Posted Tue, 03/10/2015 - 09:01 by David Barrett Admin
The next time you're at your local hardware store take a stole down the fence supplies isle and grab a chain link fence cap. The most common size is 2-3/8", which is the same size as our bullet microphones. This is the inside diameter measurement, so it will feel a tad large, but it's pretty darn close. This is a great bullet mic analog for those wishing to get used to holding a bullet microphone before they make the investment for a real one. You can also play into it like a cup, creating cool, cavernous Wa Wa and Hand Tremolo effects. Not a bad tool, and under $1! continue reading...
Posted Tue, 12/16/2014 - 10:16 by David Barrett Admin
We work very hard as blues harmonica players to develop an air-tight cup to achieve a dark and bassy tone. A common issue though with an overly tight cup is a sound, that when placed into context with a band, is often too dark and muted. The next time you perform live or record in the studio, try relaxing your hands a tad to allow just a little bit of your cup to leak. You'll still achieve good volume, tone and bass, but some of the muted nature of your cup will decrease and the higher frequencies responsible for making your playing cut through and be heard better are increased.
Posted Thu, 10/02/2014 - 08:12 by David Barrett Admin
Most bullet mics are between 2-1/4" and 2-1/2" in diameter (the round holes in harp cases are 2-1/2"). Many of the cups and glasses in your house are this diameter, including standard 16oz water bottles. If you're new to playing a bullet mic, time spent with it in your hands is needed to gain a comfort level. You can of course play with the mic plugged into your amp, or unplugged (with cable disconnected if it's detachable) or even a household cup to create a mic analog. Either way, you're getting used to having that bullet shape be part of your harmonica hold.
Posted Fri, 07/18/2014 - 07:31 by David Barrett Admin
If you're new to recording and don't own a microphone to place in front of your amplifier, you can use the Line Out on your amp. This sends a line-level signal (not powered, like the speaker out... don't use that) via cable to your computer. if your computer has a 1/4" microphone input, you can use a cable that runs from 1/4" (out of amp) to 1/8" (into computer). Though the tone of what you're sending doesn't include the sound you like from the power section of your amp, your speaker, or cabinet... it's better than nothing. Yesterday's tip was to use two amps for recording. continue reading...
Posted Thu, 07/17/2014 - 07:18 by David Barrett Admin
The next time you find yourself in the studio, bring two amps to play through. Using a splitter or A/B box does the job to send the signal of your bullet mic into both amps. You can also plug in the Input 1 of one amp, and then with an instrument cable run out the Input 2 or Line Out of that amp into the input of the other. The studio engineer will mic each amp separately and will place a third mic in the room to pickup the ambient (room sound) of your rig, especially if it's a live (reflective) room. continue reading...
Posted Wed, 07/16/2014 - 08:48 by David Barrett Admin
Fellow student SmokeJS has the following tip for you. The special mic he refers to is the bullet mic I had made for teaching mic cupping technique that has a halogen bulb in place of a mic cartridge.
Posted Mon, 06/30/2014 - 09:57 by David Barrett Admin
You're probably watching the footage that we recorded yesterday at Skip Simmons' place right now. Many times throughout the day we talked about an amp being more or less distorted. Your simple, but important, tip today is to match opposites. An amp that you feel is too distorted should be matched with a mic that you feel isn't distorted enough, and vice-verse. Don't disregard gear that's "too" this or that... there's a match out there for it.