Re: [Harp-L] Volume Control



That's what I hear from some players who employ volume controls...they are still "balls to the walls" when they turn their mic down. So although their volume level has changed, the intensity of their playing hasn't, and neither has the texture of their sound. Sounds weird to me. I like it when a musician plays softly when backing a vocalist; it sounds like a whisper, or a comment under breath. It's like someone telling the world their troubles (the lead singer or instrument), and their friend right next to them (the backing instrument), shaking their head, saying, "Oh, yeah, I know how you feel." And there are dynamics between the two. One is a breathy "hush", the other is normal conversation.

Iceman notes two other drawbacks, change of tone when decreasing volume, and accidentally "nudging" the volume control.

When I played mics with crystal elements and volume controls, the degradation in tone when going from full on to halfway was quite noticeable. I had the "Rod Mod" modification performed such a the mic and it helped dramatically, but the problem was still there.

As far as accidentally moving the volume control, I've done and seen that happen all too often. Fact is, I was using my volume control as merely on on-off switch. It really wasn't useful for much else. I find it peculiar that so many harp-l posts have the title "how do I fight feedback?", which tells me most guys want or need to be loud enough to be heard. They are probably turned up all the way on their mics...

Couple of random thoughts regarding this topic:

Tom Ellis of Tom's Mics made mention once of how critical it is to use mil-spec pots, as lesser quality pots could actually harm the element over time.

I recall Gary Primich telling us of a time when he was just an up-and- coming musician, and he approached Kim WIlson with a handful of Switchcraft in-line volume controls at one of his performances, hoping to sell a few to him. KW responded, "I use breath control." So much to be said for learning how to play without a V.C., as it helps you identify your internal volume controlling mechanisms which help you in so many other areas as a harmonica player; learning texture, dynamics, etc.

I like the Jerry Portnoy approach to setting amp stage volume; "Set it, and forget it!" He told us how he does a quick sound check before the performance. I mean QUICK. During the first two songs, he might make minor adjustment to his amp, but after that, he never touches it the rest of the night.

Finally, I've always set my amp up for major volume before feedback, then back a notch. As the night goes on, the venue gets crowded, and the volume goes up, I turn her up to that pre-determined point. Chances are, the treble might increase a notch, too, if I'm not in the bright channel. That's it. That's all I do. I don't want to worry about which should be "up", the mic or the amp. If we do a "quiet" tune past that point, I've never had to reduce the volume of the amp. I just change my internal volume.

There's a sound file on my website where I'm playing the amp "hot" during a lower volume tune, but I back off as I change dynamics, and am still able to maintain a reasonable amount of tone.

http://www.resgraphics.com/music/Music-Audio.html

Tune is "I Wanna Love You"

Using less gadgetry not only makes me more responsible for my own tone (and the purest form is playing acoustically); it also helps me to stay in my zone while playing. I'm not thinking about this thing-a- ma-jig, or what level I have that doo-hickey set at, or should I adjust my whatcha-ma-call-it... I'm just playin'.

Ray.
--
My Music – www.resgraphics.com/music


On Jan 24, 2007, at 8:57 PM, harp-l-request@xxxxxxxxxx wrote:


----- Original Message ----
From: "icemanle@xxxxxxx" <icemanle@xxxxxxx>
To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Wednesday, January 24, 2007 8:23:01 AM
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] volume control


I believe the player should be a natural volume control knob. It's time to explore the world of harmonica tone that comes from less than "balls to the wall" energy. As a matter of fact, the whole pallette of colors will emerge when backing off. Eventually you may find that most of what you play can be done with much less force and much more finesse and give you much more tone shading.


Also, at least on the 1 mic I have w/volume control, it changes the tone. When I back the volume pod down just a hair, the tone loses some of its high end, a sound that I enjoy. Unfortunately, it's easy to accidentally move that control when playing, causing changes in the tone that are unpredictable.

The Iceman


-----Original Message----- From: greg@xxxxxxxxxxx





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