TC Helicon FX150 to speaker?
 

I have a couple of gigs in very noisy places with oddly shaped rooms, low ceilings, etc. I have tried line array systems in the past and while they were great for certain rooms, in others where the overall volume needed to be quite loud, I've had feedback nightmares that were mainly solved by moving the speaker out in front of me, which made the whole use-as-a-monitor thing useless.

I currently am using a Soundcraft mixer and a Yamaha DBR10 speaker, but at one very noisy venue in particular the speaker needs to be at least 3 feet in front of me and angled straight ahead to prevent feedback. I can't hear what's coming out of the speaker and need some sort of monitor.

I am considering the TC Helicon FX150, especially if it means hauling around less gear. Can I plug my mic and guitar directly into it and run a line out to the Yamaha speaker, and not use the Soundcraft mixer at all? Would I still need to use my stompbox preamp for the guitar?

Thanks for any help or advice.

1) Sure you can send a line out to a speaker or to the PA
2) Don't know if it works for any guitar, but I have two guitars with passive piezo UST and they both work well with the voicesolo FX150 without a preamp pedal (even though I normally use one with them....)

You don't need an external preamp, you can go straight to FX150 which has HiZ input for passive pickups.

The TC Helicon Play Acoustic pedal uses a 1MOhm input impedance for the guitar input. I'm not sure what the FX150 uses, but it could very well be the same.

I've had an FX150 for a while and over time I find I don't use it much at all. I kinda keep it around in storage in case I need a spare small speaker. It's not a bad sounding piece of gear but I prefer a Loudbox Mini or my AER Compact 60 for this kind of set-up because you get an on board power supply. FWIW I dislike the wall wart supply that comes with the FX150.

Thank you all for your help!

Are you using your Compact 60 as a monitor? I am currently saving up for one to use at smaller/less noisy gigs but was worried it might cause too much feedback if used as a monitor. Could I use the Compact 60 as a mixer too and run a line out to my Yamaha speaker?

Yes sometimes I use the Compact 60 as a monitor and run the line out to a PA system. You can do the same thing with your powered Yamaha speaker. The mixing section is good quality.

Other times I find the Compact 60 can cover a pretty big room all by itself and it does it well.

You'll find a lot of happy Compact 60 owners here on these forums. It's a great little amp. I've played a noisy restaurant with nothing but a Compact 60 where an FX150 wouldn't have been powerful enough.

Feedback shouldn't be a problem. At least it hasn't been for me. I'm using an Anthem SL pickup system and I've played the Compact 60 very loud without feedback problems when it was sitting a few feet behind me.

Yes sometimes I use the Compact 60 as a monitor and run the line out to a PA system. The 2 channel mixer built in to the Compact 60 is excellent. You can mix with the Compact 60 and run the line out to your powered Yamaha speaker.

Other times I find the Compact 60 can cover a pretty big room all by itself and with good coverage and natural acoustic tone.

You'll find a lot of happy Compact 60 owners here on these forums. It's a great little amp. Feedback has not been a problem for me using an Anthem SL equipped guitar.

That's great, thanks! I assumed if it was behind me I'd have feedback problems.

I don't want to use much of my savings to buy a monitor but do need something viable to use until I have enough for the AER. I might just get a second-hand Mackie/Behringer personal monitor copy and re-sell it once I have the AER.

I think the advantage of the TC Helicon product is the vocal processing. Many of us like the AER for guitars, but not for vocals. Maybe a used FX150 would suit your budget?

Again, I'd recommend a Fishman Mini as an interim purchase. It will cover the same jobs as the Compact 60 and sound better than the FX150. I gigged with a Mini before I bought my AER. I like the AER better but I never hated using the Mini. It punches above it's weight.

After I bought my Compact 60 it was easy to sell my Fishman Mini on eBay. It's a very popular amplifier. You can prolly find a used Mini for cheap. Another advantage of getting a Mini is the legendary Fishman customer service. They have a single flat rate price for all repairs and it's reasonable.

The personal spot monitors on the market leave a lot to be desired in terms of power and sound quality. The Mini sounds better. I couldn't gig in a noisy room with an FX150 but I wouldn't hesitate to do it with a Mini or a Compact 60. I think of the Mini as the budget version of the Compact 60.

Thank you both! I actually often use a TC Helicon Mic Mechanic so probably don't need the vocal processing that the FX150 gives you, though it would be nice to have one less thing to bring and set up.

A 2nd hand Fishman mini is just a bit more expensive than a 2nd hand FX150 here. It looks like I could play smaller gigs with just the Fishman, so that is probably a good way for me to go until I can afford the AER.

Thanks again! :)

It's same thing I did. I used my Fishman Mini for gigs and saved for a Compact 60. If you've never used a Mini you may be pleasantly surprised.

The difference between us is nobody told me so I bought an FX150 first and was disappointed. I'm glad if I saved you from a similar disappointment.

Like you I have a mic mechanic and a powered monitor with vocal processing seemed like a cool idea. My advice is stick with the Mic Mechanic. Better interface.

Unfortunately the FX150 interface is clunky. They came up with an idea for a one knob interface where you select what the knob controls from menus. I just want to be able reach over and turn a knob quickly. Sometimes in between chords. Can't do that when you have to fuss with menus. I like the Mic Mechanic a lot and wanted to love the FX150 but couldn't. Like the Compact 60 the Fishman Mini is deceptively powerful providing better coverage than you'd expect. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Have fun with your music!