Looking for a digital mixer for guitar and vocals

[Kyle76]

I've got a Yamaha THR 10C amp with a decent acoustic setting and a nice set of powered speakers that I can run the signal from the amp into to boost the output. Is there some type of small digital device I could put into the loop — I'm thinking between the Yamaha and the powered speakers — that I could plug a mic into and incorporate my vocals into the final output? Some simple vocal effects would be nice, too. Plus, I'd have to buy the mic, so suggestions there are welcome. My guitar has a K&K Mini pickup.

[MikeBmusic]

You must be using the headphone out from the Yammie?
Just about any mixer (not just digital ones) would have a stereo input channel that you could plug that into. Finding a mixer with a good reverb (or other effects) is the trick part, maybe you want to look at adding a TC Helicon device for vocal effects.

[lschwart]

Originally Posted by Kyle76

I've got a Yamaha THR 10C amp with a decent acoustic setting and a nice set of powered speakers that I can run the signal from the amp into to boost the output. Is there some type of small digital device I could put into the loop — I'm thinking between the Yamaha and the powered speakers — that I could plug a mic into and incorporate my vocals into the final output? Some simple vocal effects would be nice, too. Plus, I'd have to buy the mic, so suggestions there are welcome. My guitar has a K&K Mini pickup.

Explain more fully how you've got this all set us (how you're going to the speakers--also what kind of powered speakers you have and how you plan on using this--what kind of performances, venues, etc.).

Louis

[Kyle76]

The speakers are Audioengine A5s. One is powered, the other a slave. They're pretty powerful and have good sound for their size. I'm thinking mainly of something for home use, just messing around, but possibly a small venue. I've considered a Loudbox Mini, but wondered if I could create something similar using the speakers and modeling amp I already own. The Yamaha has a guitar cable input and 3.5mm input (for playing along with an iPod), and a full-size headphone jack, which I could use to output to the speakers. I'm open to suggestion as to the best way to loop all this together for combining guitar and voice.

[lschwart]

Originally Posted by Kyle76

The speakers are Audioengine A5s. One is powered, the other a slave. They're pretty powerful and have good sound for their size. I'm thinking mainly of something for home use, just messing around, but possibly a small venue. I've considered a Loudbox Mini, but wondered if I could create something similar using the speakers and modeling amp I already own. The Yamaha has a guitar cable input and 3.5mm input (for playing along with an iPod), and a full-size headphone jack, which I could use to output to the speakers. I'm open to suggestion as to the best way to loop all this together for combining guitar and voice.

Well, if you do plan to perform in public it would be best to get either an acoustic amp or a small PA set up, or to learn a little about how best to connect your guitar's pickup system to a house PA.

That said, there's nothing wrong with hooking your little modeling amp to a pair of bookshelf speakers to add a little more volume or stereo separation, since the amp does output a stereo signal) for home playing--as you've already discovered if you've tried it.

But adding vocals and vocal effects to the mix that goes to those speakers is a little more tricky. One way to do it is to get a small mixer that has the effects you want and at least two input channels, plus a vocal mic, and then treat the headphone output of the THC as one input and the vocal mic as the other. The tricky parts are getting from the THR to the mixer and getting the mixed sound to the speakers. The regular input channels on a mixer designed for live use are not designed to take the kind of signal that your headphone out sends out. You won't hurt anything and you'll get a signal you can use, but it won't be stereo. You'd do better, as MikeBmusic suggests, to get a small mixer that has a stereo channel with either a single 1/8" stereo input (like the one on your THR) or with a pair of left and right RCA inputs. Then all you need is either a 1/4" stereo to 1/8" stereo cable or a 1/4" stereo to left and right RCA "Y" cable.

If you look for a mixer that has a pair of stereo RCA outputs for connecting to studio monitors, you should be able to use those to hook up your speakers using RCA cables, or I suppose you could look for 1/4" TRS or XLR to left and right RCA cables for hooking up the main outs of the mixer to the speakers (although you'll need to watch the levels to avoid overdriving the speaker inputs.

The next question is, how much do you want to spend, and do you want something that might be of decent quality for later use in a live context, or just something cheap to mess around with at home?

Louis

[Kyle76]

Mainly something cheap to mess around with and take advantage of existing equipment. If you tell me this arrangement will never be anywhere near as good as the Loudbox Mini, then I might as well just buy the Mini package that includes a mic from Sweetwater for $329. Or a Roland Cube Street, which has the convenience of battery power.

[ricdoug]

On sale for $79 bucks:

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Harbinge...01720417373.gc

http://harbingerproaudio.com/wp-cont...2FX_Manual.pdf

[Uncle Pauhana]

The Audioengine A5s are high quality units, and are fantastic at their intended use as computer speakers, or even bookshelf speakers in a home setting. But as a PA? The Audioengine engineers never thought of such a thing in their wildest imaginings.

You could always experiment, of course, but bear in mind that consumer home-audio speakers like these are designed for the dynamic range of recorded music, and live playing has a much greater DR, which is why PA speakers are a thing. So ease into it when you try them out so you don't damage them.

[Kyle76]

I'm beginning to think I should rethink this idea.

[otavio]

Great, great little amp for acoustic and eletric.

[lschwart]

Originally Posted by otavio

Great, great little amp for acoustic and eletric.

Yes.

Louis

[lschwart]

Originally Posted by Kyle76

I'm beginning to think I should rethink this idea.

If your main intention is to get yourself a decent set up to practice playing and singing with amplification and that you can also eventually use for small gigs, then the Loudbox Mini or its larger cousin the Loudbox Artist is a much better bet than trying to use the items you now have. The mic that that Sweetwater set up comes with is a good basic vocal mic. You also get a decent mic cable. I don't know how good the stand is.

Louis

[Kyle76]

Originally Posted by otavio

Great, great little amp for acoustic and eletric.

The Loudbox Mini?

[ricdoug]

http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/f...d.php?t=417907

The $99 buck Kustom PA50 in the link^^^^^^

[Kyle76]

Originally Posted by ricdoug

http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/f...d.php?t=417907

The $99 buck Kustom PA50 in the link^^^^^^

Weird. I don't see a link in the original post. Thanks for reposting. How does it sound without a preamp?