one mic for singing and acoustic guitar

[CaffeinatedOne]

The OP wants something simple for use at home with his practice amp. I don't see a problem with a single mic, but to do that it will have to be a large diaphragm condenser mic which does require phantom power. Most vocal mics, like the Shure SM58, are dynamic mics which do not require extra power because their capsules generate enough of an electric signal from vocals to be picked up by the preamp. Condenser microphones are exceptionally sensitive but generate an extremely weak signal, so without a power supply the signal will be lost. With a power supply it is robust.

Phantom power is power that is supplied to a mic through the mic cable from the device (usually a preamp) the mic is plugged into. Condenser mics require additional power, so they make use of this. Usually phantom power is 48V, but most mics work within a range from 15V to 48. Devices supplying phantom power will have a switch to turn it on or off.

Any large diaphragm condenser mic will do pretty well for this purpose because it will have a useful range of about three feet, which is greater than the distance between your mouth and the top of the guitar. The RODE mic mentioned is excellent, but may be overkill given the likely budget here. This might be a good use for the entry level MXL 990, which is available online for fifty bucks.

Because the amp doesn't provide phantom power, you'll need something that does. A small mixer will do the trick, like a $65 or so Behringer. Explore the online catalogs and you'll find varieties of this. Any mixer like this will provide phantom power and will incorporate the needed preamplifier for a mic. Then send the output to your amp and you're up and running.

Don't expect vocals to sound good through the amp you have; you'll hear them, but guitar amps are not voiced for vocals. PA speakers are and they will sound better. But for messing about at home this will work and isn't too pricey.

[dannyg1]

What you're asking is possible and can sound quite good but you'll need to temper any expectations you may have about reaching a high level of volume. Feedback is very likely to be hard to control at what many would think as a 'usable' level.

I can say the above because I have worked with both the G1 and G2 versions of the Vox mini in exactly this way, outdoors, on the streets. I currently use a Vox mini5 rhythm as my back-up amp, so I guess I'm still doing this currently.

Choosing your mic carefully is the best idea. You're going to be using a dynamic mic but it has be a very sensitive one and it has to be pretty well made to be useful. That rules out pretty much any standard cobalt or ferrite magnet dynamic - you'll be using a neodymium based mic, most universally known as the Shure Beta series mics. A Beta 57a is your best bet but does cost more than your amp. You're also going to need a line matching transformer for the mic channel of your amp, because it's made for consumer level (-20db) mics, none of which you'll be able to use successfully.

http://www.amazon.com/CP8201-Microph.../dp/B0002CZYFC

If the price of the mic is too much, have a look at old EV mics like the ND257. EV invented/introduced the use of neodymium as driver magnets in microphones and their earliest versions, introduced in 1979-80 (I think) were gee-whiz products for them and were voiced to sound very much like condensor mics. They later found that with the capsules sprung lightly, the mics were too fragile for knockabout use, so they slowly made them sound more like the competition. You'll want an early version. They're available used in the $50 range for particularly clean examples and work very nicely.

You'll probably be placing the mic very near the 12th fret and having the mic trained more-directly toward your mouth. Your level on the mic channel will be well cranked and, as I said, feedback will limit how far you can push it. The feedback will most probably be of the low frequency variety and will blow up your speaker in only a moment, so be careful.

If you

[ricdoug]

The Mini3 is a small sized amp similiar to a Roland Microcube. I use a cheap headset microphone with mine:

http://www.frys.com/product/6460952

A Woody will work fine if your guitar has steel core strings:

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Seymour-...hole-Pickup.gc

For Acoustic guitar set the amp to Line. The Gain Control now becomes a Bass control, the Tone control becomes the Treble control and the Master control becomes the Volume Control. The Trim control is the Microphone Volume:

http://www.voxshowroom.com/ct/manuals/Mini3.pdf

[dannyg1]

There are two types of amplified sound being recommended here and there are decided advantages to each. The Vox Mini3 G2 is a useful amp for busking and really small venues but it really cant get loud enough without breaking up under the most typical conditions. It should be said that, In my experience at least, there aren't many battery powered amps that can get loud enough.

The Roland KC110, AC33, The Vox Mini 5 are all better than the Mini 3 but have the same basic, underpowered, problem. From what I hear the Roland Street Cube EX is the first Roland that can make the grade. The Crate Taxi I own is loud enough but not a very versatile sound shaper and has no reverb, which means that in any given situation, it sounds either pretty good or pretty terrible and you have to change your spot to create enough of a change to make that difference. Having enough power though is probably more important.

Back to the two types of presented sound:

Using one mic, as you're asking about here, creates an ambient centric sound that comes across as being very honest and real. Audiences respond extremely well to this sound and, though you're very limited in overall level, it's such a surprisingly beautiful sound that people will actually stop to listen to you, even strain to hear you, because they're so surprised by how uncommonly good the sound is.

Plugging a pickup in and then a mic for your vocal can also sound very good (and has the huge advantage of far higher final output levels) but does not sound real in the same way at all. It makes a sound most people are very used to and it has a kind of beauty of its own.

Using both sounds is the best idea IMHO. Go for the plugged in sound when the world is loud and active and you have to cut through a high noise floor, but when things quiet down and it gets to be later at night, thaty one mic/ambient sound is impossible to beat.