I'm trying to find a good way of amplifying my hammered dulcimer, with contact mikes. Up to now, the ones I've been using (AKG guitar pick-ups) give a very metallic sound, and need a very fine equalizing (no mediums, a lot of bass, a very slight level of trebles). Anyone on this site has experience with that, and can give me a few tips ?
Ha Ha, Hello there Nikita, great to see another H-D player on here.
I must admit I don't play many gigs with my H-D, but anytime I've been miked up, I know the sound man has always used two mics ...... but don't ask me what they were, sorry!
However, I think you are asking this question on the wrong forum. To be honest, any H-D questions asked here usually get little or no response & often the replies are of a negative nature!
So you should try this one: http://www.everythingdulcimer.com/discuss/
There are loads of Pro H-D players on there & they'll know exactly what to tell you.
See you over there.
Cheers
What Ptarm said. Yea, those tacky guitar pickups make your HD sound like sh*te. Same effect with harps. OTOH, my local HD player gets good results with a decent-quality (under $100) regular instrument mic placed underneath the instrument.
There are a number of pickups advertised as specifically for hammered dulcimers, and some of them have more than one element, which can help balance the sound. The use of a pre-amp and possibly other knobs-and-dials devices can also help.
Hope this helps. I know how hard it is to amplify and instrument with that many strings. Fiddlers have it so-o-o-o easy. That's why they (and the guitarists) always play in tune. <runs for cover>
I would ask what are the circumstances that you need to amplify in ? What would be wrong with a couple of acoustic mikes positioned over the soundboard, or are you in a high background-noise situation where this won't work ?
Somebody a while ago referenced, I think, Crosby,Stills, and Nash, live at Woodstock. Listen to that guitar sound - no bugs, just a couple of AKG 57s or the like.
I've been trying to amplify my 'zouk, for the odd use in a barn-dance situation, and I'm beginning to think that the basic microphone is the best answer.
I second what Tracie said about using a mic instead of a pickup.
We use a single Shure SM57 positioned very close to the underside of the instrument. This keeps the top of the instrument clear for the hammers and helps minimize feedback. With a little bit of eq, the sound quality is excellent.
Having said that, the use of a pickup can be more convenient that a mic. We used a Pick-up the World pickup in my daughter's harp and it sounds great. They also make a pickup for HD that you might want to consider.
thnaks for your info, guys ! Beware, rob-h, we H-D player have devised a martial art with the HD sticks, very useful against slagging ! - just joking, of course, as I think you are !
My use of a pick-up is to-folded : first, it's sometimes difficult to place mikes over an H-D, without hitting it with the sticks whilst playing, and secondly - maybe i'll get lapidated if I say this on this forum ! - here in Switzerland, we play a lot of exprimental music (improvisation, jazz, rock...) with H-D (hackbrett), and you can use electronic effects, quite interesting... but then you need a pickup to get the best effect.
By the way, Ptarmigan, I managed to have 6 answers on this site ! a great thanks for the links, I didn't know that one !
Yes Pete .... "a couple of acoustic mikes positioned over the soundboard" - that's exactly how my local soundman has set things up for me, both in recording studio & on stage, & he's absolutely brilliant with all acoustic instruments, so I'd say that's a good way to do it, for a very natural sound!
Nice playing, Ptarmigan,!
I'll try to put some of my music on my site - not yet finished. Won't be ITM though, but swiss and baroque...
and I agree : acoustic mikes give a better sound, if the sound engineer is good enough - I've had bad experiences with that !
and rob zouk, thanks for the link to Pick up the world. that's what I'm looking for : something devised specially for the instrument, but that you don't have to put inside.
A friend of mine (www.saitenart.ch. i think - or google saitenart, if anybody's interested) who makes hackbretts has a very good system, but you have to put the mikes between the bridges and the sound board, with wires and pre-amp inside the instrument. I somehow don't feel like opening my instrument...
