I’ve noticed that quiet whistles have a better tone than loud ones. (That comment may start its own firestorm). Anyway, I’ve found a way to have both volume and sweetness. At Wal Mart I picked up a microphone, stand, and amp/speaker for about $95…not on special. The brand is First Act, a low ender made in China. I was surprised by how sturdy the set was. I use it when our fiddler is not available and I need extra volume as the only melody player in a band of 4. I’ve used it with a tweaked Oak. You have to work the knobs a bit to get it right. Not too much Gain, not too much Treble.
'goose - I purchased a high quality, Shure, vocal, mic some time back. I don’t often use it 'cause we just don’t play through a PA much. But I have messed around with a headset mic a little bit and the freedom to move around, while keeping the right relationship of mic to whistle/flute is pretty cool. The headset doesn’t allow you to back out of the mic. like a stand does, but it was really helpful in moving around to establish eye contact for the changes, etc. Just a different option.
Yeah, I did buy a headset myself and it’s much more fun to play with. I love to swing and move my body along the music when I play, and when you play in a standard microphone you really need to limit your moves. The only thing is that mine has some pressure on the left and right side of the head to keep it in place and after a few minutes it’s really annoying.
Don’t forget the Pignose series of battery-operated portable amps.
Though designed for guitars, they work well with Radio Snack lavalier mics, and the speaker is bandwidth-limited just where you’d want it to be for a pennywhistle.
I have a Crate Amp, the volume controls get flaky after a couple of years. I’ll probably replace the controls with better ones, I noticed other Crate owners on the Net have done this.
Azalin, are you happy with the sound your mic produces? If so, what do you have? I’ve been wanting to get a headset mic, but didn’t know what brand/model would do a good job for whistles.
Tony
(Yes, I’ve searched the archives here for previous discussions. I just got mixed up.)
This talk of headset vs. fixed mics makes me think of the Solas concert I went to last year. Seamus Egan used a mic on a stand, but he didn’t limit his movements very much. He really gets his whole body into it, moving all over the place at an incredible speed. The only thing that stayed in one place was his mouth and the embouchure of his flute. Everything else pivoted around that. What a sight!
I thought about a headset mike or one of those types that clips onto the instrument. They cost more. Plus you can’t back away from the mike on high/loud notes. If I play my Syn Whistle into that mike I want to be able to back off at the high end.
There are actually three Pignoses. The basic model is about $80 with a 5-or-6 inch speaker. The Model 20 (or somesuch name) costs more, but has an 8-inch speaker, sounds better and has a built-in rechargable battery. I believe it takes two inputs, too. The Model 30 has even more power and “umph”. I’ve never actually heard one, though.
The basic unit (which I have owned for 20 years now) is mostly midrange, and sounds like an FM radio. The Model 20 sounds like a decent practice amp. Since flutes and whistles are mostly midrange, you will sound OK with either, depending on your mic. I personally find a $20 Radio Shack lavalier with a foam windscreen rubber banded to my whistle works for playing Morris tunes at dawn on Mayday. Your mileage may be different.
If you are a street musician I strongly recommend the Model 20, with the built-in rechargable battery. It’s louder and sounds better.
If you can go all out, Crate makes a series of battery-operated amps called Taxi. Sounds better than the Pig, and the speaker tilts up towards the audience. It has a built-in rechargable battery, looks cool (at least the yellow-and-black one), but, alas, it’s volume control is not a pig’s nose.
I think they are about $250.
This mike sure looks like the ticket. http://www.mrmicrophone.com/silk/default.htm
When on the web page look for “Products” and click on flute. I was looking for a smaller harmonica mic but these were too pure sounding. I think that would be good for a whistle.
