Recording w/Fishman Powertap Earth

[MrErikJ]

Hey All!

As a fingerstyle guy, I figured it was high-time I get a youtube up and running and posted my first video yesterday. This was recorded as a live-take in a small studio and I thought it would be interesting to some of you as we partly recorded off of my Fishman Powertap Earth.

There's an AKG mic placed out front and, because the interface only had two inputs, we ran in the pickup as a secondary source mixed 50/50 mag/SBT. I couldn't tell you how much mic vs pickup you're hearing but we started with just pickup and was pretty happy with it and added mic because it seemed like the right thing to do lol



I'd like to compare this to the Rare Earth Blend, as I rather liked the RE Blend, but found it harder to manage. The Powertap SBT is good but the highs are slightly lacking, obviously a mic would do a better job there.

[VinceM]

Sadly the video is not working for me. Can you check it? Can't wait to hear!

[SongwriterFan]

I fixed the YouTube

[VinceM]

Thanks for fixing SongwriterFan!

The sound and the playing are both awesome! Love the rhythmic drive you've got going here! The direct sound is mixed really nicely with the microphone. This gives a nice strong articulation along with the natural ambience of the mic.

[MrErikJ]

Originally Posted by VinceM

Thanks for fixing SongwriterFan!

The sound and the playing are both awesome! Love the rhythmic drive you've got going here! The direct sound is mixed really nicely with the microphone. This gives a nice strong articulation along with the natural ambience of the mic.

Thank you! Glad you liked the song.

I like the Powertap and am curious how it’ll sound live. Through headphones and my GigMix, I feel the SBT is a little light in treble but speakers may improve that. I’m curious to try the RE Blend for comparison but either is really hard to beat in regards to simple setup, minimal impact, and stereo or mono options.

[Jinder]

That sounds GREAT! Superb playing and tone, really enjoyed listening. The PTE has gone straight on my wanted list. I liked my REB but found the mic a bit prone to woofy feedback, so this seems like a more workable live solution. I don’t do much in the way of body percussion but it’s useful to have the option when looping, and with an outboard mic in the mix for recording it’s a very useable recorded tone.

Did you use a stereo out to mix and EQ the SBT and mag separately or is the pickup a mono recording? I’m thinking as a stereo setup it would work marvellously with something like the EBS Stanley Clarke signature dual channel preamp.

[MrErikJ]

Originally Posted by Jinder

That sounds GREAT! Superb playing and tone, really enjoyed listening. The PTE has gone straight on my wanted list. I liked my REB but found the mic a bit prone to woofy feedback, so this seems like a more workable live solution. I don’t do much in the way of body percussion but it’s useful to have the option when looping, and with an outboard mic in the mix for recording it’s a very useable recorded tone.

Did you use a stereo out to mix and EQ the SBT and mag separately or is the pickup a mono recording? I’m thinking as a stereo setup it would work marvellously with something like the EBS Stanley Clarke signature dual channel preamp.

So, my intended use in live settings is to mix the sources separately through my EAS GigMix. However, for this recording, the videographer's interface only had two inputs so we used the mic in one and the Powertap Earth in the other. It was set to a 50/50 blend and he EQ'd and mixed it afterwards. I was pretty happy with the sound and hope it can be that good live!

I also thought the RE Blend was a bit unwieldy but I think something like the GigMix, with EQ and a HP filter, could probably make it work really well. I think the ideal setup would be the system Fishman made Jon Gomm for his signature Ibanez: A Rare Earth Blend with a Powertap wired on a second jack. The 3 together and EQ'd separately would be *chef's kiss*