Suggestions/Help - solo acoustic setup

Warren Gilmour · #1 05-25-2022, 03:31 PM

Hi All – looking for some suggestions in simplifying my setup. I’m currently at the analysis/paralysis stage at the moment..haha! I play solo acoustic/vocals. The TCH Harmony singer gives me a little reverb/eq on the vocals. I’d like a little on the guitar as well.

My chain is:
D18 with a K&K mini >Boss TU2>Wah Pedal>TC Helicon Harmony Singer 2>Fender Smolder Acoustic OD Pedal>Ditto Looper X2
I have a Bose L1C and also a recently acquired Yamaha 10MG XU which I’ve been using for effects (mainly reverb on the guitar and some eq). I’ve been having some feedback/clipping issues of late when practicing at home.

Would I be better suited in getting a reverb pedal, skipping the mixer and going into the L1C or getting a DI box and going into the mixer then into the L1C?

Thanks

rokdog49 · #2 05-25-2022, 05:13 PM

I’m probably the wrong guy to answer your question .
Here’s my chain:
Any one of my three acoustics and Tele wirelessly into a MG10XU into a Bose S1.
Then, a wireless microphone into the mixer or straight into the Bose.
Sometimes, if I want to get really simple I just run the two guitars into a Fire Eye Red Eye Twin Pre amp wirelessly and short cable into the Bose. Again, the wireless mike into the S1.
The mixer is for extra EQ and effects.
I had the TC Harmony singer…sold it and a bunch of pedals.
Simplicity is my friend

nostatic · #3 05-25-2022, 05:30 PM

It totally depends on what you're trying to accomplish. Some guys run straight in, others have a bunch of pedals.

Live I do some looping (more or less depending on the gig), and use a Play Acoustic for vocal harmony and some reverb on the vox. For guitar I would typically use my pedalboard (which doubles on some bass gigs):

OM28eMD -> Sonic Research tuner -> Wampler Ego -> EHX Pitchfork -> Cog 66 (od) -> TC SCF Gold -> Strymon El Capistan -> TC Impulse -> TC Ditto+ -> Play Acoustic -> Udo DeCapo amp -> K8/K10 (if needed).

The El Cap is always on, the other pedals get used sparingly. I like running into the Udo as I then have 3-band eq on vox and guitar before sending out to K8 or K10 if I need more volume.

I have a small mixer but don't use it if I can get away without it. I prefer to have my signal being "complete" before heading to the amp, then it is just fine tuning at the last stage. One concern with the L1C would be only having 2-band eq.

I find the effects on inexpensive mixers to be typically not great, so if I really want good delay or reverb, I'm going to dedicate a pedal to that. To me the mixer is mostly about balancing relative volumes and ideally having some eq if needed and/or routing monitors. In my setup the Udo ends up being my monitor.

YamahaGuy · #4 05-25-2022, 08:11 PM

Can you explain your feedback/clipping issues more? Is the guitar feeding back? Always or just using certain pedals? I imagine it definitely does when using the overdrive pedal. That will surely happen with most acoustic-electric guitars.

What channel are you running your guitar chain into the MG10XU with? 1, 2, how high is your gain? Are you using a pad? Is the hi pass filter engaged? Is the feedback from a low frequency? Have you tried rolling off bass with eq. How are you going from the MG10XU to the L1C? XlR to XLR or XLR to rca?

I have more questions than answers. Sorry.

A DI box is another expense and part of the chain the mixer 'should' eliminate the need for if you use the proper input and set your gain staging properly.

I used the same mixer with the L1C for awhile. I used dual XLR to dual RCA to the L1C.

The guitar input on the Bose is pre EQ'd for a raw guitar signal and the mic input is pre EQ'd for vocals.

Sometimes less is more.

If you're using reverb to get a fuller sound, delay may be what you're looking for. No. 11 on that mixer is great for vocals and guitar. A little bit will do ya.

Take a pic of your guitar hookup to mixer and mixer to L1C. And gain staging on the mixer and Bose. Maybe I could offer better advice with that information.

rmp · #5 05-26-2022, 04:50 AM

for Clipping, I'm goin with what Yamaha Guy mentions.

check the attenuator (usually labeled as GAIN) on your channel's input on the yamaha.

you might be running them too hot.

Try Less Gain on each channel and push on the slider's up to level off the desired volume may do the trick

I take a more simpler approach too (less is more)

A little bit of compression into my tonedexter, to a 7band EQ, then a holy grail neo and sometimes a delay, the last thing in the chain is the looper, then off to the board

Warren Gilmour · #6 05-26-2022, 08:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by YamahaGuy

Can you explain your feedback/clipping issues more? Is the guitar feeding back? Always or just using certain pedals? I imagine it definitely does when using the overdrive pedal. That will surely happen with most acoustic-electric guitars.

What channel are you running your guitar chain into the MG10XU with? 1, 2, how high is your gain? Are you using a pad? Is the hi pass filter engaged? Is the feedback from a low frequency? Have you tried rolling off bass with eq. How are you going from the MG10XU to the L1C? XlR to XLR or XLR to rca?

