wow, I completely forgot about the Ballard Firehouse. to think Ronnie James Dio played there...sounds like a couple of new places since I moved about 5 years ago. I do remember the Tractor, the Moore and the triple door but, still not the same as the old days....guess I'm giving away my age....."Heap-o-garbage"...love that...I actually had a sound supplier in Australia that offered me wedges called "way loud"...imagine that?....FYI: they were more like "way weak"....Adamson wedges, wedges of the gods....(^^^)
1 2012-03-29 02:59:04
Re: Accoustic Amp interference question (34 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)
2 2012-03-28 14:02:14
Re: Accoustic Amp interference question (34 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)
Unfortunately you'll seldom find an experienced monitor engineer in clubs and, feedback can kill the artist vibe. For smaller bands that just perform locally, I always recommend a small investment and build your own In-Ear monitor rack. It will cost you a few bucks but, in the end you'll be able to actually perform to your max without the hassle bad wedge mixes. So, If your trying to reach any higher than the "fun" level of entertainment, its probably the best investment you'll make as a band....
on a side note: not many live band venues left up your way Jerome. Remember the cool venues like the Fenix underground and Shark club? aside from SOHO and Bumpershoot, seems like there's not much left except DJ's and cover bands at the casinos...sad because Seattle had such a great history of live music and the cool venues have all shut down....DJ's killed live music bro.......
Cheers
3 2012-03-28 04:33:31
Re: Accoustic Amp interference question (34 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)
The Sm58 is certainly a staple for vocal mic's, I use the beta58 versions on stage for many reasons but, mostly because it's a dynamic mic and that makes it more reliable than death and taxes...as for the acoustic guitar, I would recommend a guitar pickup over a microphone. In the end you'll find it easier to setup, operate and control.
I like to chat with musicians that have no ego to fuel. thanks for inviting me into your E-house.....
4 2012-03-27 16:31:17
Re: Accoustic Amp interference question (34 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)
lol....gosh I knew that M.B.......I'm just making conversations, mostly to myself...ignore me and you'll be fine....I'll do the same...
5 2012-03-27 15:03:16
Re: Accoustic Amp interference question (34 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)
Going direct into the amp using a microphone to amplify the guitar is not the ideal situation for live application. I'd recommend getting an actual acoustic guitar pickup. While using high quality mic's are great for studio recording, live use is a completely different situation. by using a pickup, you'll have much greater control over all the amplifiers parameters like, gain before feedback, tone, volume and, with some higher quality pickup's, you'll actually enhance the natural resonating tone of the wood. simply put, combining a good amp and pickup is a hard combo to beat for a live performance with an acoustic guitar.
6 2012-03-25 20:08:06
Re: Accoustic Amp interference question (34 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)
Just FYI guys, I'm a professional sound guy if you happen to have questions in that field....I'm more than happy to help anyone....
Cheers
7 2012-03-25 20:04:51
Re: Accoustic Amp interference question (34 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)
I see, guess we can discount the pickups. if your running a mic into an amp, then almost certainly it's in the amp or power, but not the cable. on a mic cable, your using low impedance which is very effective against radio interference. Also, having a new house does not absolve the power issue as all house are wired the same. I still recommend lifting the ground as a cheap experiment to see if it helps eliminate at least some 60cycle hum. with a mic, you could also use a Direct box, it has a transformer built in to help eliminate hum....aside from that, perhaps another amp or setup....I have Garage band on my Mac and its the cats meow for guitars, mic's, keyboards or any instrument...either way, be persistent and you'll find the problem...good luck my friend!
Cheers
8 2012-03-25 17:48:41
Re: Accoustic Amp interference question (34 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)
Though I'm not an electrical engineer, I do have a lot of experience with this type issue through my work.....couple of things: lots of times it's the inductive nature of the pickups that tend to "amplify" the signal, you can take them out and shield the backside using fine mesh cooper screen or, replace them with higher quality pickups. Also, if you unplug the guitar and still hear the radio, same thing applies. take the chassis of the amp out and make a shield for the electronics or tube portion using fine copper mesh screen....without going into details, it's the Michael Farady principle about lines of (electromagnetic)force, using a very small mesh, non ferrous screen like copper, you can block the interference.....the previous post about guitar cable is important, using a cheap unshielded cable will definitely not help and, probably THE most important thing is to make sure your power supply is not "dirty". you can check this by using a simple multimeter....your looking for voltage between ground and hot (ground being the round portion of your wall outlet) meter between the two and make sure you have 0 voltage...anything more than .200 is bad.....maybe try turning off the toaster when you play because everything in the house shares the same neutral....or(finally) you can try using a ground lift adapter...you know those plastic adapters that turn 3 leg plugs into 2....about 79 cents at the store.....wow, I ended up posting a ton, hope I don't ramble that much in person.....
9 2012-03-24 12:58:38
Re: He's one of us! (16 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)
Interesting....I checked to see if I had a Skype account, it's expired but, it's easy enough to reinstate.....suppose I'll need a web cam to if I want to join.....let me know when your next get together is and I can at least check it out.....I forgot to mention I can sing, certainly not on a "pro" level but, I can hang on a few...anywho, nice to meet you guys and keep me posted....
Cheers
10 2012-03-24 11:20:56
Re: He's one of us! (16 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)
Thought I could at least check out the gracious invitation...had a lot of responses to the Vegas ad but, Vegas is small by city size comparison and the guys that did respond, all knew each other and were not particularly liking each other for some kooky reason...here, if you play music, it's probably in a basterdized bar band so, everyone knows everyone....cept me..bottom line is, the attempt failed cause of attitude..... as for me, I'm on the other end of the mic...I mix sound professionally but, I love to play....I'd say I'm probably around a 5 on a 1-10 scale...better than total hack, but still not good enough for a "real" band....anyway, can you clue me in on how this works?...I imagine it's a video Skype thing right?...but still not sure how everyone hears everyone else as a band.....is there a way to watch you guys?.....
Cheers
Paul