Adding Percussion to Live Setup

Goat Mick · #1 05-09-2022, 07:42 AM

I'm a solo acoustic performer that uses mainly a Bose S1 Pro and occasionally either a Fishman Loudbox Artist or Performer. I want to add some minimal percussion to my set up so I ordered a Peterman Puck'N Stompa from Australia after hearing a solo performer use one on a cruise ship. The Peterman is similar to a Porchboard or Logjam type unit except it is housed in a repurposed hockey puck and is extremely sensitive. The guy I saw was literally just picking his foot up and laying it back on the unit to get percussion. Everything I've tried previously I've had to stomp the crap out of to get any sound.

So the question is what is the easiest way to integrate this into my live setup? I can probably use the Aux In on the Loudboxes but I'm not sure about the S1 and I really don't want to lug around a mixer. Ideas?

jricc · #2 05-09-2022, 08:47 AM

Hi Mick. I used to use a foot stomp (not a Peterman), small hunk of wood and I remember having to hit it pretty hard lol and so I stopped using it. I ran it out of the aux of the Fishman Artist so it had it's own vol control.

Regarding the S1, I'm guessing you could use it in the 3rd aux channel with a 1/4" to 1/8" cable, and it'll have it's own vol. Or if you use any kind of pedal, couldn't you run it into that?

Hope this helps.

Goat Mick · #3 05-09-2022, 09:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jricc

Hi Mick. I used to use a foot stomp (not a Peterman), small hunk of wood and I remember having to hit it pretty hard lol and so I stopped using it. I ran it out of the aux of the Fishman Artist so it had it's own vol control.

Regarding the S1, I'm guessing you could use it in the 3rd aux channel with a 1/4" to 1/8" cable, and it'll have it's own vol. Or if you use any kind of pedal, couldn't you run it into that?

Hope this helps.

Thanks jricc! I've had a hard time with them too, but I tried this one out into the guitar channel of my Loudbox Mini and seriously all you have to do is lay your foot on it to get sound. No stomping at all. I think the Aux In on my Artist and Performer will work great, I'm just looking for options if I have to make do with two inputs. I'm ordering a 1/4" to 1/8" TS cable now for the Aux of the S1 Pro. I wonder if an ABY box would allow me to do the stomp box and guitar into the same channel.

jricc · #4 05-09-2022, 11:46 AM

I think an ABY box would work. But having the Peterman in it's own channel might allow for more vol control.
BTW, the Peterman sounds pretty cool, a nice thump...my stomp is a much higher pitched hollow sound.

Let us know how it works out.

shufflebeat · #5 05-09-2022, 01:03 PM

I don't know that box, probably should have checked it out beforehand but this would be relevant to other stomps so I'll rattle on.

I seem to include a recommendation for the Boss GE-7 in every post now, and in this case it could be an ideal interface between a stomp and the s1 for two reasons:

If it's a piezo based unit, as many of them are, and it doesn't have a built in preamp, which many of them don't, then the GE-7 would present it with a nice high impedance input which could make all the difference to the sound, particularly the bottom end.

The s1 has a weird frequency response which sometimes makes it sound a bit bloated in the bass, usually when listening close up. There is some serious (expensive) technology in there that I wouldn't want to stress by hitting it with a massive initial transient either at frequencies which can't be heard but can do serious damage when a tiny speaker tries in vain to reproduce them, or are audible and play into that perceived "boatedness".

Also, you have an easily accessible volume control.

Just a thought.

shufflebeat · #6 05-09-2022, 02:21 PM

A couple of questions have come to me so I'll post them here to remind me to explore:

I've had a couple of small b/t speakers with "aux" inputs where there's a measurable latency on the wired input, as though it's going through some digital processing. This isn't a problem when playing backing tracks through b/t or wired but a live performance would be problematic. I don't know if the s1 has a similar issue (b/t and aux share a channel) but I'll have a look.

If memory serves the jack input on the s1 is TRS with L/R signals summed to mono, unless the s1 is linked to another in stereo. This might (or might not) cause a problem if a certain combination of TS and TRS plugs are used to connect an instrument to the aux input.

More to follow when time allows, unless someone else can answer in the meantime.