Audio-Techica PRO 70 Mic

harrye

Hi all,

Im looking to invest in some amplification for my gitane dg370 in the next few months.

I have a budget of up to 350 dollars, however I have been recommended the audio technica pro 70 clip on Mic by a few people (http://shoppingcart.djangobooks.com/Aud ... ica-PRO-70), and this will certainly save me some money if i go with this option.

I am looking for amplification that can be used in isolation (i mean without combining with a piezo or bridge pickup etc), that I can use for playing on stage, and also eventually in a smaller cafe environment. Looking for as close to acoustic sound as possible, wanting to avoid the stimer-esque sort of thing.

Could you please let me know what your experience has been with this microphone. If you have any alternative suggestions, please post also.

cheers

Harry

MichaelHorowitz

Hi Harry,

The pro 70 is nice but it's tough to get it very loud before feedback. If you play at low volumes with a monitor, PA, soundman, and an attentive audience it will work. The PRO70 into an amp in a noisy cafe will give you nothing but feedback. The Stimer is far better in those situations as it can get many times louder and is compressed so you can hear yourself above the din.

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Stackabones

Great mics, but very high maintenance. They howl in most real cafe/bar situations.

harrye

Thanks for the replies.

Michael - so you would recommend the stimer as the best option? However I will loose most of the acoustic sound, no? A trade off i suppose

harrye

Also Michael do you have any experience with Krivo pickups?

Would they provide an acoustic sound?
Would they be suitable for a d-hole guitar?

seeirwin

Perhaps I am just lucky, but I routinely play in very loud settings (e.g. A local dive bar full of inattentive patrons) with the pro 70 and have no problems with it. I currently use an AER (the little cube one) and I used a Roland ac-66 prior to that.

bopster

I use the Pro 70 with a Fishman Loudbox 100, and rarely have issues. When they do come up, the Fishman notch filter or phase switch does the trick. Even in noisy bars, if I sit about 2 feet to the right and slightly in front of the amp, no problems.

bluetrain

I've been using the pro70 mic with Phil Jones AAD with no problems in noisy bar environments but I have to use a special mic preamp with parametric EQ and phase switch to tackle the feedback and body resonance plus to have some more gain.

By the way, most people put the pro70 inside the guitar and point it towards the bass strings but I think it's far better to put the microphone to the opposite side of the soundhole and point it towards the treble moustache! I think the sound is more balanced and less prone to low frequency feedback this way.

MichaelHorowitz

harrye wrote:

Thanks for the replies.

Michael - so you would recommend the stimer as the best option? However I will loose most of the acoustic sound, no? A trade off i suppose

For noisy cafe/bar situations the magnetic pickups are best IMO. The peche, stimer, and kri
vo all work nicely. They never feedback, are compressed, and have a warm full sound. I wouldn't worry so much about "acoustic sound" at those sorts of gigs, it's a miracle just to be heard! In over ten years I've never had someone come up and say "you don't have an acoustic sound!". Your average listener could care less...as long as you're audible and it's not a harsh sound then you've succeeded. Those sorts of gigs are about survival....

When you actually can do a concert with an attentive audience then I'd worry more about the acoustic sound. Get out your best mics and best guitar and everyone will appreciate it. But blasting away at your local bar is definitely better with a magnetic pickup.

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BluesBop Harry

I used to play with a Bigtone pickup and AER. It'd often describe the sound as a cross between a mic and a magnetic pickup. An example of what I mean can be heard on this soundclip (from 3 years ago!)
I admit is not the ideal sound I'm looking for, but on that gig I was really loud it sounds more natural quieter. It was a Dupont stuck under the bridge with some kind of epoxy. I bet if you get one that's properly built inside the bridge it will sound better.
What I really loved was how simple it was, plug-and-play with a consistent sound and zero feedback.

I now try to use my pro70 as much as possible. Sometimes it's great, sometimes I get buried under the band...

harrye

Thanks everyone for your replies, its very helpful to know what is and isnt working for you all.

Michael - I have a couple of concert-style gigs coming up in the next month (my first with new quartet).

From what I understand, you recommend just using microphones for such gigs, and letting the sound guys take care of the feedback etc.

As far as the cafe-style goes, I quite like the sound of the krivo. Would this pickup fit appropriately to a d-hole style? I have only seen it fitted to the petite bouche?

Cheers

Harry