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Small gig Mic/Amp set up

piro 18 May 2013

Hey I have been working with a really excellent set up this past month and i thought i'd share it with you. I play a lot of Acoustic Bass and I have been using my bass rig to amp the vibes. It ain't cheap but it is really superior for gigs with no FOH or PA set up.

Check it out: first the microphones 2 (but one works really great too) DPA 4099's with the bass mount stuck under the instrument into the bottom of a resonator.These mics are the best vibe mics I have found for rejection and handling the massive dynamic output of a Vibraphone. Look them up they are simply the best live mic for almost ANY instrument. The Mics go into an Acoustic Image Focus III amp (800 watts) which has 2 channels that blend. Each has EQ and a simple effects group (reverb chorus delay...but only one at a time...I dont use it much) the Focus goes into a Euphonics Audio wizzy 10 a fantastic 15lb cabinet that is perfect for vibes. When I play acoustically with a group it sounds good to me but to the audience the omnidirectional sound of a Vibe dissipates the sound. With even a little signal from this rig the sound is projected straight out toward the audience.

On another note I have been experimenting with an old Ayotte pick up system that I bought way back in the day and I have just taken all those pickups off. The DPA's sound WAY WAY better and there are only 2 of them without the massive headache of 37 little delicate plugs and cords and balancing the sound and that horrible contact sound (although the KK pickups...the little ones are not too bad...)I suppose if I were playing with a really loud band...even then the DPA's are just so much better, more even and allow you to play with dynamics.

This whole amp set up is super small and compact and very powerful. Anybody else finding success with this kind of setup?

Comments

tonymiceli Sun, 05/19/2013 - 09:28

i always thought a bass amp would be good for the vibes. we don't need the real high end, but we need the mids and what lows we have to cut through. you agree?

piro Tue, 05/21/2013 - 14:09

I kind of agree.
This bass amp and speaker are full range. I think that where the bass amp comes into play is in the headroom. I have just done a week of gigs with this set up, some solo gigs and some with a trio and it really shines. People in the audience tell me over and over that when I turn off the amp (because it seems well balanced and LOUD on stage) the vibes just disappear into a wash. With the amp, I can hear myself first (also a problem with playing bass) And this set up is so small yet powerful that it is not too much extra to carry.
The DPA 4099 in the bottom of the resonator, kills as a quiet low profile. I've been using one for small gigs and just on the bottom end and it really kills.

jbb Thu, 08/22/2013 - 18:34

Hey Piro ,
I hear you about the quest for the perfect set up , so it's interesting to hear about
your experience and i certainly will check this dpA mics...my 2 cents into this issue is that
it seems now I run less and less into problems hearing myself using whatever is there , the house
PA or for small places , no mics at all , I think one of the main thing is that the cats playing with you really pay attention to dynamics and sometimes they need to be reminded of that..but boy
if you have a drummer that really knows how to play the room , it goes a long way.
on the tech end , I often bring with me a Rode stereo mic (NT 4) , in case the house mics don't cut it and I really like it , I use it in the studio too , sometimes together wit a pair of large diaphragm mics.

piro Fri, 08/23/2013 - 10:51

JBB,
To be sure, and I am blessed with some really sensitive wonderful melodic drummers with whom I play. The system I use, I bought as an alternative to the ubiquitous GK 150 bass amp (the smallest bass amp that still sounds decent) and despite the fact that I have owned it for 10 years, I didn't really plug the vibes into it until recently but as I use it more (even as just a monitor with minimal volume) just getting the sound to be directional (coming from the speaker) instead of omnidirectional (like acoustic vibes are) changes the way I play....I remember Gary talking about investing in a couple of mics and a small PA way back at Berklee...But more importantly I keep hearing from people in the audience that the moment I turn on the amp they can HEAR the vibes like the sax. When I ask them what they were hearing before it is always the same answer, that the vibes are not as distinct, that the sound floats around in a wash (or that I am slamming the bars and they are shrill) What I am really trying to get to is a place where I NEVER hammer the bars for volume....Playing vibe bars for tone and allowing the amp or PA to fill in the missing volume just sounds better to me and I am able to keep way better control of my relaxation and dynamics. This would all be moot if I was playin on big stages at symphony halls with a sound guy...but I don't generally.
I really like the Rode Stereo mic too....I bought a portable recording rig some time ago (Apogee Duet into laptop with a Stereo Mic) and I auditioned the Rode but went with 2 condensers for versatility (although they are way more of a pain for live recording and I am thinking about that stereo mic again) A single stereo mic well placed can get a great band sound live and make a really nice recording.

piro Thu, 08/22/2013 - 13:41

Im just gunna keep posting stuff even though it feels like im talkin to myself....don't you cats ever write anything?
I did some experimenting recently with a pair of headphones into my mixer listening to how the mics sound in different places...and to be sure above the bars sounds way better, fuller richer more fundamental less overtones and slap and frame noise. So I got a couple of cymbal stands and mounted the mics on them. The sound is much better but the shlep and set up is an extra drag. I thought about trying to figure out some way of mounting them on the frame (like the AMT's) but I always hear frame noise and slap that way (kinda like the unpleasant part of the sound of pickups) plus it looks weird. I play a lot of gigs where there is no sound system or sound man and before I just committed to bringing the amp set up and mics, I was always unhappy, unable to hear myself, overplaying to make up for it, tense, feeling off the front line. But now I find myself able to really dial into the expressiveness of the instrument. Is there anyone else out there bringing this kind of setup to gigs? What do you cats do?

tonymiceli Fri, 08/23/2013 - 22:46

don't confuse people not commenting with no interest. 500 people have read your post. if they have nothing to say they don't say anything. and also some people are shy and whenever someone says, 'don't you cats ever write anything', well that doesn't help. just sayin!!!!!!

let's hear you play with this set up. post something so we hear you and hear the result! we want to hear the expressiveness of the instrument!! so please post something!

i have a really good bass rig. i forgot what it is, i'm away from home. but it's great and i bought from a bass player who owns a store. i have used it with the vibes. i always think we don't want lots of highs so a bass rig is actually pretty good right for us. so i think. most of the time though i'm just going through a pa system!

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