how to add EQ and Compression to acoustic guitar
 

Hello. so some of my guitars have a piezo pickup and peizos aint so good

I have seen youtube videos on what a compressor pedal and a eq pedal can do with piezo pickups and make them sound well better but I don't know how to copy it because I don't understand it. when there showing how compression works with taking those horrible high muddy sounds off he doesn't show me what settings he is using on is compressor pedal. so how am I suppost to guess and work that out

I basically want to know how to use a eq and compressor pedal on a piezo to make it sound good but explained very simply

or if anyone knows of any good tutorials on how to do this?



also if someone has the zoom ms100bt can you explain to me what the line select is? am I able to have my acoustic going through eq and compression for the guitar and then in the other input I will have a mic so a mic and a guitar can go through the same reverb without the mic going through the added guitar effects?

man I wish the zoom ms100bt had an acoustic preamp. out of all the pedals for bass and guitar you can get out of that thing would have been brilliant if they just put a preamp or acoustic guitar modulation amp

Buy a Fishman Platinum Pro D.I./EQ with its compression and filters. Dial your guitar in with it. Dial out the piezo issues. Problem solved.

Because every guitar and pedal/effects combination is different there isn't a single set up that works for everyone. You have your guitar so you need either a multi-effects pedal/unit or separate compression & EQ units - then a fair amount of time dialing in your system until it sounds the way you want it to. It just takes some time to tweak everything until you get what you're looking for. That includes the PA/amp combination that you'll be playing through.

I've tried many things in vain to make a piezo sound good and nothing compares to the Fishman Aura I recently got. By the time you buy a good eq and compressor you could afford one of these and for me there is no going back.

I beg to differ: there's only one answer to piezo quack and it's not Aura, it's ToneDexter. With an Aura you have to search, hopefully and with fingers, legs and toes crossed, for an image to match your instrument, with a ToneDexter you MAKE an image of YOUR instrument. I've had an Aura and half a dozen other "solutions" and ToneDexter is the ONLY one that actually works.

Phil

I second the ToneDexter. A suitable mic can be borrowed, rented or bought used then resold when done. Like philjs said

"with a ToneDexter you MAKE an image of YOUR instrument"

In fact you can make several with different sounds. Plus it has some EQ and Character controls.

BAN QUACK don't just try to paper over it.

The Aura certainly seems popular, but in recent years I've opted for soundhole pickups to solve the quack problem.

And I beg to differ, my Fishman Platinum Pro works just fine.

For the cost of outboard equiment you can get a K&K pickup and preamp. No more quack.

I have Fishman Matrix pickups in several guitars. Ive found the harsh quack is worst when driving the system hard with aggressive strumming. Playong with a lighter touch and softer picks helps reduce the quack. Stacking preamps also makes matters worse. The Fishman pickup has a battery and preamp inside the guitar. Playing through an additional outboard preamp can make the harshness worse. I use a high quality DI.
I also use an external mic with the pickup to reinforce the pickup signal.

Consider changing pickups before doing anything else. Piezo UST pickups can certainly be a difficult place to start from.

To each their own, as the saying goes...

You know I thought the same, tripping down memory lane here, with a Baggs Venue, a Radial PZ Deluxe, a Fishman Aura, a Boss AD-3 and an old Fishman G belt-pack preamp. In their time they were, one and all, the best preamps available. Thankfully times change!

Phil

wow thanks to all the replies. il be a bit more specific on my situation

so basically I'm going travelling asia for a 3 months and will probably hit a load of open mics when I'm not in the rural areas. I will be bringing my KLOS carbon fibre acoustic travel guitar (very nice indeed) and my homemade stombox and a few harmonicas. I actually have a Xvive mike pedal which is insanely good however due to my prediction that open mic nights and clubs wont have a PA system with reverb (reverb is important to me) due to SEA having a poor economy I feel I have to cater for my own reverb and effects. that being said the xvive has no reverb its just a pedal that makes the guitar sound a lot more natural it also doesn't have a battery which means I will have to carry round a reverb pedal the xvive mike pedal and a power supply. when I could just take my zoom ms100bt which takes batteries and learn to use the eq and compression to get a good sound (the ms100bt is a multi effects unit the same size as a boss pedal).

I don't want to purchase anymore gear as I have to much gear already. this is only for my 3 months in asia though. I'm happy with my xvive mike pedal otherwise and couldn't be more happy with my Isolo mic pick up system which is the best sounding mic/pickup ever (cant really busk with the isolo though due to feedback issues sitting right next to my amp). absolutely perfect for gigs though

but saying all that I could buy a pre amp before I go and sell it when I get back home. I'm guessing my piezo equipped guitar will sound less good through a PA than an acoustic amp?. as I haven't even plugged my piezo equipped guitar through a PA only into my 2 Acoustic amps and still find the sound very displeasing unless used with my Xvive mike pedal

I agree. I'm happy with my tone. I'm happy with my Fishman Aura.

If you are traveling, just bring the basics and accept that your guitar sound will be compromised by your tech and the gear at the open mic. Just like everybody else's.

Same is true for open mic's wherever you go. You walk up and plug in what they hand you. At most you could do a battery powered preamp already set to go. and there are pickups that require this. Usually not though. And not while on international travel.

If you want to optimize a piezo equipped guitar when you control the sound there are several choices. Regardless of other gadgets and signal processing you'll always need good EQ. Properly dialed in to get rid of the 'quack' it will make a big improvement. Of course, when we're talking about acoustic guitar amplification there is a vast swamp comprised of level of effort, circumstance, technology, and strong opinions separating 'acceptable', 'good', and 'great'.

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