Re: [Harp-L] Re: audix fireball

[pdxharpdog@xxxxxxxxxxx]

I have a Audix fireball mic and a Blowsmeaway Ultimate 57 with the bulletizer attachment. I also have/use Richard Hunter's patch set for the RP360, and/or run my mic through my pedalboard out to my amp which is usually mic'd out to the PA. Both Fireball and Ult 57 mics sound great through the RP with the Hunter patches and out to the PA. (assumes a sound person who understands harmonica sound). Both mics also sound great through my pedal board and out to my 32/20 Mission amp. I prefer to use the Ultimate 57 for shows because I think it cups better in my hands and allows me to dig in for more grit. I use the audix fireball as a backup in case my Ult. 57 shoots crap during a show, or when playing off the mic acoustically - either through a small PA or out from my amp. 

I don't like to go direct from any mic to PA without any tone controls precisely because harmonicas in the higher keys can be more "present" (my bandmates call it annoyingly shrill) - in the PA as Richard states. So having at least your own EQ pedal handy can give you the ability to lower the high freq. on higher keyed harps and also boost the high frequencies on the low-keyed harps. I find that helps me hear the harp in the mix a lot better when using Low keyed harps. It's a habit now to eq my sound based on the key of the harp. I also use the BBE Sonic Maximizer pedal and have it set to on always. Jason Ricci calls it a high definition pedal for harp - and I wholeheartedly agree. 

Most of my pedal gear is designed with two things in mind - 1) to help me hear what I'm playing better/clearer, and 2) allow me to add grit or texture as needed. Most important of these two is being able to hear what I'm playing in the mix over the other instruments. If you can't hear what you're playing it is not going to be good or enjoyable. Sound check is always good to baseline, and in our band we all agree to not touch the amp volume knob after sound check, but my pedals allow me to tweak on the fly as needed. 

It is all about playing well for the audience and being able to enjoy it on stage. 

Ross Macdonald 
sassparilla.info 
----- Original Message -----

From: "Richard Hunter" <turtlehill@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> 
To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx, harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx 
Sent: Wednesday, March 9, 2016 12:50:00 AM 
Subject: [Harp-L] Re: audix fireball 

As it happens, I was at a jam session last night at the Spice of Life in London. When I got up to play, there was no time to set up my preferred rig--an Audix Fireball into a Digitech RP360XP into the PA--so I ended up playing through a handheld Shure SM58 directly into the PA. 

I was grateful that the leader called a tune in C to start off, because high-pitched harps have a lot more punch into a PA than low-pitched harps do. I wasn't terrifically happy with the sound--I would certainly have liked more grind in the tone--but I could hear myself clearly, and that's more than half the battle. 

After I played, one of the other harp players in attendance, who had played through the same mic just before me, asked me what rig I was using. When I told him it was the same rig as his, he was surprised. Big tone sounds big regardless of the rig involved. I could see from the hunched shoulders that guy exhibited when he stood before the mic that his tone was going to be an pinched as his posture. (In fairness to him, his main instrument was lap steel, and he played some truly beautiful stuff on that instrument.) 

At a different gig with Lowlands on Sunday night, the band before me (The Tupelo Uncles, whose thing is revamping the music of Uncle Tupelo, an Americana band from the 1980s) had a harp player who ran a bullet mic direct to the PA. That, in my opinion, is about the worst sound you can get with a harp playing acoustic music, because you lose all the high-end frequencies, not just the ones you want to lose. The harp player made the best of it, but I kept wishing he'd pick up an SM58 or practically anything besides a bullet. 

Like I said before on this thread, different mics sound very different, and it's unlikely that any player will ever find that one mic is tops for every situation, unless you always play the same kind of music with the same band. Because mics are relatively cheap, it's easy enough to build a collection over time. 

regarding the question raised on this thread about the Behringer mic--it might sound fine, and it might be less expensive than an SM58. I'd rather have an SM58 than an SM58 clone, especially given the relatively slight difference in cost, because Shure customer service is absolutely the best on the planet, and if that mic ever needs service you're going to be glad you bought it from Shure. 

Regards, Rihcard Hunter