 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: carissa
Date: 2002-04-01 20:10
hi. i was wondering if anyone could help. i play clarinet with a loud punk-ish band which has 2 basses, a guitar and drums. i was using a lavalier type clip on mic in the beginning, but that really gives an uneven sound. then i just recently came across a KING VOX octavoice, pick-up type of thing that i tape to my barrel. it really gives an electronic-ish sound instead of a deep wooden sound, but it is much more of an even sound. and i am afraid it is going to break. i found it on ebay and it is from some time in the 60s.
any one have any clue? i would use two mics, but i want to be able to move around on stage and in the practice space. as well, i am pretty broke, and would not like to spend more than $500.
the next question is what is the best amp for playing the clarinet through. i was using a bass amp, but i heard a keyboard amp is better?
please help,
carissa
Minneapolis, MN
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2002-04-01 21:23
Look at Applied Microphone Technology (check the Resources/Retail section on Sneezy to find the website/address). IMHO the best mikes in the business for amplifying a clarinet, but not cheap.
Barcus Berry makes a barrel transducer - I don't know if I have a link to them.
A bass amp doesn't have the frequency response for a clarinet (I'm a has-been professional electric bass player ;^) A keyboard or lead amp will do you better - a couple of 10 inch speakers rather than 12s will be in about the right range, but 4 8 inchers in a good sealed/vented cab would be awesome!
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Author: dan powell
Date: 2002-04-01 21:25
a key board amp is ideal. look in pawn shops for one . a peavy is a good rugged and not expenceive brand. . a small guitar amp will work as well but the keyboard amp will sound better. i cant help on the mike situation. do a search here and find my post on loudest clarinet mpc . i dont wont to reapet the info here and risk being called a heritic as this is mostly a classical clarinet board.
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Author: Jimmy
Date: 2002-04-01 21:31
I also play clarinet in an Indie/Punk band and I just use a lowered mike on a boomstand connected to whatever PA we are playing out of. It works great.
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Author: Bob Arney
Date: 2002-04-02 03:19
Dan said in part: "as this is mostly a classical clarinet board.". Oh! Come on Dan, it's not that bad. I hope nobody ever decides to hold back a posting because it is non-classical. Heck I even like Spike Jones and P.D.Q. Bach comes from IOWA-Hooray!!!
Bob A
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Author: allencole@jamschool.net
Date: 2002-04-03 17:48
Actually, I'm glad to see punk clarinet become a reality. I was told in college that I'd be the first punk-rock Eb clarinetist. Personally, I'd like to know if either Carissa or Jimmy have websites for their bands. I've love to check some audio clips.
Last time I saw a rock clarinet, it was in a movie called "Wecome to the Dollhouse."
Rock on, guys...
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Author: carissa
Date: 2002-04-03 22:09
you just use one microphone? how do you get the highs and lows to come out even? unless you move up and down a lot, i have never had good luck with one mic. are you using a condenser peddle or anything else? let me know, carissa
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Author: carissa
Date: 2002-04-03 22:13
oh yeah, we dont have a website yet. its in the works. as for applied microphone technology, i think the closest place that carries them is in new york, and a lot of places wont mail you something thats $500 and let you return it if you dont like it. i would love it if i could try the AMT W series, before i actually throw down that much cash.
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Author: Mark Charette, Webmaster
Date: 2002-04-03 23:19
Eddie Daniels is using the AMT since he normally plays amplified in his jazz band. You might want to ask the store (or contact AMT directly and see how much a restocking fee is - if it's 10% then you're only out $50 - more like a rental fee.
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Author: Ralph Katz
Date: 2002-04-04 16:45
Carissa,
The AMT seems to get a lot of use from big-name players, if you have the money. I can't comment on its durability, but have not heard a bad word about it. Money talks, huh? Rock band stages will be really noisy, and this is a microphone, so it may also be problematic if you are already picking up the other musicians with your current setup.
A low-to-mid-line mike such as an SM57 or SM58 on a boom is also a good choice and will prove very durable. This what normally I use, except in very noisy or windy environments.
I also have a Barcus-Berry pickup installed in a mouthpiece - this was a $250 experiment at the time. It works well, only because my electronics guru friend fixed its poor shielding. I would not call it very durable - the strain-relief on the mike cable could be a lot gutsier. They may have newer models that work better out-of-the-box. Also, you must keep your instrument in top shape to minimize key-click.
Be sure to listen to any amp before you buy it. The music store hooked a drum synth to all of their keyboard amps for me. Surprisingly, a number of popular models sounded bad: dull, no highs, boomy, etc. I ended up buying a Centaur, which I had never heard of, because there was no background noise, and everything from the kick drum to the triangle sounded really crisp on it. Also consider a Yamaha powered speaker - a durable mid-priced solution. Sometimes I use it with a Mackie 1402 or 1202 mixer - there are now a lot of small 6-12 channel mixers that would do reasonably well here to make a powered speaker more versatile.
I have been experimenting with new sounds by running the pickup into a Line6 Pod guitar effects processor. This unit has a lot of options, but may not necessarily be the best for a wind instrument. Have you tried this sort of thing?
Regards,
Ralph Katz
kb8zoy@compuserve.com
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