mic'ing question

Brad Weeks · Post by **Brad Weeks** » 13 Jun 2011 8:45 am

what is the difference between using an actual instrument mic to run a steel, or any other instument for that matter, verses running a XLR cable from your amp to your mixer? Recently bought a relly nice PA system and we want to start playin around with running our stuff thruogh the mix. Any advise?

John Gould · Post by **John Gould** » 13 Jun 2011 9:00 am

Big difference in the sound of a mic versus direct.
You don't get the the dynamic of the speaker moving air which moves the diaphragm of the mic . Some times the direct out is sterile sounding and not very responsive and doesn't sound anything like what comes out of the speaker.The down side to miking is that there can be bleed from one instrument to another if your at loud volumes. The more microphones the more chance for feedback.

Dave Grafe · Post by **Dave Grafe** » 13 Jun 2011 10:06 am

The difference between what comes out of the preamp and what comes out of the speaker can be pretty significant. For starters any speaker's frequency response will be radically different than what the line out will deliver. Many speakers, such as the Peavey BW, induce a notable amount of compression at high levels, so if you are tapping the signal before the speaker your tone will definitely not be the same when it comes out of the PA as what you hear from the amp.

Either way you go you are going to be in good company, all you can do is try both and choose what works best for you.

Larry Bell · Post by **Larry Bell** » 14 Jun 2011 6:56 am

Another choice nobody has mentioned is a direct box between the speaker and the amp. Spkr out from amp to input of direct box; thru on direct box to spkr; direct box should pad the signal 15dB or more, but it works GREAT. I prefer the Radial JDI. It has a Jensen transformer and really sounds like what's coming through the speaker.

Just a thought.

Dave Grafe · Post by **Dave Grafe** » 14 Jun 2011 7:27 am

...and an excellent thought it is, Larry, perhaps the best of both worlds

Brad Weeks · Post by **Brad Weeks** » 14 Jun 2011 8:25 pm

Thanks very much gentlemen. This all makes perfect sense. Was thinking that it would be way more economical to go out and purchase a few XLR cords rather than to buy mics, but it merely proves here that cheaper may not always be best, huh? Thanks again for the help.

Larry Bell · Post by **Larry Bell** » 15 Jun 2011 4:10 am

Brad,
TRUST YOUR EARS
Whichever solution you choose should not be based on what we tell you. We haven't heard how your rig sounds direct to the board. If it sounds fine only investing in mic cables, so be it.

I do a lot of recording -- mostly demo sessions and projects for songwriters and stuff like that -- and I haven't used a mic on my amp in YEARS and that's what works for me and producers and clients who pay me. WHY? Because it's what sounds best. I dislike mics on amps because of ambient noise that a direct box won't pick up, possibility of being jarred by people moving around on stage, and, most importantly, because the DI sounds as good or better than an SM-57 on my amp. I'm not fond of what I've heard coming out the back of a Nvl112 or any of the preamp out solutions because I've tried them and prefer sending the same signal to the board that I send to my amp's speaker. Again, this is just what works for me.

There's not a one size fits all solution. Let your ears be the judge. Have your bandmates listen during soundcheck or rehearsal. Determine what sounds best and go from there.

Clete Ritta · Post by **Clete Ritta** » 15 Jun 2011 10:20 am

Larry,

The DI from speaker out is a great idea. I have never tried that before. Ive been using the line out of my NV 1000 which, like previously mentioned, doesnt capture the speaker sound, but its one less live mic on a crowded stage.

Unfortunately, the NV 1000's BW speaker is wired direct from the chassis leads (there is no speaker out jack), so I'd have to rig the speaker wiring somehow. Ive a few other amps that do have speaker jacks though, and my curiosity is piqued to try this, thanks.

Clete

Larry Bell · Post by **Larry Bell** » 15 Jun 2011 12:23 pm

It's not a big deal, Clete. (you probably already know this . . . but . . . ) All you have to do is plug the 1/4" plug on the wire that currently connects the spkr to spkr output on the amp into the THRU input on the DI, then a short spkr cable from the amp's spkr out to the DI IN. Be sure the DI pads the signal since a spkr level signal is hotter than line level. As I mentioned, the Radial JDI is a hoss. My Ken Fox 5F8B sounds great with that hookup.

John Macy · Post by **John Macy** » 15 Jun 2011 2:19 pm

There are also dedicated boxes for this, such as the Hughes and Kettner Red Box and the Peavey EDI...you can mount them in the amp cabinet on the inside and they are great for live gigs as well as studio....

http://www.peavey.com/assets/literature/manuals/edi.pdf

Dave Grafe · Post by **Dave Grafe** » 15 Jun 2011 3:45 pm

Remember that all speaker wiring must be unshielded, don't use regular guitar cords for this hookup!

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