Best mic / pickup methods for live violin.

[patrickstinson]

I want to do some live looping with my violin and am not so happy with the sound quality from my Shadow Bridge pick-up:

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessor ... 7000000000

I am also using the line-in "sensitivity" @ 90% on my FA-101 to boost the signal. Are there better mic / pick-up / pre-amp options out there for under $200USD (I can go higher if it's a killer option) ? I don't know much about recording violins in general.

Thanks!

[Tysonviolin]

Baggs pickup is what I use. Hands down my favorite. You can listen here.
Tropo.bandcamp.com

[chapelier fou]

im very happy with my barcus berry pickup.

[Dragonbreath]

Ive never used it myself, but I heard this DI brings Piezo pickup in violins to life. Its designed specificly for Piezo pickup like you have in your violin.


http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/PZDI/

[patrickstinson]

Ive never used it myself, but I heard this DI brings Piezo pickup in violins to life. Its designed specificly for Piezo pickup like you have in your violin.


http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/PZDI/

Looks like this one is cheaper. I wonder if it would accomplish the same thing?

http://www.zzounds.com/item--RADSB4PIEZO

[jekksjekks]

Barcus Berry pickups are the shit... violinist in my group runs her violin on barcus and into my rig, I use a behringer rack preamp which gives it a pretty clean boost of volume and then shape it in ableton with reverb and EQ. one thing to remember is that contact pickups aren't mics and they function differently, they don't pick up all the subtleties that bring the instrument to life, you always have to work on multiple levels to make it sound good

[Dragonbreath]

Ive never used it myself, but I heard this DI brings Piezo pickup in violins to life. Its designed specificly for Piezo pickup like you have in your violin.


http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/PZDI/

Looks like this one is cheaper. I wonder if it would accomplish the same thing?

http://www.zzounds.com/item--RADSB4PIEZO

Yes that would work too because it has a

"...10meg-ohm impedance that smoothes out troublesome peaks that give piezos a bad name."

The other one has selectable impedance and some other features that would make it more versitile for other uses though.

[patrickkidd]

I got the stagebug and am pretty happy with the sound. It's also very nice to have a boosted signal for a change.

Now the last thing I need to do is run it into a guitar effect pedal (EXH micro POG). There is an aux out that has a significantly lower signal strength than the XLR out, but then running that into the pedal all but kills the signal. I also have a phantom power supply, but that also nearly kills the signal out the stagebug.

What is it that I don't understand about instrument / line signals, impedance, etc?

[Dragonbreath]

You need an adapter that will go out of the xlr out of the stagebug that will convert from mic signal impedance to guitar level. I found this one

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessor ... ixer-cable

[patrickstinson]

For reference, I worked with the Shadow (piezo) in-bridge pickup and Radial Stagebug SB-4 Piezo DI for about 3 months. This setup worked fairly well but the sound was quite tinny and hard to fix with EQ.

Now I am using the incredible DPA 4099:v mic ($499 USD, I got mine used for $400 on eBay). It comes with its own inline phantom powered preamp, and I'm getting fantastic results with a flat EQ. Really an amazing unit. My search for a good violin sound is over.