I use the pizo mikes, sticking one near the bass bridge end and another up quite high in the treble bridge area. I also don't like the sound but I thought it might be the type of dulcimer I play. I've had almost as good of luck positioning one high quality mike right over the treble bridge but not close enough to wack with the hammers and another if available somewhere near the bass bridge, around middle C. Every dulcimer's sweet spot is different I'd guess so other than that yer on your own. I once asked the maker of my dulcimer, a Texican native (stand up and say that with respect!) if he'd install a guitar style pickup / plug. At the time he was selling this scotch tape/hangie down thing with a preamp/cobbled up thing that cost a couple hundred dollars. He looked at me with those beady eyes and said, "Ya'll go rat ahead an' drell doze holes fer yer pickup and I'll go rat ahead and schell ya'll another dulcimer!" I didn't bother asking him to help install a set of dampners. Thought he'd hock some tobacco juice on my shoe. . . . .
mikes for hammered dulcimer
mikes for hammered dulcimer
I'm trying to find a good way of amplifying my hammered dulcimer, with contact mikes. Up to now, the ones I've been using (AKG guitar pick-ups) give a very metallic sound, and need a very fine equalizing (no mediums, a lot of bass, a very slight level of trebles). Anyone on this site has experience with that, and can give me a few tips ?
# Posted on April 30th 2007 by Nikita Pfister
Re: mikes for hammered dulcimer
Ha Ha, Hello there Nikita, great to see another H-D player on here.
I must admit I don't play many gigs with my H-D, but anytime I've been miked up, I know the sound man has always used two mics ...... but don't ask me what they were, sorry!
However, I think you are asking this question on the wrong forum. To be honest, any H-D questions asked here usually get little or no response & often the replies are of a negative nature!
So you should try this one:
http://www.everythingdulcimer.com/discuss/
There are loads of Pro H-D players on there & they'll know exactly what to tell you.
See you over there.
Cheers
# Posted on April 30th 2007 by Ptarmigan
Re: mikes for hammered dulcimer
What Ptarm said. Yea, those tacky guitar pickups make your HD sound like sh*te. Same effect with harps. OTOH, my local HD player gets good results with a decent-quality (under $100) regular instrument mic placed underneath the instrument.
There are a number of pickups advertised as specifically for hammered dulcimers, and some of them have more than one element, which can help balance the sound. The use of a pre-amp and possibly other knobs-and-dials devices can also help.
On this site, various players talk about their own amplification setups: http://www.rtpnet.org/~hdweb/about/misc/micing.html
Hope this helps. I know how hard it is to amplify and instrument with that many strings. Fiddlers have it so-o-o-o easy. That's why they (and the guitarists) always play in tune. <runs for cover>
# Posted on April 30th 2007 by Tracie
Re: mikes for hammered dulcimer
I would ask what are the circumstances that you need to amplify in ? What would be wrong with a couple of acoustic mikes positioned over the soundboard, or are you in a high background-noise situation where this won't work ?
Somebody a while ago referenced, I think, Crosby,Stills, and Nash, live at Woodstock. Listen to that guitar sound - no bugs, just a couple of AKG 57s or the like.
I've been trying to amplify my 'zouk, for the odd use in a barn-dance situation, and I'm beginning to think that the basic microphone is the best answer.
# Posted on April 30th 2007 by Guernsey Pete
Re: mikes for hammered dulcimer
I second what Tracie said about using a mic instead of a pickup.
We use a single Shure SM57 positioned very close to the underside of the instrument. This keeps the top of the instrument clear for the hammers and helps minimize feedback. With a little bit of eq, the sound quality is excellent.
# Posted on April 30th 2007 by rob zouk
Re: mikes for hammered dulcimer
Having said that, the use of a pickup can be more convenient that a mic. We used a Pick-up the World pickup in my daughter's harp and it sounds great. They also make a pickup for HD that you might want to consider.
http://www.pick-uptheworld.com/pickups.htm
# Posted on April 30th 2007 by rob zouk
Re: mikes for hammered dulcimer
damn things are loud enough! lol
# Posted on May 1st 2007 by rob_handel
Re: mikes for hammered dulcimer
thnaks for your info, guys ! Beware, rob-h, we H-D player have devised a martial art with the HD sticks, very useful against slagging ! - just joking, of course, as I think you are !
