Some gear related questions...

Franz Morales

So I have some gigs lined up, enough so that I started investing on gear. I got an AT pro 70, cables, and a behringer ADI21 (poor man's LR Baggs Para DI... It's impossible to find one here, so I got the cheap alternative). My question is, do I need a more capable equalizer? How about a compressor? I was thinking of getting one so my arps and runs would sound "equal" (is that the right term?) since my technique isn't all that yet. I use gypsy picking, but when semi-fast runs are involved, I don't have the power and technique to strike them all equally loud yet.

I ask because the last gig we had, I used the AT pro 70 direct to the board, and a lot of people commented how I wasn't heard enough, how my lead lines were too faint, etc. My other guitarist plugged in to an amp (his guitar has transducers in it) so he sounded much louder. I tried to pick harder, but that led to lots of mistakes.

More questions - using a condenser mic, how do I improve its sound further? Or should I invest on a nice acoustic amp instead?

Are my concerns legitimate? Or will it be considered cheating to use additional pedals?

Thanks all!

Jim Kaznosky

Have you considered a magnetic pickup?

Franz Morales

The ones available here won't fit an oval hole, and besides, I'd like a stimer or a Yves guen, but I can't afford those yet. So I went with the AT option since it's cheaper (and gives a more natural sound). I intend to use both mic and stimer/Yves guen once I can afford it though. In the meantime, I'm looking to improve the sound of what I have now, with gear that I know I'll use in the long run even when I get a nice magnetic pickup.

rgrice

I've been gigging with a K&K Definity for a good while and am pleased with sound to the degree one can be pleased with a pickup. I've recently begun attemtpting to find a better acpustic sound. I've started using the AT through a Fishman amp with a line into board. Some feedback issues in some venues depending on distance from amp and room. Natural sound that lacks some volume. There's a revolutionary preamp/modeling pedal coming that was being shown at NAMM that I think will solve lots of problems: http://audiosprockets.com. Btw, you don't need a pre amp with the mic.

Buco

Your mic if fine. After all Gonzalo B used one for years on the stage and always sounded great and loud enough. Play with it and tweak it until you find a sweet spot. I personally wouldn't use compressor, it might help your current struggle but will also kill acoustic dynamics.
I do have both a mic and a pickup and use one or the other depending on the room and my mood. We can't all play the stages Gonzalo plays after all.

Thanks for heads up on ToneDexter @rgrice
Clever solution. Probably will be pricey. But you can ask around the forum and borrow all the mics and pickups and learn them into this guy and that will surely beat the price of all that gear. If it sounds good...will see when it's out.

Franz Morales

That looks interesting @rgrice thanks for the link. I was thinking of getting a ZT lunchbox acoustic, then plug into the PA when the lunchbox isn't enough (it's being marketed as 200watts, not sure if it sounds like one though). I use the preamp to control feedback, not really as DI. Edit: just watched the tonedexter video. Hopefully it's not too expensive. Looks like a great compromise! Something to save up for!

Hi @buco, yeah I know Gonzalo used one for years, which was why I got one about the compressor, yeah, I changed my mind about it earlier while we were jamming, because I love to strike open strings with authority. Wouldn't sound the same with a compressor I'll be trying out a different mic position this Tuesday, will make a diy velcro holder to position it between the tailpiece and bridge (saw an old post on it here). Volume is always a problem, so I'm looking to get a pickup soon for larger venues. As it is, im still just playing in small venues so no urgent need yet. Still have time to research.

How do you guys control feedback with a mic?

rgrice

I've only been using the AT for the last couple of gigs. No feedback issues the first time and minor issues the next time. EQ helped but also didn't have quite enough volume. The problem for me is that I have a vocal GJ/Swing band so I have to have monitors to sing. I'm sure with fine tuning it can be controlled. Blending with the pickup gives volume obvioulsy but the sound from the micmic alone spoiled me very quickly.
I tried the AT in various locations and even used a small gooseneck attached to strings, but honestly liked it better clipped at soundhole. A friend has a lunchbox and they are pretty loud, but I don't think they're 200 watts loud.
I'm putting hope in Tone Dexter!

crookedpinky

I use an AT and have also used the Behringer but not for the AT, I used it to tweak and boost a crappy piezo. It sounded ok but I wonder if there's an issue in using it - rather than a mic preamp - to tweak the AT, I don't think it was designed with that in mind. I now run the AT into channe l of a Laney A1 which has a really sophisticated channel with comprehensive gain, eq, and notch filter.
If I cant use that I use an EDB which can properly deal with a microphone

Buco

I use a ZT lunchbox acoustic and am happy with it.
It's not a best sounding amp but I am able to get the good sound with both microphone and magnetic pickup out of it.
200W is too optimistic especially considering it's 6 1/2" speaker, I'm not sure how they get to that rating. I actually once researched and understood but forgot it since. It was in any case a little bit of a play with numbers.
For the price, it's hard to better it when you take in account: $ vs size/portability, tone quality and volume/loudness. Plus there are two dedicated channels, external speaker output, 1/8" mini aux input and a DI output, they packed a lot of stuff in there.
The word is if you use a larger external speaker cabinet you'll be able to get much, much more coverage with it volume wise but that defeats the portability point and then I can just take my 20W tube amp with a 12" speaker that will eat the lunchbox for lunch, breakfast and dinner. And I did a few times but 90% of the time I use a ZT because nothing beats a single trip to the venue/back to the car with all of your gear in hand.

I wrote a review here, under same user Buco:
http://www.djangobooks.com/Item/zt-amplifiers-lunchbox-acoustic

In every situation I've been in playing GJ I had plenty of head room with it. Again, that said there were a few situations I needed to use a magnetic pickup because I couldn't keep the feedback in check with a higher amp volume. But that's very few times. If you're playing a bigger venue with their own PA, you'll want to send a very low gain signal to the board and let them boost it, when you're playing with a mic.

With either lower or medium volume situations I been able to keep the feedback in check with tweaking the LR Baggs, usually a combination of cutting off the bass, changing the phase and seeing which one gives me less feedback and looking for the sweet spot with a mid control notch filter. But you have to have something with these or similar controls in order to fight the feedback, phase reverse being the most important maybe.

rgrice

Yeah. I use a Mackie SRM 150 mini monitor rated at 150 watts and can't hear it on the floor! 5¼" speaker doesn't do much.
I'm liking the Fishman loudbox 120. 8" speaker pushes a little more air. 2 channels so you can blend a pickup and the AT. If a venue sucks acoustically, like a cafe we play once a month, you can back off the mic when it feeds back. Amp has a feedback eliminator that I haven't figured out yet.
The woes of acoustic music! Much easier when I played all electric rockabilly!

Franz Morales

I was able to significantly raise the volume with the mic without feedback using the behringer and placing the mic behind the bridge. Of course it was just here at home, so not really conclusive (still, the same settings and volume with the mic inside the soundhole made the mic howl, loud enough to make my wife go to yell at me to keep it down haha).

That EDB looks interesting, I was actually looking for something designed for mics. But since I needed a preamp/equalizer asap, settled for the behringer since all other options required me to order overseas. That tonedexter though looks promising.

I'll do what buco says, send a low signal to the PA then boost from there. For amps, I'll just sit way back and away from it.

So do you guys think I invest on a zt lunchbox? That's the upper limit of my budget, so anything better but more expensive would be out of the question haha. How does it react to the mic? Can it get plenty loud, or is direct to PA still preferred?