Hi. The band I play with are doing a gig where we will need to be amplified. We already have a Yamaha Stagepas 300 pa but no decent mike. We want to use a single or possibly two condensor mikes. Can anyone help with recommendations. The line up is flute, two guitars, box, pipes, bodhran, and two fiddles.
Thanks
Tim
If you’re after condensers for the pipes, i’d take a look at the Samson CO2s. OK i use mostly Northumbrian pipes but the problems are much the same - you want a bright reedy sound with minimal feedback that picks up the notes of the chanter pretty evenly whether the hole’s on the front or back.
I was always being landed with either C1000s which feedback if you stare at them too hard, or SM 57/58 stuff which felt really uneven over the range of the chanter.
I came across the CO2s at a gig with a really ‘rock’ soundguy where everything sounded toss except the pipes but it seemed unlikely it was some trick by the engineer…
Anyway i’ve used them since and tried them on my uilleann pipes too with pretty good results. You can still make the feed back if you really try and you need phantom power on the desk. I point one at the chanter, one at the drones, and have them about 8 inches away pointing a bit diagonal to the holes to help avoid the ‘one loud note’ situation. Around 100 USD for a pair there’s probably more expensive alternatives which would ultimately be better but certainly worth a go for starters.
Cheers
Andy
C1000s come with a little dufus that makes them hypercardioid. Worth having a look in the box to see if it’s still there if there’s feedback woes. I wouldn’t go for a C1000 though as you say . . .
I’ve had decent luck with the AKG c 3000.
Tommy
edited because I forgot about the SM 81. I’ve found them great on the pipes.