First rehearsal with my new pedalboard setup including Soundcraft Notepad 8-FX
Hi everyone -
I can't turn anything up loud enough at home to tell how this will sound at gig volume, so I am taking it to practice with me where I can run it into my QSC K12 and turn it up a bit. Gibson J-29 with LR Baggs Element into the Fishman Aura 16, BBE compressor, Danelectro Fish 'N Chips EQ, Boss RC-1 looper, and the Soundcraft mixer. At home at low volume, I'm not real happy with the Soundcraft. The reverb isn't terribly good from what I can tell so far. It feels a bit cheap - but the price is low, so that is to be expected. We will se how it sounds at gig volume, but if it's a no-go, it will go back to Sweetwater and I will shell out some more cash to move up to the Allen & Heath Zed i10fx. I'll try it with the band, but the main focus will be when we are done with practice seeing how it sounds for solo acoustic and vocals. Here's the rough setup. Nothing here is set in stone. https://i.imgur.com/YdNpB7dl.jpg Wish me luck! big jilm |
At least the Soundcraft fits on your pedalboard and with some of the pedals you have, you may be able to dial in a sound that you'll be happy with. Good luck, I hope it works out for you.
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Is that (in the pic) where you set the FX level on channel one? I try to have the dial at "0" which looks to be around 2 o'clock. Perhaps that may help. On my Yamaha MG8CX, I start with the FX level at the "0" location, then dial up or down the parameter on the effect. If that doesn't help...
...it looks like there's plenty of room for a reverb pedal there. I read great things about the MXR digital reverb. I'm happy with my TC Electronic Arena (similar to Hall of Fame). I bet a mini Hall of Fame would be just the ticket to satisfy your reverb desires. |
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What I really learned today was that I absolutely hate the LR Baggs Element in my J-29. I simply can’t stand piezo pickups at all. I hate every one I have ever tried. Even with the Aura pedal helping some, I can’t stand the attack and brittle sounds I always hear coming out of the speaker. Strident and so unlike my guitar. My band mates thought it sounded pretty good, but I can’t live with it. I don’t know if I should try a Lyric, or a K&K Pure Western, or just try to mic it with something like a K&K Meridian. I’ll do some research here on the forum, I guess. Anyway, I’m gonna mess with the Soundcraft some more and see if I want to keep it or send it back for the Allen and Heath. I really wanted to try the Zed i6fx, but the lack of a mid knob turned me off. The i10fx would be great, but it’s getting bigger than I would like. |
I'm not familiar with the Gibson J-29, but I'm guessing it has a bone saddle in it. My buddy had a Washburn with a bone saddle in it and the piezo sounded awful. I swapped the bone and for a plastic saddle and that helped tame the piezo harshness. Easier to swap a $5 saddle than a couple hundred for a pickup system. Best of luck. Glad you got the reverb dialed a little better.
If you ever wanna have some fun, try running your vocals through the guitar effects. It has made me want to make a separate pedal board just for vocals. |
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If I may: I would also use the Aura Spectrum pedal which would give you EQ, compression and a tuner. I’d also use a Ditto x2 looper. Doing this would cut your board in half or give you room for more pedals or a larger mixer.
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An update for those who may be following:
Messing with the rig today at low coffee shop levels at home, I find the Soundcraft isn't bad. I started singing through my AKG 214 condenser, and the vocals sound about a thousand times better than they did with my old yell-for-rock-voice SM58, which always sounds murky with my baritone voice. I switched to a J-45 Aura patch on my Fishman pedal, and it sounds a lot better with my J-29 than the previous patch did. I was using a Martin spruce/rosewood HD-28 patch that I felt sounded the most like my guitar, but it was so woofy through the mixer and speaker that it was an issue. I am still thinking that I will get on the change-my-pickup train (as futile as that may end up) pretty soon. Overall, the mixer is pretty cool. I am still trying to get my head around how the reverb works, but I am dialing it in pretty nicely right now. I don't think I am in love with the reverb, but I no longer hate it at all. I am most concerned with the reverb for vocals. I love the size of it and that it fits on my Pedaltrain. The mic preamp seems decent, though I am no expert. I am liking how my vocals sound right now with my AKG through the Soundcraft into the QSC K12. Sure blows my old Fishman Loudbox Performer out of the water. I like the fact that it has a mid control, unlike the Allen & Heath Zed 6fx which is the other one I was considering. Plus, the Soundcraft is smaller and lighter (and likely more cheaply built). I am thinking I will keep the mixer as of now, but I am still messing with it. I can say that while I was playing and singing, I was inspired by the sound... I can tell that I was feeling it, because every time I really dig a tone I start playing some cover and end up morphing it into a songwriting session, so there's that. |
Like you, I'm still experimenting with the vocal reverb of the Soundcraft NP8fx. I've been setting the master aux and parameter at about 1:00 and the channel aux around 10:00 which I really liked.
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