Someone please decide for me....

kerrinsdad · #1 02-14-2012, 08:14 PM

I need to pick up (no pun intended) a preamp to have on hand for open mics. I see M1's, M1A's, K&K Minis, I beams.... I'd like to have a preamp that I can use for most of the performers that show up instead of being dependant on them each to supply one for themselves. Para DI, Fishman...what say ye?
And can anyone suggest a couple of instrument mics to have on hand for the guys that are not wired at all? 57's still the standard or is there a better choice out there?

Thanks!!

ljguitar · #2 02-14-2012, 10:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kerrinsdad

I need to pick up (no pun intended) a preamp to have on hand for open mics. I see M1's, M1A's, K&K Minis, I beams.... I'd like to have a preamp that I can use for most of the performers that show up instead of being dependant on them each to supply one for themselves. Para DI, Fishman...what say ye?
And can anyone suggest a couple of instrument mics to have on hand for the guys that are not wired at all? 57's still the standard or is there a better choice out there?

Thanks!!

Hi K's dad...
You didn't specify if you are operating the show, otherwise why would you want to supply all the gear? If you are, is there a PA there as well?

I think an even better choice in a pre might be the UltraSound DI Max, which for $10 more dollars than a ParaDI provides 2 channels of input (no phantom to feed mics, just 2 really nice channels), so it can accommodate 2 players through one out put while giving control over each input channel (like a mini-mixer).

And the controls are far simpler than a ParaDI, which you are not going to want to mess with at an open mic anyway. It's built out of metal (as is the ParaDI) so it's durable. They are very quiet, and despite the lack of 'control' (not any extra knobs to tweak) , they sound great.

Lastly they give separate volume control over each output - 1/4'' and XLR - which can be used simultaneously. I own 3 ParaDI, and an UltraSound, and our sound techs will grab the UltraSound as often as a ParaDI when people show up to plug into our church system.

I'm interested in hearing more about what you are up to, sir.

And yes, SM-57 are still kind of a go-to live mic, because they are rugged, cheap and sound ok and don't feedback any more than any others do.

kerrinsdad · #3 02-15-2012, 07:31 AM

Great stuff Larry. Thanks> That's exactly what I was looking for. Yes, i am 'the house', being i'm the one who owns the restaurant and the PA, but i am also a participant, so i'd like to keep it fairly simple. I don't really want to have to train a bunch of people, but would like an environment where one or two guys can step up, plug in and play without alot of fuss. The PA is farily simple... a 6x2 Mackie board and a pair of RCF 312's and a few options for vocal mics.
Now, when you bring two pickups into one Preamp, does it matter at all if one is active (say an M1A) and the other passive (perhaps K&K)?
and can you give me of an example where you would want to use both the 1/4 inch and xlr outs simultaneously?
oh, one goes to instrument amp, one to PA?

I do appreciate your help!!

lschwart · #4 02-15-2012, 11:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kerrinsdad

Great stuff Larry. Thanks> That's exactly what I was looking for. Yes, i am 'the house', being i'm the one who owns the restaurant and the PA, but i am also a participant, so i'd like to keep it fairly simple. I don't really want to have to train a bunch of people, but would like an environment where one or two guys can step up, plug in and play without alot of fuss. The PA is farily simple... a 6x2 Mackie board and a pair of RCF 312's and a few options for vocal mics.
Now, when you bring two pickups into one Preamp, does it matter at all if one is active (say an M1A) and the other passive (perhaps K&K)?
and can you give me of an example where you would want to use both the 1/4 inch and xlr outs simultaneously?
oh, one goes to instrument amp, one to PA?

I do appreciate your help!!

Larry's right that something like a DI Max will give you serious bang for the buck for your situation.

To answer your questions: no, it doesn't matter of one pickup is active and another is passive. That's why the unit has separate input gain controls for each channel. And, yes, you would use the 1/4" line out to go to an amp (if, say, someone brought a small one along to use as a stage monitor), while you'd run the XLR to the mixing board of the PA.

The only caveat I'd add is about an issue I've been confronting as I've been working out a two instrument set up for myself. It is usually better practice to run each instrument into its own input on your main mixer. In the case of the DI Max, you'd be using it--when you do have two players--as a submixer, and it will work for that, but you may find that running the two guitars through their own DI's or DI/preamps into their own channels of your board will make for a better house mix in the end. Just a thought. Also don't forget that if the mixer is actually on stage and not too far from the performers, some guitars, although not all, will be able to go direct to the one of the 1/4" inputs on your mixer. Which Mackie do you have?

Louis

buzzardwhiskey · #5 02-15-2012, 02:08 PM

I have attended a few open mics and I have a simple observation/thought:

You probably don't want to have to go up to the stage or performance area at all if you can avoid it. So I'd probably keep it super simple "up there" - I'd probably use a high quality super simple DI like a Radial Pro to get the instrument signal as close as I could to my mixer, then I'd EQ it.

The open mic stage just has too many variables to put a pre-amp on it.

That's my two cents.

lmacmil · #6 02-15-2012, 04:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kerrinsdad

I need to pick up (no pun intended) a preamp to have on hand for open mics. I see M1's, M1A's, K&K Minis, I beams.... I'd like to have a preamp that I can use for most of the performers that show up instead of being dependant on them each to supply one for themselves. Para DI, Fishman...what say ye?

At the open mics I attend, you either plug into a direct box (if the sound man/mixer is in the back of the room) or directly into the mixer if it's on the stage. I have never been to an open mic where a preamp was supplied. If the guitar doesn't have a pickup, it is either mic'd with one of the vocal mics or there is a passive soundhole pickup available.

kerrinsdad · #7 02-16-2012, 02:33 PM

Didn't mean to start a thread w/ questions and then walk away from it...sorry.
I do appreciate the insight shown here. The mixer is the Mackie DFX6. Real simple straightforward and QUIET. I like that. Though claiming to have 6 inputs, two are really stereo inputs, leaving you with 4 'real' inputs and 4 faders. But that's okay for right now. I have been hosting this as a guitar circle for many years and now we are moving it 'forward' (I hope) to include a monthly open mic. I say this because the situation I have is quite unique I think. The guys that come to/ participate in this are some of my closest friends, guys I've known a long time to be more rsponsible than I would expect to find at most open mics
So, all that said, I want to have preamp available, right at the board just to help out the sound of the guitars. If I EQ at the board, I'll be EQing all guitars the same way as well as vocals or whatever so I'd like the preamp mainly to address that. I am really not concerned with tampering or abuse. If I'm not the guy at the board, it will be my friend the accountant or my friend the luthier....either way I'm pretty comfortable. The idea of the Max is pretty attractive if only to make the board 1 input bigger.
What else am I failing to see here, guys?