Audio Technica Guitar Mics!

pinkgary

Hi, in answer to your questions:

1) You can plug either of them into channel 2 of your compact 60 & they will work with the phantom power provided by your amp, that's exactly what i do (i have a compact 60). Be warned that the ATM350 only works with phantom power, so if you have any other uses in mind, make sure it will have phantom power.

2) I'm using the ATM350 in conjunction with a Schetten pickup, which gives me a great feedback-free & natural sound, even at high volumes. Using the mic on it's own gives you a fairly thin (but very clear & natural) sound, & won't get very loud before it feeds back when your hand is close to the mic. Using the pickup on it's own gives you a loud, thick, but not that natural a sound. But when you combine them, it's great. It goes far louder than i've needed without feeding back as long as you don't do anything stupid like sit in front of your amp with the mic pointing at it!

I haven't used the Pro70 so i can't really compare, but on paper it's a much better mic in terms of SPL, frequency response, diaphragm, etc & should be more feedback resistant if you get the diaphragm changed to super-cardioid!

Bob Holo

Neat thread - Gary it sounds like you're having good luck with the new AT mount - I really need to try that.

For what it's worth guys - in the last month I've spoken with four touring musicians - both coasts of America and two countries in Europe who use clip on mics. All four have said the same thing about feedback. "If you're getting a lot of feedback, stop sitting on the amp." followed by a chuckle... but to be serious about it - basically three of them put the amp behind them several feet and one puts the amp several feet to his left. None of them seemed particularly afraid of feedback and these guys play a LOT. I'm guessing that the busiest of them does ~375+ sets per year (~150 gigs averaging ~2.5+ sets per gig?) and the elder statesman of the group has been doing this since the '60s. Oh, and three mentioned low-cut filters as being handy (the switch on the mic preamp which attenuates bass) and one mentioned notch filters as being handy. Highly unscientific research I'll grant you... but not a bad back-of-envelope poll. It has helped point me in the right direction as I go about designing and/or choosing an amplification method (or suggested method) for my guitars - which has been sort of top of mind recently (along with a dozen other things

But that's it. I was expecting to hear horror stories and didn't. These guys walk into venues from pubs to concert halls with various brands of clip-on mics - and they plug into various types of amps and soundboards etc. and none of them are cringing in fear of feedback. So... from what I'm hearing so far, the moral to the story is... don't fear the microphone... but know that if you want to use a mic, you need to learn to make the mic work by how you set up and how you use basic commonly available cut & notch filters. Oh, and I've also spoken with several who use piezos and piezo combos (like Gary) basically - their advice is the same as the mic guys... don't sit right up on the amp and make good use of cut filters and notch filters if you really run into problems. So... for what it's worth - that's what I'm finding as I look into the issue of getting good natural reliable amplified GJ sound. I know it doesn't seem to be the prevailing sentiment on this board - but it's what I'm finding.

La Gitane

Guys - thanks so much for your prompt & helpful responses.
This is turning out to be a very interesting thread...

I'll see if I can find a music shop which stocks the Pro70, take along my guitar & Compact 60, and see how far I can push the volume before it all starts feeding back and I drive all their other customers out of the shop!

Seriously though, thanks for the useful advice.
Will post my experiences on this thread

Best wishes

BluesBop Harry

I have been using the at70 with a Compact 60. So far it sounds great but I really can't get past a certain volume or it just goes crazy with feedback. (I don't sit on my amp BTW)
I think it'd be great for recording and it's still usable for gigs if you mix it with a pickup.
Hey Bob, What do you think of putting a Schertler Basik inside a bridge ala Bigtone? I want to try it but i'm afraid i'll mess it up.

gitpicker

I just got an AT831b recently and used it on one gig so far going through a Unico and in conjunction with an internal piezo pickup. The sound was awesome and I had more than enough volume without feedback being a problem. I can get pretty darn loud with the mic alone if the amp isn't too close (with a Unico anyway).

I have yet to try it on a gig where I'm going through a PA but that will come shortly so I'll report on that soon. So far I really like it though!

La Gitane

Hi All

Got my AT Pro70 this weekend :P
Best price I could find here in the UK was £85 + £4 postage from Keene Electronics via amazon.co.uk.

Arrived the next day complete with instrument mounting clip, lapel clip, windscreen, AA battery and padded carrying case. The power module is of reassuringly sturdy metal construction which would probably survive being trampled underfoot by a roadie, and features a 3 position switch: Off, On, On with low frequency roll-off filter. A well-secured removable cover gives access to a compartment for the 1.5V AA battery which typically provides 1200 hours use.

I plugged it into channel 2 of my AER Compact 60 v2 with an XLR female-male cable (not supplied), set the Compact 60's channel 2 selector button to "Mic", and turned everything on.

I'm no audiophile, but to my ears it gave a great sound straight out of the box: clear and rich tone - just maybe slightly compressed and a little lacking in mid-range; but this may be due to my amp settings and/or mic position. Feedback was a problem at high volume levels, but using the low freq roll off setting and mounting the mic inside the soundhole rather than outside (see photo) seemed to allow sufficient volume for my anticipated requirements without any feedback or discernable loss of tone.

All in all, I'm really happy with my purchase.
I can see the benefits of the dual pick-up plus clip-on condenser mic system recommended earlier on this thread, but as I only anticipate playing small bars/restaurants in the coming year rather than the main stage at Samois, I think this may be all I need for now!

One slight puzzle: Without the AA battery inserted, the unit is dead - it doesn't seem to work on phantom power from the Compact 60's XLR socket alone.
I checked the socket and cable with a multimeter: No broken connections, but no 11-52 V DC out from the Compact 60 either.
Anyone else have this problem? Maybe I'm mistaken in thinking that the Compact 60 should be able to power the AT Pro70 by phantom powering alone? Would be grateful for your advice.

Best wishes

pinkgary

My mic (ATM350) only uses phantom power, which it happily gets from channel two of my compact 60. I know the compact 60 doesn't offer 48v of phantom power just 30 i think, so check how many volts your mic requires.

La Gitane

Many thanks for the reply PinkGary

I re-checked the XLR cable with my multimeter - this time checking for short circuits between the pins as well as open circuits along the cable. Sure enough, two of the pins were intermittently shorting out, preventing the phantom power from reaching the mic.

Luckily no damage to either the mic or the Compact 60!
£15 worth of new XLR cable later, everything is sounding great (without the need for AA batteries) and I'm one happy guy.

From your posting, it looks like the violin mount gives even better sound and less feedback than clip-mounting the mic inside the soundhole, so I'm keen to experiment with this.

I've tried to find the violin mount for sale separately online, but it seems to only be shipped with the ATM350. From the pictures however it looks like nothing more complex than two strips of Velcro anyway, so I'm off to raid my wife's sewing kit and see what I can bodge together!

Thanks again for your advice.

Best wishes

pinkgary

I'm sure Michael sell them separately on here....., but it is just some Velcro with elastic sewed onto it, so i would suggest trying to make one first. I find you get a much better sound from mic-ing the outside of a guitar rather than the inside. Give it a go...

BluesBop Harry

Violin mount:
https://shoppingcart.djangobooks.com/it ... mount.html
If you make one yourself I'd appreciate you sharing the results as well as the "manufacturing" process here. I got an AT70 but I guess my band just plays too loud 'cause it's feedback town for me for most of the gigs