My use of a pick-up is to-folded : first, it's sometimes difficult to place mikes over an H-D, without hitting it with the sticks whilst playing, and secondly - maybe i'll get lapidated if I say this on this forum ! - here in Switzerland, we play a lot of exprimental music (improvisation, jazz, rock...) with H-D (hackbrett), and you can use electronic effects, quite interesting... but then you need a pickup to get the best effect.
By the way, Ptarmigan, I managed to have 6 answers on this site ! a great thanks for the links, I didn't know that one !
# Posted on May 1st 2007 by Nikita Pfister
Re: mikes for hammered dulcimer
Make that 7 Nikita
Yes Pete .... "a couple of acoustic mikes positioned over the soundboard" - that's exactly how my local soundman has set things up for me, both in recording studio & on stage, & he's absolutely brilliant with all acoustic instruments, so I'd say that's a good way to do it, for a very natural sound!
P.S. By the way Nikita, you can hear me play my H-D at:
http://www.myspace.com/causewaytraditions
Where can I hear your playing?
# Posted on May 1st 2007 by Ptarmigan
Re: mikes for hammered dulcimer
Nice playing, Ptarmigan,!
I'll try to put some of my music on my site - not yet finished. Won't be ITM though, but swiss and baroque...
and I agree : acoustic mikes give a better sound, if the sound engineer is good enough - I've had bad experiences with that !
# Posted on May 1st 2007 by Nikita Pfister
Re: mikes for hammered dulcimer
and rob zouk, thanks for the link to Pick up the world. that's what I'm looking for : something devised specially for the instrument, but that you don't have to put inside.
A friend of mine (www.saitenart.ch. i think - or google saitenart, if anybody's interested) who makes hackbretts has a very good system, but you have to put the mikes between the bridges and the sound board, with wires and pre-amp inside the instrument. I somehow don't feel like opening my instrument...
# Posted on May 1st 2007 by Nikita Pfister
Re: mikes for hammered dulcimer
And - so sorry - I forgot to thank you tracie . the link is really good !
# Posted on May 1st 2007 by Nikita Pfister
Re: mikes for hammered dulcimer
"swiss and baroque..." - that'd be just fine Nikita!
You'll see from the music & friends on my 'other' space, that I'm interested in all sorts of music:
http://www.myspace.com/ulstermandragora
I agree with you too, it doesn't matter how good the gear is, if you don't have a really good sound man twiddling the knobs!
# Posted on May 1st 2007 by Ptarmigan
Re: mikes for hammered dulcimer
yes, I was joking Nikita. I am actually quite fond of H-D's. The leader @ a session I go to plays one and its very nice.
# Posted on May 1st 2007 by rob_handel
Re: mikes for hammered dulcimer
I use the pizo mikes, sticking one near the bass bridge end and another up quite high in the treble bridge area. I also don't like the sound but I thought it might be the type of dulcimer I play. I've had almost as good of luck positioning one high quality mike right over the treble bridge but not close enough to wack with the hammers and another if available somewhere near the bass bridge, around middle C. Every dulcimer's sweet spot is different I'd guess so other than that yer on your own. I once asked the maker of my dulcimer, a Texican native (stand up and say that with respect!) if he'd install a guitar style pickup / plug. At the time he was selling this scotch tape/hangie down thing with a preamp/cobbled up thing that cost a couple hundred dollars. He looked at me with those beady eyes and said, "Ya'll go rat ahead an' drell doze holes fer yer pickup and I'll go rat ahead and schell ya'll another dulcimer!" I didn't bother asking him to help install a set of dampners. Thought he'd hock some tobacco juice on my shoe. . . . .
# Posted on May 6th 2007 by jrathbun