Gigger's one-mic mic

[Methos1979]

Originally Posted by LiveMusic

So, you had no luck with Bose S1 but say it worked great otherwise, what was otherwise? TIA!

The 'otherwise' was the first part of my post where I said the mic was purchased specifically for use for live streaming. In other words, the mic was connected directly to the recording device so no amplification. In our case this was iRig Pro that provided phantom power and then direction into a Macbook Air for ZOOM open mics.

[MikeBmusic]

One thing not mentioned regarding one mic guitar + vocals: YOUR vocal style! Do you sing everything consistently at the same volume? Most singers don't - some times, you're louder, sometimes softer, depending on the song, rhythm, range, etc. That's where a good singer has the technique to get closer or further from a vocal-only mix during a song to keep things balanced.

[nostatic]

Originally Posted by MikeBmusic

One thing not mentioned regarding one mic guitar + vocals: YOUR vocal style! Do you sing everything consistently at the same volume? Most singers don't - some times, you're louder, sometimes softer, depending on the song, rhythm, range, etc. That's where a good singer has the technique to get closer or further from a vocal-only mix during a song to keep things balanced.

There are singers and then there are singers. During part of my misspent youth I sang bass in a full choir and vocal ensemble. Especially in the latter, you learned to control your volume lest you incur the wrath of the director. So actually there are a couple different skill sets involved - using your voice (instrument) unamplified in an ensemble (be it a guitar or other singers), and using your voice (instrument) with a mic (another instrument).

[gfa]

Originally Posted by Robin, Wales

I've used a single large diaphragm condenser mic' for loads of gigs in different venues with our bluegrass band. We used a cheap Rode NT1a, and it worked well.

Now the "tricks": speakers go in front of the mic' not behind. No monitors. Try to avoid having a reflective surface behind the band (crowd noise will bounce off the back wall and into the mic'). EQ the room: turn up mic' until it feeds back then tap down that frequency on the e/q. Turn it up again so that the second room frequency feeds back and tap that one down. Then back the mic' off a notch. Buy the sound guy/girl a beer and tell them to sit back and enjoy the set as they won't have anything to do.

BTW. My next p/a kit purchase will be an ETL mic'.

My experience is similar to this. Vocals, guitar X 2, mandolin, fiddle or cello, and drums. We use an ETL Josephine and sometimes add a second LDC (Audio-Technica 40XX). Digital mixer (QSC touchmix) to ring out a couple of problematic frequencies and add lo/hi pass filters. RCF HD-32 speakers. No monitors. It won't generate enough volume in a noisy venue, but that's rarely a problem for us. Missing from this thread is that this is a really fun way to play!

[varmonter]

One mic for live sound has gained popularity.
Spawning no doubt from the bluegrass world where it adds a bit of "song and dance" to the act. Ive done it a few times myself with an AT4040 and it sounds great..you must choose your venue. Loud rowdy bars dont work.
Big stage bluegrass festivals get away with this by having great seperation between mic and speakers.. And a dedicated sound tech.
Ive used it as a solo artist in intimate settings
only . But i still prefer to have seperate control and eq for my vocals and guitar...
But thats just me..
The onemic always gives a bit of oldtimey vibe to a gig.. just sing over the top ofvthe mic to that pretty girl in the back...

[CASD57]

I can't wait for it to warm up...I want to try a One Condenser for both the vocal and guitar in my garage..
I do it for my recordings in the house but never tried it at volume..
I actual hear myself better being away from the Mic but of course thats in a small office. In my big 3 stall garage, it just might be a different story.

[Robin, Wales]

Originally Posted by CASD57

I can't wait for it to warm up...I want to try a One Condenser for both the vocal and guitar in my garage..
I do it for my recordings in the house but never tried it at volume..
I actual hear myself better being away from the Mic but of course thats in a small office. In my big 3 stall garage, it just might be a different story.

Hard walls and low roof in a garage space could give you a lot of feedback problems. When using a single mic' it pays to think about how you are going to stop reflective sound bouncing off anything behind you and back into the mic'. Realistically, in a venue the size of a 3 stall garage, you would perform with just you and guitar - no p/a at all - quite happily. Think of a single mic' and p/a as just a way to enhance natural acoustic volume, to give everything a bit of lift to suit larger spaces than you could comfortably play without a p/a. It is a very different approach to sound reinforcement than plug and play. It is not "instead of" plug and play but "different from".

[CASD57]

Originally Posted by Robin, Wales

Hard walls and low roof in a garage space could give you a lot of feedback problems. When using a single mic' it pays to think about how you are going to stop reflective sound bouncing off anything behind you and back into the mic'. Realistically, in a venue the size of a 3 stall garage, you would perform with just you and guitar - no p/a at all - quite happily. Think of a single mic' and p/a as just a way to enhance natural acoustic volume, to give everything a bit of lift to suit larger spaces than you could comfortably play without a p/a. It is a very different approach to sound reinforcement than plug and play. It is not "instead of" plug and play but "different from".

Thank You for the information... I never really though of it that way
I can sing pretty loud when I need too and the guitar can take care of itself..
When Summer finally hits I'm going to play out in the backyard on the patio and have my wife record me
I want to get a feel for no PA, just me and the guitar and how loud I can actually get.

[LiveMusic]

I have played a lot of back porch get togethers with no PA but I much prefer singing through a mic. My thinking is that my baritone voice seems well-suited for a mic and I like that I do not have to sing such that I feel like I am shouting. But I sure do like having the Fishman SA220 or Bose behind me serving as a monitor. That's how I play solo and everyone is saying this won't work with a one-mic setup, so, I guess I will just have to experiment in my game room with the mics that I have. That's the biggest room I have, it's maybe 400-500 sq ft.

[min7b5]

I recently purchased an Ear Trumpet Labs Delphina model for performances in my guitar duo with Jamie Stillway. In the past I had used the Edwina that belonged to some venues when traveling and liked it a lot. The Delphina looks like the Edwina but is actually voiced like the Myrtle model I believe -a little better for ensemble work.

Thanks to the pandemic, we’ve only done two shows with it, but it was truly fantastic. In both cases it was in a small room, with a good PA, and around fifty people who paid to sit and listen. In both cases we had the sound person remove all monitors. It’s hard to describe how great it can be to have two guitars playing into one microphone. We learned when making our album that the closer we sit together the more responsive we are to each other's dynamics -we just play way better when we’re up in each other's grill. The single mic forces you into that position, and you’re functioning as monitors for each other. I’m typically a little louder, so I’m moving in and out of the cardioid pattern as needed.. But that’s the whole beauty of this idea; you’re mixing yourselves organically in the moment.

At the first Fretboard Journal Summit show Mark Goldenberg and I opened up for Julian Lage and Chris Eldridge, and we had two separate microphones. And then Julian and Chris had just the one (u89 I believe), and two seconds after watching and listening to them work it I realized it’s time to go down to one mic for duos.

After the two shows Jamie and I have done with Delphia we had people coming up excited and asking us about the microphone, wondering if there was any other sound system happening… Lots of very positive feedback –no pun intended. Speaking of which, just a disclaimer, as someone that’s mostly used just microphones for performance for many years: there’s an enormous difference between playing a gig where people pay to sit and listen versus more of a backgound or loud bar gig. Sometimes people ask me about what microphones to use live, then they take it down to the local sports bar gig where everyone is talking while they're playing and end using my name in vain all night
https://www.eartrumpetlabs.com/produ...hones/delphina