Wow, ddddrrrrrrrriiiiiiiinnnnnngggg!!! Do you hear the TONE (not!) high and brittle err lonesome sound.
The Schertler's seem to have their fans but are out of my price range to speak about. I've tried McIntyre's etc. but all were way to brittle sounding Fishman certainly has a good rep as does Baggs but again the bridge isn't exactly a warm spot for tone, always drove me nuts they put the things there!! what does the butcher recommend for his gils? i'm sure this helped alot! sorry! RF On Tue, May 26, 2009 at 11:12 PM, mistertaterbug <[email protected]>wrote: > > Okay, here's one for you... > After playing the mandolin without plugging in for 38 years, I have > just found out in the last 2 weeks that I will be plugging in for the > gig. I've tried to go with a mic, but the word is that we are to be > using DI's, so...Uncle StuBob Duncan has ordered me a new Fishman > bridge assembly to put on #536 Gil. Am I going to want to kill myself? > I decided I'd get my Kay electric fixed to take a long. I mean, if I'm > gonna be electric....What do I do? > > Distressed in Tennessee > > On May 26, 3:15 pm, Robin Gravina <[email protected]> wrote: > > pleeeeeaase!!! > > Stage fright is appalling > > R > > > > On Tue, May 26, 2009 at 9:51 PM, Val Mindel <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > Really interesting and useful info, guys. Thanks from the lurking > > > gallery. Meanwhile, Robin mentioned a problem with the right hand > > > "freezing," something I call "iron arm." Does anyone have any cures? > > > Just wondering... best, val > > > > > On May 25, 10:51 am, Don Grieser <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > Hi Robin, > > > > > > I use that AKG C411 contact condenser with the ART pre too. It's the > > > > best thing I've found as far as a pickup goes. I generally put it > > > > right behind the bridge on the bass side and still have to roll off > > > > some of the high end. I turn up enough that I have to chop quietly > and > > > > then dig in a little more for breaks and that seems to work fine. > > > > > > I experimented some with a Fishman bridge pickup through a Fishman > > > > Aura with the mandolin samples. I thought that was really great > > > > sounding too, I liked it better than the AKG, but I didn't like what > > > > the Fishman bridge did to the acoustic sound of the instrument so it > > > > came off. I'd like to get a decent playing inexpensive mandolin and > > > > put the Fishman bridge on it to use when I have to plug in. > > > > > > Gain-staging: sending the proper amount of signal from the instrument > > > > to the mixer and from the mixer to the amp makes a difference. > > > > Experiment with your setup till you find those sweet spots. > > > > > > I've played some noisy bars from hell and using in-ear monitors makes > > > > a huge difference too. They block out a lot of the room noise and let > > > > you hear your bandmates clearly at a reasonable volume. They take > some > > > > getting used to for singing (you hear a lot of your head voice like > > > > singing with fingers in your ears) but they make noisy venues more > > > > enjoyable to play. > > > > > > Congrats on your successful gig and keep us posted on what's working > for > > > you. > > > > > > Don > > > > > > On Mon, May 25, 2009 at 8:03 AM, Robin Gravina < > [email protected]> > > > wrote: > > > > > Thanks! Trouble with crazy gear is it takes up space in the car! > I'm on > > > an > > > > > Akg stick on condensor microphone through an Art tube preamp thing. > Not > > > > > because I carefully selected it, but because someone recommended > that > > > as > > > > > simple and good sounding... > > > > > Best > > > > > > > On Mon, May 25, 2009 at 3:49 PM, MinnesotaMandolin < > [email protected] > > > > > > > wrote: > > > > > > >> Robin-- > > > > > > >> I'm very happy to hear things went better. I was working in the > garden > > > > >> thinking about your post and I just posted up a "front to back" > > > > >> suggestion list. Glad it helped. > > > > > > >> I think one speaker/no monitor is a great set up, it forces > > > > >> simplicity. > > > > > > >> Experience will go a long ways towards making this easier. I think > > > > >> your big problem will be all the crazy gear out there you can plug > > > > >> into to make your pickup sound like wood. After $1000s and a few > > > > >> years, I've just added a mic to my rig. If you want to talk brand > > > > >> names and stuff, I'd be happy to do it. It's hard to find mandolin > > > > >> oriented gear, it's mostly acoustic guitar stuff, but I've tried a > lot > > > > >> of it and don't mind sharing what I've learned. > > > > > > >> good luck with the next show > > > > > > >> erik > > > > > > >> On May 25, 2:35 am, Robin Gravina <[email protected]> > wrote: > > > > >> > Erik > > > > >> > Thanks for all that advice - it's really good to have some > practical > > > and > > > > >> > concrete suggestions to apply. In the end it went well - we > turned > > > it up > > > > >> > for > > > > >> > the soundcheck and it sounded pretty horrible and harsh, but > after > > > some > > > > >> > fiddling, the instruments began to sound like they were made of > > > wood, > > > > >> > and > > > > >> > the show went great - no feedback issues, we could hear > ourselves > > > and so > > > > >> > could the audience despite no monitor and only one big speaker > (no > > > room > > > > >> > for > > > > >> > anything more). The bar immediately booked us in again, so very > > > happy > > > > >> > about > > > > >> > that! > > > > > > >> > I still have some work to go on the sound thing - mainly with > > > getting > > > > >> > acoustic tones - it has just ocurred to me that maybe I could > try > > > > >> > putting > > > > >> > the output of the mixing desk high and the volume of the powered > > > speaker > > > > >> > low > > > > >> > - too many options for me. > > > > > > >> > Now all I have to do is stop my right hand from freezing when > about > > > to > > > > >> > go > > > > >> > for the big tremolo solo... > > > > >> > Best > > > > >> > Robin > > > > > > >> > On Sat, May 23, 2009 at 5:48 AM, MinnesotaMandolin > > > > >> > <[email protected]>wrote: > > > > > > >> > > I'll take a stab here, my band also uses all pickups. This is > a > > > wordy > > > > >> > > post, though. > > > > > > >> > > First off, I'm not sure if your issues were feedback or just a > > > general > > > > >> > > bad sound at high volume. Your post seems like it was of the > > > general > > > > >> > > bad sound variety. I'll offer a few tips. If you already know > this > > > > >> > > stuff I trust you'll forgive the repitition. > > > > > > >> > > * The Room. What type of space are you playing in? When it's > > > empty, > > > > >> > > does it have a lot of natural reverb or is it kinda dead? A > > > reverby > > > > >> > > room should sound real nice with some bodies in it and you can > > > tell > > > > >> > > from the stage. A dead room (or a dead stage) can be harder > > > because > > > > >> > > you can't hear the PA as clearly. > > > > > > >> > > *Control. Who's in control of the PA? If it's one of you guys, > > > then > > > > >> > > you can try different things. If it's somebody else, then > > > hopefully > > > > >> > > they're open to suggestions. If it is one of you guys, > whichever > > > one > > > > >> > > it is needs to get a long cable so he can go out in front of > the > > > band > > > > >> > > and listen while playing. That's important, because it lets > you > > > adjust > > > > >> > > the overall sound of everybody and it keeps you in the mix so > the > > > rest > > > > >> > > of the band plays "right" while you're offstage listening. I'm > not > > > the > > > > >> > > main singer so it was easy for me to do (and also how I got > the > > > job of > > > > >> > > band sound guy in the first place). If the band sound guy is a > > > main > > > > >> > > singer I don't have any good suggestions (take the mic onto > the > > > floor, > > > > >> > > maybe?) > > > > > > >> > > *House vs. stage. Did your gig sound good to the crowd? If it > just > > > > >> > > sounded bad to you guys then you got the big issue dealt with. > > > > >> > > Amplifying yourself onstage, with pickups, especially if you > > > rehearse > > > > >> > > acoustic, can be a confusing auditory experience. But if it > didn't > > > > >> > > sound good to anyone then you indeed have to "take action." A > good > > > > >> > > help here can be a musician buddy, somebody whose ears you > trust. > > > Buy > > > > >> > > him a beer and ask him to keep you appraised of what's > happening > > > out > > > > >> > > there. Most musicians hate to see their friends sounding bad > and > > > will > > > > >> > > gladly offer suggestions. > > > > > > >> > > * Gain. Is everyone's "gain" adjusted appropriately? You want > the > > > gain > > > > >> > > to be as high as it can get without clipping. Some PAs have a > > > light > > > > >> > > that will blink when the sound clips, others you just have to > > > listen > > > > >> > > for. If you're having trouble telling, turn the gain way up so > you > > > > >> > > know it's clipping--it should sound electric guitarish--then > ease > > > the > > > > >> > > gain back until you know it isn't like that. You have to play > your > > > > >> > > intrument HARD when you do this check. I don't even play > chords, I > > > > >> > > just bang the open strings as hard as I can. My mandolin > pickup (a > > > > >> > > fishman M-200) is really "hot" and I generally have my gain at > > > around > > > > >> > > 10:00 (like on a clock) or 30%. My banjo player's pickup is > about > > > as > > > > >> > > hot and his gain is a little higher, the guitarist and bassist > are > > > a > > > > >> > > little lower and they're generally around 12 or 50%. > > > > > > >> > > * Instrument EQ. My experience is that a good plugged-in sound > at > > > a > > > > >> > > high volume will sound good at a low, but the opposite is not > > > > >> > > necessarily true. For example, my mando sounds really nice at > > > volume > > > > >> > > level 2 or so eq'd flat, but even at a volume of 4, that eq > > > setting > > > > >> > > sounds awful. For my mando I generally eq with 0% low end, 20% > mid > > > and > > > > >> > > 50% high end. The banjo is about the same. The guitar is > around > > > 30% > > > > >> > > low, 50%mid and 50% high and the bass is pretty flat with a > bit of > > > low > > > > >> > > end rolled off. > > > > > > >> > > * Vocals EQ. In the rock'n'roll medium, vocals need to have > the > > > > >> > > midrange pushed to cut through the drums and distorted > guitars. > > > > >> > > Because of this, many vocal mics have the midrange already > boosted > > > and > > > > >> > > sound tech advice is to boost the midrange on vocals. I don't > > > think > > > > >> > > this sounds right w/o drums or loud guitars. I've found in the > > > string > > > > >> > > band medium vocals sound pretty good with the mids and highs > flat > > > and > > > > >> > > the low end rolled off a little bit. Because everyone's voice > is > > > > >> > > different, you do have tailor the eq settings. Especially at > high > > > > >> > > volumes, I find myself rolling back mids and pushing up > trebles. > > > > > > >> > > * Overall EQ. I eq the house in a "notched smile," which, > assuming > > > you > > > > >> > > have a graphic eq, has the shape of a smiley face with a > little > > > bit of > > > > >> > > the high-mids notched down a little lower. Sort of like a > smile > > > with a > > > > >> > > gap for a cigaratte or something. > > > > > > >> > > * Reverb. I don't like it and I don't use it. In my opinion > you > > > can't > > > > >> > > hurt anything by cutting it and if you're having troubles, > adding > > > it > > > > >> > > won't help. Having said that, I've heard some sound guys do > some > > > > >> > > really sweet, subtle things > > > > ... > > > > read more ยป > > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Taterbugmando" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/taterbugmando?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
