hi everyone, was checking out banjo mic's (not a fan of pic-ups) can anyone advise me on a clip on one? iv heard the Audio-Technica ATM350CW is pretty good, but pretty pricey at €200 in x music.
thanks in advance for your responses
I will say good on ya for choosing to go with a mic. I'm not a big fan of pickups. I think the ATM350 is a solid choice and I've heard it on a few different instruments. Not banjo, but that doesn't make a difference. I know it's not cheap, but we worth it.
I've used a Microvox condenser mike inside a banjo, with the power unit hooked on my belt..
Good quality reproduction, but like all mikes, a bit prone to feedback and more complicated than just sticking a jack pin in a socket. Cost about £uk120.
After a couple of years messing with instrument and stand mounted mikes I moved on to pickups.
It's a valid point about feedback. I will always try and find ways to deal with the feedback issue if I can because I dislike pickups. There are ways to cope with the feedback issue.
Avoid or reduce your dependence on monitoring. If there is no monitoring and the PA speakers are directed away from you, then there is nothing to create a feedback loop = no feedback. If there is a monitor, try to direct your monitor at an oblique angle, and just learn to deal with the fact that you won't have direct monitoring. Oh well. If it's an acoustic group you are playing with then that shouldn't be much of a problem.
Now, that's my opinion, and as you can see I have an aversion to pickups. Pickups tend to make acoustic instruments sound like electric instruments.
Yeah, 200 bucks is just entry level for a worthwhile condenser mic. On the other hand, it's about the point where you start to pay a lot more money for a little more quality.
I would recommend the following (I had mine fitted by Dave Boyle from new and it is excellent - costs about £150 and would be fairly easy to fit). I did have to replace the 1/4" jack socket with a stronger type which Dave also supplied, since the old one kept crackling due to general flimsiness
Fishman Rare Earth Banjo Pickup
• For Mastertone-style banjos
• Includes a built-in preamp
Rare Earth™ polepiece magnet responds to banjo head vibrations via a thin steel "inductor" placed beneath the banjo bridge. This is a proven design for a natural sound. The pickup and battery clip mount on the banjo's rim rods, with a 1/4" jack affixed to an easily mounted resonator flange bracket. 9-volt battery required.
I've fitted plenty of fishmans to banjos - they're actually nearer £uk200 these days. They're designed to fit easily on twin coordiantor rod banjos.
On single rod banjos it's more difficult to get a stable fix, and if the banjo's an open back type, you can have trouble if your waist is anything thicker than greyhound - the battery mount is almost level with the lower edge of the pot, Your belly can catch the battery mount and swivel the whole pickup sideways and make contact with the head, muting the banjo.
My own solution is to use two pickups on the banjo - a piezo and a twin coil humbucker, with onboard switching to take signal from either or both, On "both" the blend can be altered with onboard controls.
This gives a good range of sound colours from which I can select the one most suitable to the environment I happen to be working in - I play in venues varying from concert halls to small pubs so the range is pretty wide, and I usually manage to get very close to an acoustic sound.
Viewed from the front the banjo looks just like ann unamplified instrument (apart from the coax cable to mixing desk. The banjo is openback and the socket and controls are accessed from the rear of the instrument - not as inconvenient as it sounds.
banjo mic
banjo mic
hi everyone, was checking out banjo mic's (not a fan of pic-ups) can anyone advise me on a clip on one? iv heard the Audio-Technica ATM350CW is pretty good, but pretty pricey at €200 in x music.
thanks in advance for your responses
# Posted on December 14th 2009 by podge
Re: banjo mic
I will say good on ya for choosing to go with a mic. I'm not a big fan of pickups. I think the ATM350 is a solid choice and I've heard it on a few different instruments. Not banjo, but that doesn't make a difference. I know it's not cheap, but we worth it.
# Posted on December 14th 2009 by Jimmy B
Re: banjo mic
I've used a Microvox condenser mike inside a banjo, with the power unit hooked on my belt..
Good quality reproduction, but like all mikes, a bit prone to feedback and more complicated than just sticking a jack pin in a socket. Cost about £uk120.
After a couple of years messing with instrument and stand mounted mikes I moved on to pickups.
good luck with the mike
# Posted on December 14th 2009 by millionyears_bc
Re: banjo mic
200 dollars is inexpensive in the microphone world.
# Posted on December 15th 2009 by Earl Cameron
Re: banjo mic
It's a valid point about feedback. I will always try and find ways to deal with the feedback issue if I can because I dislike pickups. There are ways to cope with the feedback issue.
Avoid or reduce your dependence on monitoring. If there is no monitoring and the PA speakers are directed away from you, then there is nothing to create a feedback loop = no feedback. If there is a monitor, try to direct your monitor at an oblique angle, and just learn to deal with the fact that you won't have direct monitoring. Oh well. If it's an acoustic group you are playing with then that shouldn't be much of a problem.
Now, that's my opinion, and as you can see I have an aversion to pickups. Pickups tend to make acoustic instruments sound like electric instruments.
# Posted on December 15th 2009 by Jimmy B
Re: banjo mic
Yeah, 200 bucks is just entry level for a worthwhile condenser mic. On the other hand, it's about the point where you start to pay a lot more money for a little more quality.
ATM makes very good mics for the money.
# Posted on December 15th 2009 by Bob himself
Re: banjo mic
I would recommend the following (I had mine fitted by Dave Boyle from new and it is excellent - costs about £150 and would be fairly easy to fit). I did have to replace the 1/4" jack socket with a stronger type which Dave also supplied, since the old one kept crackling due to general flimsiness
Fishman Rare Earth Banjo Pickup
• For Mastertone-style banjos
• Includes a built-in preamp
Rare Earth™ polepiece magnet responds to banjo head vibrations via a thin steel "inductor" placed beneath the banjo bridge. This is a proven design for a natural sound. The pickup and battery clip mount on the banjo's rim rods, with a 1/4" jack affixed to an easily mounted resonator flange bracket. 9-volt battery required.
www.fishman.com/uploads/products/documents/60.pdf
# Posted on December 16th 2009 by Enob
Re: banjo mic
I've fitted plenty of fishmans to banjos - they're actually nearer £uk200 these days. They're designed to fit easily on twin coordiantor rod banjos.
On single rod banjos it's more difficult to get a stable fix, and if the banjo's an open back type, you can have trouble if your waist is anything thicker than greyhound - the battery mount is almost level with the lower edge of the pot, Your belly can catch the battery mount and swivel the whole pickup sideways and make contact with the head, muting the banjo.
My own solution is to use two pickups on the banjo - a piezo and a twin coil humbucker, with onboard switching to take signal from either or both, On "both" the blend can be altered with onboard controls.
This gives a good range of sound colours from which I can select the one most suitable to the environment I happen to be working in - I play in venues varying from concert halls to small pubs so the range is pretty wide, and I usually manage to get very close to an acoustic sound.
Viewed from the front the banjo looks just like ann unamplified instrument (apart from the coax cable to mixing desk. The banjo is openback and the socket and controls are accessed from the rear of the instrument - not as inconvenient as it sounds.
# Posted on December 16th 2009 by millionyears_bc