Soundhole Pickups from the Lagrene Vienne DVD

WowBobWow

Does anyone know pickups being used from the Lagrene Live in Vienne DVD?

Besides having mics and plug-ins, some players have a pickup taped to rest by soundhole. Does anyone know if this type of taped pickup is a major performance secret for having good tone while playing amplified?

Thanks

nwilkins

a Shure Beta 98 which was used just for the monitor mix, not in the mains.

WowBobWow

Hi nwilkins,

Do you know if the mic from the DVDs are older version of shure beta 98 model?

I purchased a new shure beta 98 and had to return it the next day. The clip pressure was far too harsh to even try it for an acoustic guitar. Also, the clip was too big to fit in the soundhole (either D-hole or oval). What appears to be used by Lagrene and company seems to be much more minimal.

I am guessing the mics from the dvd either are an earlier shure 98 model or a different brand/mic.

If anyone knows which clip-on mics are used often or gets up close to one of the guitars/sound guys please let keep us posted.

Thanks,

Duozona

I recall someone posting that the Shure clips were not used, but they were fastened to some sort of makeshift hairpin clip, which would explain itself if the Shure clip was way to tense.

Anybody?

I've also read mostly good reports of the Audio Technica AT-831b, and thinking about getting one to compliment/blend with either my Bigtone or Schertler Dyn-G.

Anyone care to comment on which amps seem to respond better to these kind of mini condenser mics: Schertler, AER, Esteban ;-)

Chuck

djangology

keep in mind that those mics were setup by professionals. if you don't know what your doing you'll end up wasting money.

jscook777

Hey guys,

I'm an audio engineer as my "day job" and play Django stuff with my brother for fun. When Bireli played at the Iridium in NY, his engineer (Philipe, a very nice guy) let me handle the mics.

The mic's are Shure beta98's with homemade clips. They don't use the clips that come with the units. I replicated two of the homemade clips and the mics work well, IF YOU HAVE THE PROPER EQUIPMENT. You can't plug these into the mic input of an AER and get them up to a reasonable volume before feedback. They must be run through mic preamps and corrective eq'ing before they are pumped out of speakers. We do use our's with AER's but they are heavily eq'd before the amp.

In the DVD, the sound you hear is from the microphones on the stands in front of the guitars. Those mics are Neumann KM184's. They cost about a grand and are terrific for guitars. For Bireli 98's are mostly used just for monitors. Although, at the Iridium Philipe was using just the 98's for the PA and was getting good sound out of them.

I'll try to take some closeup pics of the hairpin mic clip and upload them.

All of that said, each guitar requires a unique amp setup as everyone probably knows. I sold my 98 with the clip to Shepp and I'm pretty sure he likes it. I chose to go with the AT831b just because it's more workable in my experience. Generally, I could get the AT831b louder before feedback running straight into the AER than the 98. But the sound you hear on the DVD is absolutely the Neumann mic.

On our myspace page there are downloadable live tracks that have these mic's running through the PA and AER amps. The setup is lead gtr at831b, rythym sm98, bass AT350. the page is myspace.com/thecooktrio

I'll try to get those pictures up soon.

J

WowBobWow

Great! Thank you all for sharing the answer to what those soundhole mics are. Shure 98s with a homemade clip, a trick of the trade.

I'd be interested to see what homemade clips used for the shure 98 look like.

Soundwise, the new shure 98 I tried was okay (I had to clip it to my pant leg and angle the mic into the guitar body). The 98 did capture more warmth for playing rhythm & soloing rather than having a shure 57 mic facing the soundhole (which can pickup unwanted sounds from the pick hitting the strings and/or background chatter if in a loud marketplace).

I'll have to give the Newmann KM184 a try if I find it in a shop.

Thanks again,

Ken Bloom

You will often have better sound if you don't mike the soundhole. On my guitar, I get the best sound with fewer feedback problems by close miking the lower bout. I place the mike centered int he quadrant below the mjoustache and to the right of the tailpiece. The sound is warm with plenty of highs and much fewer feedback problems. It also puts the mike out of the way of playing and also makes it easy to manuver in and out for some volume control. YMMV,

A.K. Kibben

Hello GGHC,

You might be surprised at the $730 price tag on the Neumann KM184.
Granted they are perfect for Acoustic guitars. We have used both AKGC1000S and Rode NT3. The AKGC1000S is around $190 and the Rode NT3 is around $170 out the door.
Both these microphones are durable for stage in concerts, etc...
The Beta 98 has really only one placement...
A boom mounted mic is much more versatile in placement possibilities...
We use The DR259 mic stands (made for kick drum and amps) as not to block view to the performer. The normal height booms are just to tall for a seated musician.
We have guest French and Jazz vocalists sit in, so I use the Manhasset 48C Concertino stand. It is about 28 inches tall to the top...
A big help if I need a chart, and it allows the torso and guitar to be seen from the audience...
(And in the studio I use an AudioTechnica AT3035)...
Take your guitar and do a blindfold test at the music store.
That's what I have done in choosing Mic's.
I sometimes run my Bigtone through a David...
I would like to try it through a AER also... I think the AER's have more power.
A few years ago I performed at the Cowell Theater at Ft. Mason and the sound man used only the BigTone direct, no mic. It was unbelievable what sound he got out of it! A good sound man is worth his weight in gold!
Links of us using the Rode NT3's ( audio and video) here...
http://www.myspace.com/hotcluboftucson
more sound clips here...
http://www.myspace.com/allinkibben

Good luck in your quest and your franchise,

A.K.