Hello Though my experience comes from amplifying a baroque mandoline rather than lutes - it's almost the same thing (and to my eternal frustration people almost always think it is a lute ;) ). You might consider using a Schertler DYN-G as well as the DPA. Contact microphones are actually quite a clever way of amplifying and in my opinion and experience give you some pros that a DPA doesn't have. [1]http://www.schertler.com/homepage_schertler/dyng-en.html I've only got experience with the Schertler DYN-M (for baroque mandolin) but I guess the DYN-G would be the best choice for a lute. It depends a bit on the circumstances where I will use a DPA or Schertler. If I have to play on a loud stage or where there are a lot of background noises etc, the DPA has a higher chance of feedback and will stay in the box. The DPA also has a higher chance of picking up handling noises (fingers touching the strings both left and right hand, moving the instrument slightly etc); that also has to be taken into account of what you consider to be the sound you want to project to the audience. However the Schertler can colour the sound a tiny bit more than the DPA, though I must admit that I tend to grab the Schertler more than DPA because of all the other benefits and I consider the colouring to be rather minimal. Please note: the Schertler is a condensator microphone so it requires phantom power (but then again, I seem to remember DPA mics are condensers as well?). AER or Roland combos (see below) have that available out of the box but not all amps do so check when buying. You might also consider putting a preamplifier delivering the phantom power between the microphone(s) and the amp too. But don't buy the cheapest preamp here as they will distort your nice input. Another top tip: don't try to take the cheap option in your cabling - why would you buy the best mics and amps if you would send the signal through a cheap cable that will distort and pick up unwanted noise... You might think this is logical, but I've seen some cheapo wires with bad results over the years. Sometimes they even can short circuit and damage the mic and/or amp. Also learn how to handle your cables correctly - just ask some explanation to the shop guys when buying, they usually will know how to curl up a cable correctly without damaging it. AER amps are quite good for acoustic amplification. I would however recommend choosing the correct type. I myself would recommend the Compact 60 instead of the Alpha as it has two inputs (gives you the option of either combining two inputs for your instrument or amplying two lutes, or a lute and a microphone etc). For example: you might go for the contact mic from Schertler combined with a condensator microphone set a meter away (you'll need a preamp for one of the two, there's only one phantom power input!). The advantage here is that you will be combining the sounds coming from very close to your soundboard (on top of it in the case of the Scherlter) with the sounds somewhat further away. The mix gives a more natural sound than any DPA, Schertler or condensator mic on its own. Also the 60 Watts of the Compact versus the 40 Watts of the Alpha gives you measurable extra power. In my opinion, an alpha might be good enough for a big room, a Compact is better if you're considering a small venue (say 100-150 people). Though I heartily recommend AER I have noted that some instruments are better off with other amps. For example, instrument with a lot of "high" (like my baroque mandolin) sound a lot better on the Roland AC amps. The top end of this line of amps, the Roland AC-90, has somewhat less power than the AER Compact 60 (45 Watts versus 60) but has two such speakers in its cabinet at a slight angle away from each other. In my opinion this istributes the sound a bit more natural in a venue than an AER does (which is more directional) and that more than compensates for the slightly lower amount of output. All in all a good competitor though I would say it all depends on your lute as well as your ears. I would say find yourself a nice music store in your area and just try things out. That really is the key to finding the best solution: try before you buy. Also be warned about "hearing fatigue" when trying - take pauses and switch off the amplification now and then to get back to the natural sound. One last tip: some of the amps have an in-built anti-feedback option, which can save you some trouble. I should look it up but I believe the AER doesn't have that, the Roland I'm sure has. You really want to avoid feedback when amplifying - it's nasty but besides that, it can even damage your hearing if it happens with your ears too close to the amp. The first thing to do is place your amp correctly - so not in a straight line towards your mic. Use an angle, some distance and if possible a monitor or speaker stand. (All available or built-in on the AER and Roland amps.) If you don't have a built-in / auto anti-feedback system you might use a preamp with a good notch filter and set it manually to notch out the frequencies causing feedback. Even if you don't have feedback during setup of your stage solution and trying it out, make sure to test the feedback frequency and have a solution implemented or ready to be implemented when you do get feedback. Oh, and please power on and shut down in the correct order: - power on: first connect your mic(s) and cable(s), put all volumes down to zero and switch on the power on the amp, then take the master and gain volume knobs higher. (Don't forget there are often mute buttons and you might have to trip that as well.) - power off: first turn down the master volume (and/or mute your inputs), then turn off the amp, before you start disconnecting cables. Hope this helps; Kind regards, Pieter _______________________________________________________________________
Van: "David van Ooijen" <[email protected]> Verzonden: zaterdag 25 mei 2013 14:19 Aan: "lutelist Net" <[email protected]> Onderwerp: [LUTE] Re: Lutes and amps On 25 May 2013 13:07, Gilbert Isbin <[email protected]> wrote: > I am using a Trace Elliott amp Interesting amps, I am looking at the specs and the YouTube demo. I see the smallest model is still a 100W. Does it sound good at low volumes? Some amps only work well when turned up at high volumes. David > 2013/5/25 David van Ooijen <[email protected]> >> >> Does anyone have experience with amplifying a lute? I am thinking of a >> set-up with a DPA 4099 mic and an AER Alpha amp. Insights welcome. >> >> David >> -- >> >> >> To get on or off this list see list information at >> http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html > > > > > -- > --------------------------------------------- > Gilbert Isbin > What's new -- ******************************* David van Ooijen [email protected] www.davidvanooijen.nl ******************************* -- References 1. http://www.schertler.com/homepage_schertler/dyng-en.html
