Smallpipe amplification equipment.

[Happy]

I've been wanting to purchase some microphones and amplification equipment for my smallpipes. I will be using it for stage performances and recording sessions. Anyone have suggestions of good quality and REASONABLE equipment??? Wireless is of some interest to me so any information there would be appreciated.

[Edward Bradshaw]

I've had some great results from the Audio Technica ATM10a for recording. It's fairly inexpensive ($110 from zzounds) and can run on a AA batery if you don't have phantom power available. It's an omni patern mic which makes it great for picking up the spread of drones, but may be a problem for live sound.

[jlove]

Grumpy,

Your questions make me want to ask a bunch more questions for clarification, but based on my experience, here's what I'll offer...

I agree with Mr. Bradshaw - I've had fairly good results recording my smallpipes with an omni-directional condenser mic (albeit a more expensive one than the ATM10a). This one mic can be moved around to achieve a pretty decent chanter/drone balance. I will add that an additional cardioid condenser (like the AT4041 or Shure BG4.1 for a cheaper version) helped fill out the bass drone sound, which was ever so slightly lacking due to the distance of the bass from the chanter when using just the omni mic.

As far as amplification goes, it depends on your plans for performance. Again, as Ed said, I don't recommend an omnidirectional mic for live performance, here you're looking at two cardioid condenser mics (the BG4.1 comes to mind as a fair balance between decent sounding and reasonably priced), one for the chanter and one for the drones. If you're working into a band with an existing sound system, that's all you need - just add your mics to the mix. If you only need to amplify yourself just to keep up with the other guys' acoustic levels, then something like the smaller Fender Passport portable PA system would work for you. At any rate, stick with condenser microphones. Dynamic mics like the Shure SM57 or Beta57 will tend to deaden the tone of your pipes and will not give the crispness you can get from a condenser.

Actually, as I'm typing all this, it occurs to me that there is such an absolutely HUGE range of choices out there, that it's difficult to offer much more advice without more clear requirements - without writing a book. If you want to clarify your definitions of "good quality" and "reasonable price" (these are often mutually exclusive) and speak a little more on what type of performance situations you envision, I'd be happy to offer more suggestions.

Good luck,
Jon

[Happy]

Thanks to both for your responses. I'll be playing the smallpipes in solo and a folk group setting and doing a little recording. I would like to be able to add some basic effects like reverb. I would like to keep my cost at a couple grand US or under. Thanks again!

[Happy]

Thanks to both for your responses. I'll be playing the smallpipes in solo and a folk group setting and doing a little recording. I would like to be able to add some basic effects like reverb. I would like to keep my cost at a couple grand US or under. Thanks again!

[Chad McMurry]

There are some nice holders for those condenser mikes - specifically for miking instruments. For your reverb, the NanoVerb is a nice little unit with a wide range of effects - it would be appropriate for recording or for adding just a little reverb in small spaces, and it doesn't cost an arm and a leg. There are also a lot of inexpensive powered mixers out there that would be great for blending two mike inputs (one drone, one chanter) as desired. Some music stores carry used sound equipment - you might be able to pick up a used powered mixer on the cheap.

[M.Painter]

HI,

I have a recording studio and when I record either the SSP or GHP I just use 2 AKG3000 mic's setup thus:

GHP: One mic a bit higher than the base drone and centered over the tenors but slanted slightly towords the base drone. Then I put the other one right in front of the chanter. You may also try small but quality lavalier mic's on the chanter and drones.

SSP: One mic to the right of you facing the drones as they sit over your arm and the chanter mic that same as above. You might consider The AKG C419/B Wind/Brass Instrument Mic works well for this purpose but is a bit pricy at $179.00.

This procedure gets me the results that I want for recording. For LIVE stage performance, the same setup works well unless you move around a lot. I have experimented with using 4 cordless lavolier mic's all taped or velcro'd in place for the GHP and just 2 for the SSP. I would pick the Nady Encore II LT Lavalier System. You can get them for $149.00 at Musicians Friend. (http://www.musiciansfriend.com/index.cgi?sourceid=00306555726583960076) This gives you the freedom to move about on stage without tripping over cords, which is the LAST thing you want to do whildst concentrating on performance.

Slainte

Mike