OK... What Am I Missing?

[Doug Young]

Originally Posted by calvanesebob

I am just using the effects from the 30M. Just trying to keep it simple in case I start going to open mic nights in the future.

Hmm, are you trying to record or just trying to decide on a pickup for open mics? If the latter, then how it sounds in headphones or recorded is irrelevant. All that matters is how you sound thru an amp or PA. The PA at the open mic will sound different from yours, and you likely won't have any effects on. Some open mics won't even let you bring your own preamp/DI. If you're trying to dial in your sound for an open mic, I'd use the setup that most closely matches the open mic scenario to evaluate. People won't be listening to you in headphones or hearing the direct pickup sound.

[calvanesebob]

Originally Posted by sam.spoons

A decent, well placed, mic in a good room (almost never a domestic living room) will always sound best but if you need to record a DI from the pickup then it can be done and sound very good. I would suggest the K&K teamed with a Tone Dexter preamp. I use a BigTone piezo bridge on my gypsy jazz guitar through a Tone Dexter and the sound is almost indistinguishable to the miked sound*. Getting the right IR (wave map in TD terminology) is potentially a bit of a process but definitely possible and well worth the effort.

* Different too rather than inferior, the missing room ambience gives the TD sound away compared to a mic recording.

I was watching some video's on the TD and it seems to me like you need to be able to get a good mic'd sound first. My apartment is very reflective and I can not really get a good mic's sound. Plus even if I could, I would imagine that it would only sound good for the room that I created that sound for, so would have to set it up for different rooms all the time.

Not sure how true that is, but that is what I am thinking watching those video's. I'm not looking to get a perfect match of my guitar mic'd. Just trying to get a good acoustic sound for open mic's and recording.

[calvanesebob]

Originally Posted by Doug Young

Hmm, are you trying to record or just trying to decide on a pickup for open mics? If the latter, then how it sounds in headphones or recorded is irrelevant. All that matters is how you sound thru an amp or PA. The PA at the open mic will sound different from yours, and you likely won't have any effects on. Some open mics won't even let you bring your own preamp/DI. If you're trying to dial in your sound for an open mic, I'd use the setup that most closely matches the open mic scenario to evaluate. People won't be listening to you in headphones or hearing the direct pickup sound.

I would like to start recording again as well as start going to open mic's again. The open mic's I used to frequent, I know all the hosts and they where always happy to let me setup my gear, and even use it themselves and for other performers. I've always owned quality gear and mine was usually better than theirs... lol

[StrumChi]

Short answer : PA speakers do color the sound. Some monitors are considered the standard for not doing this.