as much gain as I can. That gives a raspy overdriven sound, very responsive to my playing.
Anyway, I use it just as a provisional way to get amped. As soon as I can, I'll buy a new amp, new harps, new effects, a fourth microphone... F*ckin' GAS.
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