If so, which pickup systems would be optimal?
I'm still not convinced by this Gold tone ABS system. I figure if I am playing small venues I can just sm57 inside the pot like I have been doing (though not happy with the volume of this currently and need to explore options, if adding a DI box would help?
I did have a thread about similar issues a while back but I think I've lost it, my apologies!
youtube.com/watch?v=QBfTVjHE4uA&t=630s
This seems interesting but not blown away by the sound, maybe it'd sound better if I could hear it myself rather than through his setup. It looks damn complex though.
I used to use a blender to balance a Fishman classical guitar transducer, double-stick taped on the head inside the pot, with a tiny Countryman mic on a small flexible gooseneck that gave me options for placement. The sound was present and real.
What's a 'blender'?
quote:
Originally posted by AppalachianEchoWhat's a 'blender'?
A blender is a preamp with inputs for both pickup and mic. The blender has controls that allow you to balance the volume of mic and pickup in order to maximize the positive characteristics and minimize feedback, as well as some of the less desirable sounds inherent in pickups. Pickups can sound rather harsh but they are more efficient. Mics can provide a good natural sound, but they can be prone to feedback.
The blender I used to use was a small external unit that sat on the floor of the stage. Today, it seems they are making them smaller to mount on your instrument.
https://www.fishman.com/portfolio/ellipse-matrix-blend-pickup-preamp-system/
I kept it simple when I was consistently gigging.
SM57 on the floor. Stick-on Piezo on the underside of my banjo head. Feed them into a Fishman Loudbox, add affects, and then that goes to a single XLR output to the mixer. Note: You can use any number of boxes/amps to blend the tone. Alternatively you can have 2 channels for banjo at the mixer. That decision is dependent on your overall reinforcement setup and also the preferences of the sound engineer.
For mixing, my base tone was mostly the piezo shaped by some EQ, compression, and reverb. For the SM57 signal, I kept it clean. I moved through a few techniques for mixing. One option is a volume pedal which gives you more fade and swell ability, but requires more brain power to work it while you're playing. Other option is a boost stompbox, which eliminates the ability to fade in/out but is much easier to work while playing. The last option, the one I finally settled on as "the best", was just stepping up to the SM57 for leads and step back for backup.
If you want to be able to move on stage, replace the SM57 with a clip-on mic. You'll need to have a boost or volume pedal for the mixing though, since you can't step up/back. My experience has shown that feedback is more of an issue with a clip mic.
It just works. No need to complicate things with fancy gadgets and hip mixers. Basically all pre-made systems are a variation of what I described above.
Edited by - KCJones on 08/15/2024 09:47:55
If you're playing small venues and aren't competing with electrics on stage, I would just get an at2020 or equivalent. It will be very natural, just have to watch for feedback and mic/ speaker placement.
Rick
Most gigs, for now, will be fairly small, but we are playing noisy open mics sometimes, and want to get used to using pickups / amplified sound for the future when we maybe get more members involved or cross into different genres.
I am also a big fan of that lovely wet / reverb rich sound where you can get a really ethereal banjo sound that resonates like it's playing in some big valley...I've been as I say using an sm57 in the pot which isn't working fantastically I think because of placement.
I'm about to make a post about the fact that I just bodged my Anthem SL onto my banjo with tape and it sounds fantastic to me...( i literally taped the piezo to the underside of the head under the bridge) and used blue-tac to stick the mic behind the head where I play on the strings... I know this is not a viable long term installment or setup but I wondered, and was going to ask people if such a thing were possible, and it seems to sound just fine to me...
I wonder if I had the Full anthem SL how much more flexibility I'd have as you could go full piezo or full mic right? Which would be useful if you had feedback issues. It seems with amplification there's so many pitfalls and traps... like a K&K mini just looks like a bunch of piezos stuck together... which you can buy ultra cheap on ebay ($5-10?) what are we paying for , the branding and slightly improved soldering?
(Correct me if I'm wrong but K&K are piezo pickups right?)
I use the fishman rare earth pick-up banjo pick up when I’m playing with noisy bands (with drums and electric instruments) with a fishman pre amp, when I’m playing in acoustic situations I use the DPA 4099 mic, very natural sound: love it!
Of course it is possible to blend the two with a small mixer (I have a Yamaha mg06x mixer) or with an amp that has both kind of imput but actually I never did it!
Here’s a video of a live concerto using the rare earth pick up
Edited by - banjopaolo on 08/24/2024 02:07:52
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