fermfs
So it´s a shame how an acoustic guitar loses its warmth when you plug it in for a live show!
What are your tricks and equipment to get the best possible sound/tone?
I have a Hummingbird with L.R Baggs Element. I add a little reverb with the Electro Harmonix Holy Grail pedal and it makes a big difference for me.
I have heard great stuff about the Aura which I´m gonna look into this weekend. I have also read that a good quality DI box is super important.
What do you guys think?
AlanRatcliffe
I use a lot of tricks in recording to get pickups sounding as good as possible (and good isn't always the most natural either - for that mics still rule), but live you have to scale it back a bit.
It all depends on if you are playing solo guitar (where you want as natural a sound as possible), or if you are just a part of a mix (where you want a more focused, incisive sound that cuts better). It's different for nearly every situation, so experimentation is key to finding out what works for your application.
The main thing is to get some character and complexity back, and reverb does help a lot with that as well as softening the harsher attack. I quite like the brighter plate reverbs, just using a subtle low-pass filter (usually set at somewhere between 8-12K) to shave off the very top of the reverb frequency response and round it out a little.
The other big thing is a bit of EQ, and that's where the good preamp/DIs come into their own - especially those models with a band or two of parametric EQ. I usually EQ a little of the boomy lower mids out to clarify the sound and add a subtle lift in the highs to help cut through. If it's a rock song and I want a bit more punch to the acoustic, I might add a boost somewhere between 2K and 4K. Key with EQ is to use subtly - if you are boosting or cutting more than 3dB in any range, (the exception being feedback control), you are doing something wrong.
The modelling pedals do help quite a bit, but are easy to overdo (a dab'll do ya), and you end up with too much complexity (especially in the lower midrange) and the guitar tends to disappear in the mix. I've recently taken to splitting the signal, setting the modeller to 100% and then mixing the two to taste before EQ and reverb - that seems to keep the good things from the pickup fairly intact, and add in the good stuff from the modeller without over-processing the sound.
fermfs
Hey! Thanks for the reply!
I need a good sound for both situations. With a band and solo acoustic. However, I am mainly interested in the natural sound for the solo performances.
Are there any DI´s and preamps that you recommend? Do I need both or just one?
Thanks again!
Bob-Dubery
I've found that a good pre-amp can work wonders. The Baggs Para-DI (combined EQ, pre-amp and DI) is a good piece of kit and very tough too. If that's a bit rich for your pocket then even the stripped down version, the Gig-Pro, can make a difference. If you really want to splash out then check out their Venue DI/pre-amp box.
Some pickup systems sound better too. I have the Baggs Dual Source in both my acoustics and plugged in sound is a lot more realistic and natural now. They do take some tweaking though... first finding the sweet spot for the mic at install time and then setting the notch filter for the mic.
Keira-WitherKay
+1 to what both Bob and Alan said........... for my live gigs i also want a very natural sound...... and find the less eq and fx you use the better ..... also i use the LR baggs ibeam and find if i back off the volume on the pickup volume control i can find a sweet spot where i get great natural sound...... but if i open the pickup full it's almost uncontrolable and booms ect ..... so try setting up your guitar in PA and open the volume full to start and slowly back it off while playing and there is a definite sweet spot ......
also i find different guitars can sort out lots of issues..... i have always installed LR baggs ibeams into all my guitars and i went thru about 7 to find the perfect tone i like....... and with the same PA and the same pickup each guitar i used sounded totally different ....... so experiment....
and as i mentioned the less fx and eq the better if natural is what you want........
AlanRatcliffe
+1 on the Baggs Para-DI or GigPro preamp/DIs.
