|
|
Post by jazzbass12 on Jun 20, 2021 20:03:23 GMT
Hello All,
I’ve been exclusively mic’ing my Nationals with a SM57 running to my Yamaha PA at my gigs. Any recommendations for a not too expensive preamp to help add a little weight to my sound?
I don’t want to plug in at all.
Thanks
|
|
|
|
Post by mitchfit on Jun 20, 2021 21:32:58 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by jazzbass12 on Jun 21, 2021 2:09:51 GMT
Thanks.. good article. Yes my PA has XLR. It’s a Yamaha EMX. Good article and great read. It seems to be focused on pickups rather than a mic |
|
|
|
Post by richclough on Jun 21, 2021 6:41:40 GMT
Hi,
I’m not an expert, but here are my thoughts..
You’d need to know that the mic pre you buy is better sounding than the ones in your EMX.
Are you looking for EQ and compression on the pre ie more ‘channel strip’? Or just looking for a gain boost with some colouration?
If it’s just a pre though, I’d have thought the effect would be rather subtle in a live situation.
Does the EMX have inserts - if not you’ll be going through the EMX’s micpres anyway - though you could minimise the gain on the EMX.
Cheers,
Rich
|
|
|
|
Post by snakehips on Jun 21, 2021 7:33:23 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by Michael Messer on Jun 21, 2021 8:24:18 GMT
Hello All, I’ve been exclusively mic’ing my Nationals with a SM57 running to my Yamaha PA at my gigs. Any recommendations for a not too expensive preamp to help add a little weight to my sound? I don’t want to plug in at all. Thanks Hi JazzBass, I have never heard of anyone using a preamp for an SM57. What you are asking about, "weight", to me sounds like an EQ thing, rather than an input weakness. You might need to reconsider your amp settings and maybe practice getting the perfect EQ for your gigs. Generally speaking; I would never go above zero on the graphic with any of the frequencies. As a rough guide, set the mids at just below zero and the highs and lows a little below that, so it looks like a frown, rather than a smile.  Keep all effects off, apart from maybe a little reverb. If the amp has room settings, try medium size room and don't push too much wetness through the signal. Make sure all mics are behind the speakers and learn to use your SM57 like an instrument. There are a few different sounds and volume settings available by just learning to position the mic in the right spot for what you are looking for. For example... need some bass oomph, then go close to an F hole with the mic. Need some brightness for a solo, put the mic over the cone. General mix for rhythm, go between the F hole and the cone. The more you experiment with this technique, the more you will get from your SM57. Never try to make it louder than the room can cope with. In other words, trying to play with the system on the verge of feedback is impossible. It is a mic, not a pickup, and therefore it has its limits and you have to work with them. Oh, one more thing, if you use a foldback monitor, keep its volume as low as possible. Monitors are devils for wrecking the house sound. I hope that is helpful. Shine On Michael |
|
|
|
Post by snakehips on Jun 21, 2021 8:51:45 GMT
The FetHed preamp I was mentioning aims to boost the signal reaching the amp, so the amp doesn't need boosted as much, at the SAME overall volume - which pushes the amp less into possible feedback AND should give a cleaner signal.
|
|
|
|
Post by richclough on Jun 21, 2021 9:09:52 GMT
Yes, I was thinking about that one. Also the ART USB dual mic pre works well. I bought one for recording where there is no power supply (it can run off a 9v). Not sure how long the phantom would last though. Cheers, Rich |
|
|
|
Post by mitchfit on Jun 21, 2021 18:45:22 GMT
paraphrase "more pick up focus".
true, here in the colonies we call it "info-mercial". just enough fact given to promote product.
pertinent sections were first paragraph, second paragraph and 4 strengths of a pre-unit in between. also worth noting is signal 2 noise ratio goal near article end. [2nd to last paragraph]
most prevalent in the typical bar/pub scenario you are actually surrounded by terrible RF broadcasters.
so at home, with little ambient sonic and or RF contamination and you sitting near speaker, are you happy with the amplified signal?
this just is the beginning of the process of elimination to isolate the cause of undesired results.
only accidents will fix problems that haven't been identified.
mitchfit
|
|
Keep all effects off, apart from maybe a little reverb. If the amp has room settings, try medium size room and don't push too much wetness through the signal. Make sure all mics are behind the speakers and learn to use your SM57 like an instrument. There are a few different sounds and volume settings available by just learning to position the mic in the right spot for what you are looking for. For example... need some bass oomph, then go close to an F hole with the mic. Need some brightness for a solo, put the mic over the cone. General mix for rhythm, go between the F hole and the cone. The more you experiment with this technique, the more you will get from your SM57.