Amp channel question

[Kevin C]

Hello all,

I'm really new at this and do not have much knowledge of electrified equipment for musical performance. I'm preparing to play a nursing home with me on vocals and guitar and another vocalist.

I have a Yorkville AM-150 amp with 2 channels. One input is 1/4 inch and one is XLR. Is there an adapter or interface that would expand this so that I can run 2 mikes for vocals and one guitar? If so, what is it and how do I hook it up?

I did a search here but it didn't help me understand. The only thing I could figure was using a mixer but not sure if that is correct?

I would love to keep the Yorkville and I don't see much for 3-channel acoustic amps. Thanks in advance for your advice!

[jseth]

Well, I suppose you could run both microphones into the same channel; it probably would cut it at lower volume levels, but you will not be able to set the tones separately for each mic, as they will be "chained together" once they are in that one channel, so anything you change on one, will also change the other.

Use the XLR channel for the microphones, and best to use the same type/brand/model of microphone - that way you will have some sort of constancy to the source signal...

You need an adapter that has two XLR connectors on one side that combines down to just one XLR which will in turn be plugged into your amp. If your amp has a "gain" control (sometimes called "trim") for each channel, you will want to set that when BOTH mics are plugged in and being used. Google "gain staging" and/or follow the instructions in your manual.

Not the optimum way to go, but it should work okay, so long as you don't play extra loud.

Good luck!

[ricdoug]

You can add a small mixer, similar to:

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Harbinge...54-i3786482.gc

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Harbinge...62-i3786483.gc

...to get more channels, but the more channels you add to small combo amplifiers, the quicker the instruments and vocals get lost in the mix. There are (much) better mixers available, but a Harbinger/Behringer style mixer should suffice for your stated application. Ric

[lschwart]

You would be much better off using a small mixer to put both vocal mics into channel 2 of your am-150 than trying to use a cable to sum them. This is exactly what mixers are for, and the 1/4" input on that amp is designed for taking a balanced, line level signal, which is exactly what a mixer puts out. A small mixer will usually have balanced, main outputs of some kind. Sometimes these are XLR outputs and sometimes they are TRS (TRS is the kind the 1/4" input on your Channel 2 is designed to take. TRS connectors look like regular instrument cable or mono phono connectors, but they have two black rings on them instead of just one--dividing the connector into a Tip, a Ring, and a Sleeve). You can use either the XLR or the 1/4" input on Channel 2 for this purpose, but you're likely to find that it will be easier to adjust the gain on that channel if you use a TRS cable into the 1/4" input, rather than an XLR cable into the XLR input, which is expecting the lower level signal of a mic. If your mixer has only XLR outputs, you can use a cable that has a female XLR connector at one end and a TRS on the other.

If the mixer has left and right stereo outputs, you can use just one of them into the 1/4" input on the amp. You don't need to sum them to mono. Just make sure that the pan controls are either set to center (which is fine) or to the side you're using, which will perhaps give you little more volume, but is not necessary in this case).

I'd recommend something simple like this:

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/402VLZ4

You can find them used pretty cheap. A TRS to TRS cable from the Left Main output into the 1/4" input on Channel 2 of your amp and that's it, although as jseth says, you should read up a little on gain staging, so you get the right levels for each mic going into the mixer, the right level going out, and the right level at the input of the amp.

Louis

[maxtheaxe]

Originally Posted by Kevin C

Hello all,

I'm really new at this and do not have much knowledge of electrified equipment for musical performance. I'm preparing to play a nursing home with me on vocals and guitar and another vocalist.

I have a Yorkville AM-150 amp with 2 channels. One input is 1/4 inch and one is XLR. Is there an adapter or interface that would expand this so that I can run 2 mikes for vocals and one guitar? If so, what is it and how do I hook it up?

I did a search here but it didn't help me understand. The only thing I could figure was using a mixer but not sure if that is correct?

I would love to keep the Yorkville and I don't see much for 3-channel acoustic amps. Thanks in advance for your advice!

There's another thread here regarding acoustic amp selection...check out the Carvin AG series acoustic amps mentioned in that thread.

[Tomm Williams]

You might experiment and find a position for your mic that also picks up your guitar as well. One of my acoustic 6 strings is so loud that it matches my voice just fine in many situations by positioning the mic as normal.This would eliminate the need for a 3rd channel.

Worth a try and it's free.

[Kevin C]

Thanks for all of the suggestions. Now I have options to consider. Greatly appreciate your ideas!