zmd wrote:Stab Frenzy wrote:zmd wrote:i tried a cheap ART tube mp (the original one), and could not get a usable dirt sound out of it (tho i like it's warmth on other things). i've seen a woman in another local band use one to great distorting effect, but she also has a high end stage condensor mic (i forget what one now), but, i can't blow 500 bones on a high end mic....c'mon music store job
You don't need a high end mic for a distortion effect, that's crazy. As long as the response is flat enough that you don't get feedback through the wedges you can use any mic.
yea,i've tried a pretty wide variety of mics, shure sm57 and 58, betas too, and an 87...and a 421 (also a wide variety of s**t mics of course). no luck anywhere avoiding feedback.
Here's how to make it work:
- Make sure the foldback has been EQed properly so is nice and flat.
- Sing loud. If your voice is really loud in comparison to the signal coming back through the foldback you'll get less chance of feedback. If your voice is quiet then the mic will pick up more fldback signal in comparison and start feeding back.
- Make sure the back of the mic (the null point) is pointed towards the wedge. This will help pick up less of the foldback signal = less feedback.
- Don't cup the mic in your hand. I don't care if you think it looks cool, or you like the way it sounds, it makes the frequency response skewed and the polar pattern omni. These are both causes of feedback.
- Keep stage levels reasonable. If you've got guitar cabs cranked all the way up you'll have to have really hot levels out of the wedges, which will lead to more feedback.
If you do all these things you should be fine. One of the bands I mix run their vocals through a guitar amp on stage to get them nice and crunchy and I mic the amp up and then run that signal through the foldback and still have no problems. If I can run two sources of distorted vocals on stage, one pointed towards the mic and one away, and still not have any feedback problems then you can manage one.