I have more questions than answers. Sorry.

A DI box is another expense and part of the chain the mixer 'should' eliminate the need for if you use the proper input and set your gain staging properly.

I used the same mixer with the L1C for awhile. I used dual XLR to dual RCA to the L1C.

The guitar input on the Bose is pre EQ'd for a raw guitar signal and the mic input is pre EQ'd for vocals.

Sometimes less is more.

If you're using reverb to get a fuller sound, delay may be what you're looking for. No. 11 on that mixer is great for vocals and guitar. A little bit will do ya.

Take a pic of your guitar hookup to mixer and mixer to L1C. And gain staging on the mixer and Bose. Maybe I could offer better advice with that information.

Thanks for the detailed response. For a few of the songs I play, I like to loop the chord progression of the song and then play a solo over it...so I like to have the drive and wah pedals onboard. Just adds a little variety to a 3 hour gig. Initially i was just connecting guitar to pedal board then pedal board to L1C and not having any issues (other than the lack of reverb/delay etc) My issue (feedback, clipping) started when I connected the mixer which seemed to complicate things. I definitely like the less is more approach as well. I added the mixer as I have a someone join me at times and to use the effects/EQ but I can’t seem to get the best results. It's a balance of setting gain, channel volume, master volume and then volume on the L1C.

I am running vocals into channel 1 and the guitar into channel 2. Gain for both is around 12:00 give or take a bit. Not using the PAD button on the mixer. I am running a 1/4" cable from the left channel out to the instrument input on the L1C with the tonematch button switched off (line level). Wondering if I should try your connection with the dual XLR out to RCA on the L1C. What would that get me over my current connection to the L1C? I'll try to take a pic of my connection/setup.

6L6 · #7 05-26-2022, 08:41 AM

I just plug my K&K equipped dread into my Fishman Performer or Mini amp and go.

I do keep a BOSS RV-3 Digital Delay/Reverb available for covers of Beach Boy tunes and "Wicked Game".

SM58 for the mic.

All I need.

lkingston · #8 05-26-2022, 11:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 6L6

I just plug my K&K equipped dread into my Fishman Performer or Mini amp and go.

I do keep a BOSS RV-3 Digital Delay/Reverb available for covers of Beach Boy tunes and "Wicked Game".

SM58 for the mic.

All I need.

Fishman, Elite Acoustics, Schertler, and AER amps all handle hi-z passive pickups really well. I’ve noticed that some of the budget acoustic amps do not.

Among PA systems, most with combo inputs will handle acoustic guitars with active pickups pretty well, but fail miserably (and sound overly bright and tinny) with any passive pickup.

An exception is the ElectroVoice 30M which has a special hi-Z input on channel 4 especially for passive pickups.

Goat Mick · #9 05-26-2022, 12:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Warren Gilmour

I am running vocals into channel 1 and the guitar into channel 2. Gain for both is around 12:00 give or take a bit. Not using the PAD button on the mixer. I am running a 1/4" cable from the left channel out to the instrument input on the L1C with the tonematch button switched off (line level). Wondering if I should try your connection with the dual XLR out to RCA on the L1C. What would that get me over my current connection to the L1C? I'll try to take a pic of my connection/setup.

I've had the best luck running a mixer with my L1C by going from the mixer into the XLR input on the L1C. It seems to give a much richer and more musical tone. It also seems to increase the volume capability of the L1C.

YamahaGuy · #10 05-26-2022, 07:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Warren Gilmour

Thanks for the detailed response. For a few of the songs I play, I like to loop the chord progression of the song and then play a solo over it...so I like to have the drive and wah pedals onboard. Just adds a little variety to a 3 hour gig. Initially i was just connecting guitar to pedal board then pedal board to L1C and not having any issues (other than the lack of reverb/delay etc) My issue (feedback, clipping) started when I connected the mixer which seemed to complicate things. I definitely like the less is more approach as well. I added the mixer as I have a someone join me at times and to use the effects/EQ but I can’t seem to get the best results. It's a balance of setting gain, channel volume, master volume and then volume on the L1C.

I am running vocals into channel 1 and the guitar into channel 2. Gain for both is around 12:00 give or take a bit. Not using the PAD button on the mixer. I am running a 1/4" cable from the left channel out to the instrument input on the L1C with the tonematch button switched off (line level). Wondering if I should try your connection with the dual XLR out to RCA on the L1C. What would that get me over my current connection to the L1C? I'll try to take a pic of my connection/setup.

Running from the 1/4" out into the line-in connection isn't terrible, but I always preferred going out from the mixer with XLR to have a nice balanced signal. Not sure if you're using a TRS (stereo) 1/4" cable or not. I've run that route and it works.

As for gain staging, I set each individual channel level on the mixer to unity (the notch where the little triangle indicator is). I do the same for the mixer's master volume. Gain on each channel...I try not to go much past 11 o'clock never past 1 o'clock.

I hope you can get it dialed in.