ABY splitter/combiners

[bryanbradfield]

I love my Roland Cube 40 XL amplifier. I am a solo instrumentalist. I have saved a setting on my JC Solo channel for between song banter and tune introductions. I use an inexpensive unbalanced microphone, and require 3 switch pushes to get to the microphone channel. I switch from Lead (my instrument channel) to JC, then I switch to JC Solo, then I switch from instrument to microphone. To return to instrument, the reverse is done.
I'm thinking that I may be able to avoid most of the switching if I get an ABY splitter/combiner such as one of these:
www.morleypedals.com/twinmixman.pdf
Then I would use the microphone EQ and reverb needs for both voice and instrument, so that both could be on at the same time.
Does anyone have any experience, good or otherwise, to share?

[SoloBill]

Hi Brian,

I use a Boss LS-2 line selector (www.bossus.com/products/ls-2/) just so that I can have all my gear connected and ready to use.

I can quickly select a different effect or amp depending on how they are connected.

Bill

[Deleted]

I use a cheap Behringer pedal to switch between guitars...same sort of function at 1/4 the price..."you get what you pay for etc...." You can either use 2 inputs to one output, or route one input to two outputs.

origin.behringer.com/EN/Products/AB100.aspx

Alternatively you could use a mini mixer - I've seen a couple of solo artists do this, with it clipped to the mic stand. Again cheap 'n' cheerful, I use a little Behringer Xenyx that I picked up for £35 used.

Also, you could put a drive pedal in the chain for your guitar sound, use the clean setting on the amp and just switch between clean vocal and overdriven guitar sound, no messing with the amp at all, and you just dial-in all your settings in advance rather than on the fly.

[bryanbradfield]

SoloBill: Actually, I am currently using the Boss LS-2; however, I want a box that has the capability of adjusting the volume of at least one, and hopefully both inputs, running out to a single output. I would also like the added feature of either/or, as in the Boss LS-2.

ChickenboneJohn: I like the looks of the Behringer mixers. They seem to be less expensive and more fully featured than the Morley I was looking at. Thank you. Now, some questions.
1) What model mixer are you using?
2) What do you use for amplification, a guitar amp, or a PA?
3) Do you use a balanced microphone? If so, is the output quality of the microphone through the mixer adequate? In other words, no additional impedance matching circuitry is needed?

[Deleted]

Check out TC Helicon's Play series -- the Play Acoustic in your case. You can press and hold a switch to turn off any vocal effects. The acoustic sound is supposed to be really nice too... you might end up ditching the amp altogether, and just go straight into the PA. (I have the Play Electric and I love it -- the choral effects are really convincing.)

[bryanbradfield]

mickeyz - that TC Helicon is a powerful system, containing features I had not considered, It's also a bit pricier that I had hoped for, but in all fairness it appears to contain the basic features I was asking about. Thank you.

[Deleted]

Bryan, in all honesty I think you are trying to get a guitar amp to do the job of a PA system, so it's not an ideal place to start (like the old joke, "If that's where you are trying to drive to I wouldn't start from here...". If you don't want to get a small PA system, then for real simplicity in one box, get a Roland Street Cube EX . It's got 2 separate channels for vocals and instrument - it's compact, lightweight and it's 50 watts (mains or battery). It's also got line input for another instrument and an audio in so you can play stuff from an ipod for background music or backing tracks if that's your thing. The channels are foot switchable and you can mount it on a pole..it's designed as a mini PA . Downsides are it doesn't have all the effects and modelling that the regular Cube series have, but I've learned to live with that, and it's not cheap at around £350. Having said that, it is amazingly useful and I've done trade shows, festivals and gigs with it, effectively replacing my guitar amp and PA system (and all the associated cables and power leads)...and it will run on eight AA batteries and still kick out some serious volume. Earlier on this year I did an impromptu outdoor gig at Upton Blues Festival in a pub beer garden - we just used one mic, plugged a guitar in and ran on batteries the whole evening - I didn't even bother to plug the thing into the mains. Earlier on in the day I used it to play at an open mic, and for the rest of the weekend we used it as stage monitor added to my regular PA...it is a really handy bit of kit.

As for a mic, get a Shure SM 58 and be done with it - industry standard and bulletproof. My Behringer mixer is a UB802, and I think the current equivalent is their Xenyx range and runs to a pair of B210D 200W powered speakers (but in truth you can manage with just one) -for the price of a TC Helicon pedal you could buy yourself a Behringer powered speaker and minimixer, but personally I'd go for a one box solution like the Streetcube EX as its far less fuss to set up and carry around. Keep it simple.

[Deleted]

Yes, I was looking at that Streetcube too, seems like the perfect busking tool.

The main interest of the TC Helicon is having access to the choral voices, which really do work amazingly well. There's a simpler TC Helicon unit, the Mic Mechanic, which gives you vocal treatments without the choir, but also has the function to turn off the effects for between-song banter.

I second the vote for the SM 58. I've had mine for 20 years now. It's a true workhorse.

[obrienp]

That Streetcube really sounds like the business! Worth checking out. I use a Marshall AS100 myself, which is another mini-PA like amp, with 3 channels plus line input but it is a real beast and I hesitate to recommend it for that reason. It's like lugging round an AC30.

I agree with ChickenboneJohn about the Behringer AB100: cheap and effective, plus it has level controls for both channels.

[Deleted]

There's a big difference between the Streetcube and the Streetcube EX , which is the one I've got. The ordinary Streetcube is a great piece of kit, but only 2 x 3 watts, and quite pricey for what it is, and it is a great busking tool. I had the standard Streetcube for a couple of weeks as my local stockist didn't have the EX in stock, so I took it to tide me over, then paid the extra and swapped to the EX. I wasn't totally convinced to begin with, as for some strange reason the EX doesn't have all the COSM voices and effects that the regular Microcube and Streetcube have, but after having it for a few months I reckon I've made the right choice. It's powerful, very easy to carry and it's proved to be a really handy bit of kit to have in the van everywhere I go.

[bryanbradfield]

ChickenboneJohn:

I am indeed trying to use the Roland Cube 40 XL as a PA (very infrequently). I had a decent guitar amp / PA awhile back, but found it be sterile for my tastes. I am primarily (let's say 98%) an instrumentalist. I enjoy playing the Roland Cube in a way that I've never enjoyed playing through a PA or any other guitar amp. OK - I really like playing with effects, plus at my age (68) weight is a considerable factor in gear decisions. I am very occasionally called on to sing a tune.

I do have a Shure SM58, as well as an unbalanced cheap microphone. The unbalanced microphone is doing an adequate job for my announcement needs. I've not yet bothered to get an impedance matcher for the SM58. I've not needed to do any singing through the Cube yet, but I'm preparing. That's why I gathering these recommendations.