Effects pedals/Microvox miking system

[LHMark]

Okay, so at last rehearsal, during warmups, my guitarist commented to me "you know, that thing sounds much better when it's not plugged in." He's right; the Microvox system isn't the warmest of miking solutions.

 

I've been thinking of adding an equalizer pedal, and maybe a reverb pedal, used ever so gently, to round out and warm up the sound of my miked concertina. Has anyone else done this?

[Steve Mansfield]

I've been thinking of adding an equalizer pedal, and maybe a reverb pedal, used ever so gently, to round out and warm up the sound of my miked concertina. Has anyone else done this?

 

Maybe a tiny bit of reverb might do the trick, but be sparing with it as the reverb will very quickly swamp the distinctive attack of the reeds. I've never tried an EQ on the EC, but would have thought that the natural sound would be pretty flat EQ-wise and any but the gentlest of tweaks will affect the balance.

 

If you really want to improve on the sound of the miked concertina, you'd probably do far better sticking it in front of two SM57s/58s and improving the original source signal, rather than trying to digitally put back in what you think the Microvox has taken out ...

[Jim Besser]

Okay, so at last rehearsal, during warmups, my guitarist commented to me "you know, that thing sounds much better when it's not plugged in." He's right; the Microvox system isn't the warmest of miking solutions.

 

I've been thinking of adding an equalizer pedal, and maybe a reverb pedal, used ever so gently, to round out and warm up the sound of my miked concertina. Has anyone else done this?

 

I use a microvox and the sound isn't great; the bigger the PA, the worse it seems to sound. Haven't tried effects pedals, but ask Jody Kruskal; he knows all about that stuff.

[Jody Kruskal]

I've been thinking of adding an equalizer pedal, and maybe a reverb pedal, used ever so gently, to round out and warm up the sound of my miked concertina. Has anyone else done this?

If you really want to improve on the sound of the miked concertina, you'd probably do far better sticking it in front of two SM57s/58s and improving the original source signal, rather than trying to digitally put back in what you think the Microvox has taken out ...

 

That is very true. Try talking or singing into your microvox and you will hear what it does to the signal. Still it's a handy mic device and you only need one cable, there is nothing in front of you on stage, you can walk around etc.

 

When I use mine (for most amplified dances) I put the signal through a multi effects pedal board, the Korg Tone Works AX30G. This board lets me create many user defined voices or patches and select the one that is best for the situation and switch between patches during performance. EQ, reverb, chorus, delay, attack and overall volume among other parameters are all available. There is a cool pressure pedal that is assignable to any number of effects that is really fun to play with. On one patch I like, I've got the pressure pedal set to detune the sound against an unaffected sound so that the harder I press it the wetter the sound, sort of like a pitch adjustable double reeded concertina. Some patches I use to help with really reverberant halls to let me cut through the mush.

 

I keep thinking that I should get a better set of mics, but the Microvox does do the job and a set of better mics is pricey. There is another thread on this subject with some good advice. Just search and you will find it.

[Jody Kruskal]

I've been thinking of adding an equalizer pedal, and maybe a reverb pedal, used ever so gently, to round out and warm up the sound of my miked concertina. Has anyone else done this?

If you really want to improve on the sound of the miked concertina, you'd probably do far better sticking it in front of two SM57s/58s and improving the original source signal, rather than trying to digitally put back in what you think the Microvox has taken out ...

 

That is very true. Try talking or singing into your microvox and you will hear what it does to the signal. Still it's a simple and handy mic device and you only need one cable, there is nothing in front of you on stage, you can walk around etc.

 

When I use mine (for most amplified dances) I put the signal through a multi effects pedal board, the Korg Tone Works AX30G. This board lets me create many user defined voices or patches and select the one that is best for the situation and switch between patches during performance. EQ, reverb, chorus, delay, attack and overall volume among other parameters are all available. There is a cool pressure pedal that is assignable to any number of effects that is really fun to play with. On one patch I like, I've got the pressure pedal set to detune the sound against an unaffected sound so that the harder I press it the wetter the sound, sort of like a pitch adjustable double reeded concertina. Some patches I use to help with really reverberant halls to let me cut through the mush.

 

The Korg unit I use is quite an antique but might still be available used on ebay. It did take some time to learn how to set up my patches but having the control over my sound was worth the effort for me. If I am playing solo in a nice hall I would always prefer using no sound reinforcement at all. If I have the luxury of real mics on stands and a sound person I can trust in the back of the hall who can use their ears to make me sound my best I would go for that solution every time, but that is rare.

 

I keep thinking that I should get a better set of mics, but the Microvox does do the job and a set of better mics is pricey and requires some customization. There is another thread on this subject with some good advice. Just search and you will find it.