Next live sound issue-getting both vocal effects, and switching on/off foh vox

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Mbira

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 4, 2004
Messages
2,422
Location
Austin, TX
In my continuing quest with refining our live show, I'm trying to figure out the best way to do this:

I want to have lead vocals with the ability to turn on and off delay, and "telephone" vocal effects.

I also want to be able to turn off vocals to the foh and still have them come through my monitor (for cueing the other guys verbally).  And lastly, I have a very percussive band and we all jump around a lot, and I'd really like to find a wireless headphone mic that doesn't sound like s&^t and have a ton of bleed.  I am a strong singer, but not a "good" singer.  I don't want to have to gate the hell out of the mic, because I also talk between songs to the audience.

Right now, I have the headset mic (a cheap Shure) going through a G9 into my 1176 and then into my Audiofire12.  I have the vox "direct monitoring" straight into my monitor, and then I have vox going through effects in Ableton which are controlled with my Behringer FCB1010. 

This works well, but I am getting noticeable latency in the effects if I want to avoid pops.  If I send the direct monitored vox to the foh and blend them with the effects, then the latency issue goes away, but I don't have a way of turning on and off the vox to the foh then.

I guess what I'm looking for is a way to get my delay and telephone effect out of the computer and have just an a/b box for my mic with an "a" and "a and b" ability.  I tried one of those TC Helicon boxes, but it sounded like shit.  I'd like to find a good sounding simple delay and telephone effect...
 
Hey Joel,

I take it there is no FOH guy, just you onstage?

I would probably look at making a simple mic pre with a pair of outs, an API 312 with the 2503 transformer does this beautifully with the separate windings.  Use one of the outs to feed some guitar effects pedals, something like an analogue delay and a cheap Boss EQ would work well.  Then a small summing box to blend the clean and effected loop, maybe the new send n'blend?  You'd need to consider the impedance feeding the guitar pedals but other than that it's all analogue and latency free and you can step on a stomp box to kill either effect.

The summing box could have two outs, one for FOH and one for monitors.



 
Mbira said:
I also want to be able to turn off vocals to the foh and still have them come through my monitor (for cueing the other guys verbally).  And lastly, I have a very percussive band and we all jump around a lot, and I'd really like to find a wireless headphone mic that doesn't sound like s&^t and have a ton of bleed.  I am a strong singer, but not a "good" singer.  I don't want to have to gate the hell out of the mic, because I also talk between songs to the audience.
Indeed, almost all headset mics sound like s&^t if you don't assist them with a lot of processing and the constant massage of a sound tech. Even in the best conditions, it is so difficult to have them working right, that's the reason a number of artists use pre-recorded tracks in their live shows and just lip-sync...
Right now, I have the headset mic (a cheap Shure) going through a G9 into my 1176 and then into my Audiofire12.  I have the vox "direct monitoring" straight into my monitor, and then I have vox going through effects in Ableton which are controlled with my Behringer FCB1010. 
As long as you'll use a DAW as a host for your FX, you'll have buffer latency. You may try using effects that run autonomous, although I can't guarantee that would solve the problem. It's also very dependant on the drivers.
I guess what I'm looking for is a way to get my delay and telephone effect out of the computer and have just an a/b box for my mic with an "a" and "a and b" ability.  I tried one of those TC Helicon boxes, but it sounded like Sh*t.  I'd like to find a good sounding simple delay and telephone effect...
I don't have much knowledge of tc Helicon boxes, but I use a tc VoiceLive with great satisfaction. There's a footswitch for turning off the FX. Anyway there are a lot of great sounding delays; as to telephone FX, I don't know...
 
Might I humbly suggest you checkout the Countryman Isomax headset mics. I have had very very good results with these. They are expensive though.
 
Hmm, vocal processor (floor style) that you can punch FX in and out Guitar stomp box style maybe?  Find one that has stereo outs (but only use mono effects).  have the left go to FOH, have the right go to MON..  have a kill (bypass) box on the FOH line ( cough drop?... the cough drop was only momentary not on/off.  But you should be able to mod it or build something like it for like next to nothing. Im thinking a switch a cap to filter the pop as long as youre not using phantom power, should be pretty easy)

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/VTCreateXT/
This thing looks pretty appropriate

For a while we used a crappy digitech processor that did fine for the phone/megaphone effect. (no stereo though).  Now we have the entire show sync'd up via midi.  Everyone had click track in the in-ears.  All effects/patches etc etc are changed at appropriate times by the sequencer.

Edi: just found.. they had to change thename  and you can use condenser or dynamic
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/ShortStop
 
Hello!

Check out the Metric Halo Interfaces! They have DSP onboard and can handle reverb delay and channelstrip duties with nearly zero latency. You could route your input to different buses like delay, telephone-fx........ and route your signals to different outputs for monitoring and foh. I am sure you could controll it with your behringer thingie!

regards,
Wolfgang
 
Controlling a metric halo with a behringer would be...just...wrong.

I have heard great things about those, but that is way out of the budget for this need.
 
^ done that... It does work, but...

It was for a pair of commentators at a wakeboard festival. I wanted gates rather than a mute button, so I could concentrate on beer...

I would do it again too! Hahaha!
 
Big vote here for the TC floor pedal for that.
Just heard it a few days ago on a gig I just did.
Worked great and sounded pretty good too.

 
I rented one for a week here to try.  I couldn't find a sound I was happy with.  I am spoiled with running my vox through my G9 and DIY 1176, that it's hardto through it through such a cheap pre :-D

I'm increasingly convinced I just need to find a simple rack effects box that can handle simple delay and eq (to do the telephone).  Then I can run that as an effects loop into the Audiofire.
 
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