Gear
When I was researching what was required to
get back into the market, so to speak, I looked high
and low for websites that described what equipment the
entertainer used. There weren't many, so I decided to
spell out what I was using. I hope this helps some
young acoustic entertainer, somewhere. If not, it
helps me remember what I bought!
A simple description of gig requirements for
the acoustic entertainer follows:
Acoustic Guitar, preferably with a pickup.
Otherwise, you have to mic the guitar. This is kind of
a catch 22. The sound reproduction you can get from a
mic is really good, but there are a couple of
negatives:
1. you're tied to a certain spot on stage.
However, If you sit, it's not a problem.
2.Whether you use a condenser or dynamic mic,
you'll need to crank up the gain sufficiently to get
a decent sound. This always introduces a strong
feedback potential, so beware!
PA System - The choices are many, as you might
imagine. I started out with the Bose L1 system which
sounds very good. However, as I got older, it became a
physical nightmare to carry the 4 pieces, 35 pounds
each, in and out of the venue. I then opted for the
Fishman SoloAmp. One piece at about 35 pounds was the
ticket for me. You'll need a minimum of 2 channels,
mic and guitar on whatever amp/PA you choose.
Microphone- Although there are a few
performers who bring a condenser mic to the gig, they
are few and far between. If you decide you want to use
a condenser, make sure your amp/PA has phantom power
as the condenser needs a 48 volt supply to work.
Otherwise, go with what most folks do, a dynamic mic.
There is always the old-tried and true, Shure SM58.
It's road-worthy and should last for a long time.
Cables - Don't scrimp here. They are the
life-line between you and your PA. without them, you
need to pack up and go home. Spend a few extra bucks
and get something decent. I got a bunch of give-away
cables in an order for something else. Not a single
one of them worked worth a poop. They either produced
dead-silence or various degrees of snap-crackle-pop.
At minimum, you'll need an XLR cable for the mic and
an instrument cable for the guitar. Personally, I
never go to a gig without at least one extra set.
Mixer - If you are plugging in more
instruments or vocal mics than your PA can handle,
you'll need a mixer with two XLR outputs. The big
mixer I use for an Open Mic I host is a 12 channel
Mackie. I pan all the vocal mics to right, and the
instruments to the left. Then I take the left XLR
output to the left input on the SoloAmp and visa versa
for the right. The mixer gives you all the
capabilities you need for EQ, gain and other stuff on
a per-channel basis.
Mic Stand - If you buy junk, you'll be
replacing them more often than you need to. Make sure
you get the boom style, which makes it a lot more
comfortable for a guitar player to get to the mic.
Also, when I forgot my stand for a gig, I had to go to
a local music store to find one. All they had was one
with the heavy metal base, as opposed to tripod legs.
Two things were wrong with it, a) no boom and b) very
unstable. I'm sure there are different values of
metal-base stands, but this one was garbagio.
Consequently, I only use those with tripod legs.
Music Stand - Unless you memorize all your
tunes, you'll need a music stand to put your book on.
Do not get a flimsy music stand. They will not hold up
to a 10 lb lyric book. Be sure to also get one of
those gig lights because generally, the lighting is
very low on stage. There are several very good LED
lights on the market that are designed for music
stands.
Tablet - If you want to bring your lyric book
into the 21st century, you'll load all your
lyrics/chord sheets on a 10 inch tablet. You could
spend $500 on an iPad, or $350 on a matching Android
tablet. There is absolutely nothing the iPad can do
that an Android can't. In fact, an Android such as the
Samsung Note 10.1 has a lot more capabilities than the
iPad. To name just a few things; the A500 has a USB
port, SD card slot and an HDMI Output, all shamefully
missing on the iPad. If you choose the Android, get a
lyrics-reading app such as Lyric Pad. It scrolls the
lyrics up the page as you sing.. Pretty cool, huh? If
you choose the iPad, OnSong is likely the app you
want.
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