Busking-type rig for 2 vocalists

[AC000]

Hi all,

This forum has been a great resource for helping me decide on a pickup in the past (I went K&K) and now I’m hoping some folks can help confirm or deny my thinking on a set up for street performance comprising one acoustic guitar and two vocalists. I’ve read up on Fishman, Boss Acoustic Singer, Roland Street Cube EX and Roland AC33 and a bunch of others too.

I’d like to keep it as simple as possible so these are my assumptions for now:

1. Battery powered amp or PA rather than car battery plus inverter
2. Avoid additional equipment if possible (like a mixer to combine two mics)

However it seems like none of these offer a guitar input plus two separate mic inputs. Am I overlooking any option $500 or less? (Would like to avoid having to add a mixer but if unavoidable I’d love to have any suggestions for an affordable but good battery powered mixer.)

Ideally would like to add reverb to vocals in-amp. Effects for the guitar would be nice but not essential. Right now I run a Martin 000-18 with K&K Pure Mini into a Behringer AD21 DI box, may add a distortion pedal for stuff like “Jack and Diane”. Don’t use a looper now but may learn how to use it.

If I have to combine the vocals, does anyone think an XLR Y adapter works well enough to avoid a mixer? The two vocalists sing at roughly equal volume so balance control not essential. Have also looked at Audio Technica AT8681 to combine the vocals but that requires phantom power which none of the battery-operated models seem to have.

I have heard a Roland AC33 in person and that would be adequate for my needs. I have a perception that Fishman LB and Boss ACS would lend a little fuller low end which would be something I’d value, but tell me if I’m wrong.

At this point my top contenders are these setups but please let me know if you can improve on the plan and be in the $500 range.

A. Fishman Mini Charge used, with a small battery powered mixer (any recs?) to combine two SM58s. Guitar into guitar channel, mixer into mic channel.

B. Roland Street Cube EX - one SM58 into mic channel, another mic in Guitar/Mic channel, guitar with AD21 running into Line In, and just live without chorus and reverb on the guitar. Would guitar sound good through Line In channel?

3. Get a Boss ACS Live plus mixer plus external battery with inverter.

Your thoughts, critiques, suggestions to improve are appreciated!

[jonfields45]

You can use an XLR Y-cable to combine the two SM58s into the one input available (after your guitar takes the other) on a Fishman Mini Charge (or Bose S1). I have done this several time at gigs and it works fine. You will loose 6 dB of volume but that is a minor twist of the volume control.

[Durnbock]

Roland BA-330. Runs of 8 AA batteries, 4 channels. 2 XLR, 2 1/4 inch. Doesn’t get super loud, but an all in one box.

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/det...-roland-ba-330

[varmonter]

I use an elite acoustics d68. it does everthing
you need and more.
http://www.eliteacoustics.com/portfolio/d6-8-2/
It is a bit more than 500. But is one serious bit of kit.
They make less expensive models.
as well as a presence on ebay for refurb units.

[AC000]

Thanks everyone for the responses. For the mixer option, I’m leaning toward the Behringer 1002, but anyone know a smaller one that runs on batteries but has two XLR inputs?

[lkingston]

Originally Posted by varmonter

I use an elite acoustics d68. it does everthing

you need and more.

http://www.eliteacoustics.com/portfolio/d6-8-2/

It is a bit more than 500. But is one serious bit of kit.

They make less expensive models.

as well as a presence on ebay for refurb units.

Me too. Freakin' awesome piece!

[lkingston]

This might be perfect:

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?m...2F233031942440

[AC000]

Thanks for the heads up on Elite. That refurbished unit looks like a nice find. Doesn’t seem like it has built-in reverb though, right? So far still leaning toward a used Mini Charge with a Y cable, and I can go mixer instead if that doesn’t work well.

[lkingston]

Originally Posted by AC000

Thanks for the heads up on Elite. That refurbished unit looks like a nice find. Doesn’t seem like it has built-in reverb though, right? So far still leaning toward a used Mini Charge with a Y cable, and I can go mixer instead if that doesn’t work well.

The Elite Acoustics stuff has reverb. The less expensive Sunburst Gear does not.

The Elite Acoustics D6-8 has a more full featured mixer than any other acoustic amp currently available at any price. It is wonderful. It has simultaneously available reverb, chorus and delay. It has separate EQs on the input channels, the local speaker monitor and the XLR stereo line outs. It compressors and downward expander noise gates on the input channels. The built in amp, 8” speaker and tweeter are extremely high quality. The sound quality is wonderful. I just wish it was more powerful.

[lkingston]

The 6 channel Sunburst Gear has no reverb or input channel reverb, but it is very high fidelity (equal to the Elite Acoustics). In fact I would say that at the lower volume levels it can handle, it sounds as good as anything by AER or Schertler. I got the eBay refurbished deal some time ago and it is pretty amazing to get that sort of quality sound and build for that price. Because there is no input EQ, you really need to use mics that sound good flat. The same with the guitar pickup. With my Schertler AG-6/S-Mic pickup and Audix OM-5 mics, the Sunburst Gear sounds absolutely incredible. I have a couple of Shure Beta87 mics and they sound wonderful through it as well. With Beta58 mics I miss the channel level EQ.

[roylor4]

Originally Posted by lkingston

The 6 channel Sunburst Gear has no reverb or input channel reverb, but it is very high fidelity (equal to the Elite Acoustics). In fact I would say that at the lower volume levels it can handle, it sounds as good as anything by AER or Schertler. I got the eBay refurbished deal some time ago and it is pretty amazing to get that sort of quality sound and build for that price. Because there is no input EQ, you really need to use mics that sound good flat. The same with the guitar pickup. With my Schertler AG-6/S-Mic pickup and Audix OM-5 mics, the Sunburst Gear sounds absolutely incredible. I have a couple of Shure Beta87 mics and they sound wonderful through it as well. With Beta58 mics I miss the channel level EQ.

Whoa, Never heard of Sunburst Gear. Judging by what comes up when you do a Google search, they may be out of business or going that way. They look very cool and like something we could use.

How much power do these things have? I might like one myself, but no mention of wattage or db output anywhere I have looked.

[varmonter]

Originally Posted by roylor4

Whoa, Never heard of Sunburst Gear. Judging by what comes up when you do a Google search, they may be out of business or going that way. They look very cool and like something we could use.

How much power do these things have? I might like one myself, but no mention of wattage or db output anywhere I have looked.

The SG m6br8 that i bought refurb is 30 watts.
the d68 is 40. i use the m6br8 with a small
mixer to get eq and effects.

[Wistah]

I will say that the 1002 mixer is super useful and everybody should have one. It's one of the few mixers that will let you use the 1/4 inch and XLR inputs in the same channel at the same time.

Another option to consider is two Fishman charges. You could perform in true stereo.

[AC000]

Thanks for the info on the 1002.

[Methos1979]

We use the Bose S1 and Boss VE-8 for two mics and one guitar. But it exceeds your $500 limit.