Raven Labs Blender + Underwood + What Mic?

Kevin Hsieh · #1 10-30-2007, 12:00 PM

Long story short, I love my unamplified tone, but am beginning to hate my tone through most amps. I want to start exploring the idea of having the clarity of a piezo pickup and the warmth of a microphone blended together on an amplified gig.

What mics are relatively cheap that you guys have found that work for you? I have a fully carved Xuechang Sun with Spirocore Mittels and a Superflexible G. My budget will be under 300 or 400 for the mic.

liam_g · #2 10-30-2007, 12:29 PM

Hey, Kevin,

I'm going to tag along, because I'm interested as well. I love my Underwood for its reliability and solid, clear sound, but I'm also wanting to add a mic and blend things.

Cheers

Kevin Hsieh · #3 10-30-2007, 12:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by liam_g

Hey, Kevin,

I'm going to tag along, because I'm interested as well. I love my Underwood for its reliability and solid, clear sound, but I'm also wanting to add a mic and blend things.

Cheers

Nice to have you on board.
What's your current rig?

I'm going direct into a GKMB150 which is working quite well for me. It's got that nice GK warmth, but I'm looking to have a more acoustic sound rather than that GK sound. I'm also only using one piezo on the low end.

Eliot Wadopian · #4 10-30-2007, 12:42 PM

If you can find the Raven labs blender it works great. There are other "blender" type boxes out there but Steve got it right. As for a mic you can spend a fortune on some great new gear but I have to say I've been using a little crown mic in conjunction with a Underwood transducer quite successfully for over 15 years now. Going from pizz to arco can be a drag but this is where the Blender comes in handy. Now the problem is flying the bass to the gig!

Hope this helps?

Kevin Hsieh · #5 10-30-2007, 12:46 PM

does anyone have experience with the DTAR, that's the closest unit to the PMB II, if i'm correct

bolo · #6 10-30-2007, 12:46 PM

Check this out. Mentions several not too expensive mics, and includes mounting ideas & pics.

FWIW, I use a Beyer M 88 w/ an H-clamp and I like the way it sounds mic only and blended w/ a p/u (Rev Solo).

bolo · #7 10-30-2007, 12:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kevin Hsieh

does anyone have experience with the DTAR, that's the closest unit to the PMB II, if i'm correct

Yes. Good sound [ edit - i.e. transparent ]. Lots of output routing options. 10 Mohm input impedance. Phase reversal on each channel. The only drawback (for some users) is that the Bass EQ knob is centered up around 160 Hz. It will not help you add or cut "deep" bass. If you search a bit, I think most all the reviews for the Solstice here in this forum have been pretty positive.

FWIW, ever since I bought a Focus 2R, the Solstice has been relegated to backup duty and pretty much sits at home.

liam_g · #8 10-30-2007, 12:52 PM

Hey Kevin,

I'm using a couple of different amps right now. A cheap little Line6 Studio 110, which works surprisingly well at low volumes, and a Genz Benz NeoPak 3.5 head into a Neox112t cabinet (single 12" speaker) for louder things. I have FDeck's HPF/Pre to handle the impedance and give me the high pass filter and phase switching ... makes the Underwood behave very nicely through either of my two setups so far.

Looking forward to adding a mic, though!

Cheers

Kevin Hsieh · #9 10-30-2007, 01:08 PM

SM 58 or the Beyer M88 sounds just about in my price range for me. come to think of it, the beyer might be even a bit of stretch on top of the added preamp purchase

one problem is that i really like the transportability of my rig. I have the GK over my shoulder and roll my bass around. End up being fairly mobile and comfortable on the subway. with an extra preamp and a mike... i might have a bit of trouble getting around

el_mariachi · #10 10-30-2007, 01:21 PM

if you can swing it, you might want to look into a Shure Beta 57. FYI: I just purchased a new Audix i5 and I thought it sounded great (mic only). i need to work on the mounting a little more, but i think its a great mic for those that don't have a very large budget.

BTW, instead of buying a separate blender, have you thought about dumping your current rig for a two channel Acoustic Image amp (head or combo)?

Kevin Hsieh · #11 10-30-2007, 01:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by el_mariachi

BTW, instead of buying a separate blender, have you thought about dumping your current rig for a two channel Acoustic Image amp (head or combo)?

I just bought my GK for a great price from clink and I love it. Maybe now's not the time to invest on a mike/pickup blend. My previous teacher has a Focus and wizzy 10 and has owned a GKMB150 throughout high school. He has never sold it because he keeps going back to it. That's what i'm placing my bets on. I feel i might regret it if I sell it for a different rig.

el_mariachi · #12 10-30-2007, 01:27 PM

not to totally derail the thread, but have you thought about experimenting with different pickups? perhaps the underwood isn't a good match for your bass.

Kevin Hsieh · #13 10-30-2007, 01:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by el_mariachi

not to totally derail the thread, but have you thought about experimenting with different pickups? perhaps the underwood isn't a good match for your bass.

yea. i'm looking to pick up a realist as a christmas present for my bass. just curious about this mike thing.

bolo · #14 10-30-2007, 01:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eliot Wadopian

If you can find the Raven labs blender it works great. There are other "blender" type boxes out there but Steve got it right.

I have heard some say that the Raven Labs unit adds a certain thickness to the sound. That works for some, others not.

I don't detect this type of coloration w/ the D-TAR Solstice.

Not trying to say the Raven unit is good or bad, just echoing what some other people have said about it.