Microphone Recommendations, Please

[Graham Collicutt]

I just came across this video:  he mentions using DPA 4061 microphones 

 

[AndyNT]

A pair of DPA 4061 are way out of my price range for the occasional use they'd get.

What else are people using to close mic an anglo concertina at a more accessible price?

Many of the earlier recommendations in this thread are no longer available e.g. Microvox.

Does anyone have any experience of the Myers Feather-2 mics?

[DickT]

Some of Edward Jay's concertinas come with mics on goosenecks. It might be worth asking him what he uses.

[Graham Collicutt]

On 3/6/2023 at 9:45 AM, Graham Collicutt said:

I just came across this video:  he mentions using DPA 4061 microphones 

 

I thought there would be more reaction: he wears out his Suttner in 2 years!   explains all his foot pedals.

[Sohcahtoa]

Myers Feather works well for me. I clip them to my handstraps and arch them away from my hands. A DI box is the only other thing you need. 

[papawemba]

There are some good reviews and pictures about the Myers :

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00V5899F8/ref=cm_cr_arp_mb_bdcrb_top?ie=UTF8

 

[AndyNT]

19 hours ago, Graham Collicutt said:

I thought there would be more reaction: he wears out his Suttner in 2 years!   explains all his foot pedals.

I've often wondered what could be achieved with combinations of effects pedals with a diatonic instrument such as an anglo or melodeon.

Wow, now I know!

 

I think it is a testament to the high quality of his Suttners that they last 2 years!

[Steve Schulteis]

1 hour ago, AndyNT said:

I've often wondered what could be achieved with combinations of effects pedals with a diatonic instrument such as an anglo or melodeon.

 

A lot of harmonica players use effects pedals. They're usually aiming for a relatively specific sound, so a lot of what you'll hear is overdrive/distortion, but I've also seen organ emulation.

 

It's not diatonic, but Musik Böhmer uses a duet concertina with effects.

 

If you want to play with effects, Garage Band has a bunch of stuff built in, including a pedal board. There's piles of free plugins out there too. All you really need is a Mac with a microphone connected to it.

[Jody Kruskal]

My old Microvox mics finally died after 30 years of contra dance band gigs playing the G/D Anglo. To last that long, I guess I've been luckier than most. Since those Microvox attached mics died, I've been using the two mics on stands solution, which seems to work pretty well at a dance. 

 

One advantage to playing into a pair of a fixed mics is that I can hug the mic if I want to play louder (assuming I'm playing only one side at a time) which works great for bass lines. Crowding the mic accentuates the bass (proximity effect) to make it even more effective for bass lines. Working the mic is more organic that pressing pedals, so it's been ok so far in performance.

 

Still, I miss plugging into my old pedal board, a vintage unit (Korg Tone Works AX30G) that has helped me craft my concertina contra dance band sound for decades with Grand Picnic and my other dance bands.

 

Going through this Korg floor based stomp board gave me control over a variety of timbre, EQ, distortion, reverb and compression combinations in user defined voices. Also, with a tap of the foot, I could turn my rig off and on silently, which is quite handy in live performance.

 

Also the Korg pedal board I used included a pressure pedal so I could program in dynamic wetness (or any other feature). Slight pressure would add a pitch just a bit above (2 cents), hard pressure would increase the wetness to 15 cents or more if I stood on it. This feature let me sound dynamicly  more present without actually being louder. Great for solos that stand forth but don't drive the sound man crazy with an actual increase in volume!

 

Also, have you noticed that the concertina sounds quieter as it plays lower in pitch? Melody that goes into the left hand on my G/D Anglo kind of disappears into the mix. So, a highly compressed voice lets me cut through on those tunes that go low.

 

I miss all that functionality my Korg board gave me at the dance.

 

So now, I've just ordered the Myers Feather 2 mic system which should allow me to go back to using the board again for dances. I sure hope it works out! I'll let you know in a few days.

 

 

Edited March 21, 2023 by Jody Kruskal