DI box

Elso:

Re harmonica mic into PA system: Do you not have an amp you use for performance? Harp mic straight into DI into PA might leave you a little thin on sound, unless you use some sort of booster pedal, and then into the DI (see No. 2, below).

I use a Lone Wolf Blues Company "Little Red" passive DI for a number of applications, e.g.:

(1) Keep with my harp amp, which has a line out outlet. If at a jam the sound tech doesn't have a mic available to mic my amp, I can run the line out into the Little Red and the sound tech can run an XLR out of it into the board;

(2) I have a very portable "ampless" set-up with a Lone Wolf "Harp Attack" pedal and a Danelectro delay pedal, which I run into the Little Red, and the sound tech can run into the board. While I prefer to use my amp (as my own on-stage monitor - I hear the pedal set-up only thorugh the stage monitors), it sure is less gear to haul around.

(3) For our theatre troupe's cabaret shows I'm usually on stage playing harp into one of the vocal mics; however, from time to time I'll be set up in the pit with the band. When that happens, I again use my amp as my monitor, and run the line out into the Little Red, from whence the sound tech can run me into the board.

Not sure how one would use a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 in connecton with a PA system, if that's part of your question. I use one at home as the audio interface with my Mac laptop. Works great for Zoom performance, lessons, FaceTime, and any other situation in which I am both seen and heard. I also use it to record using GarageBand. I use one channel of the 2i2 for my mic, and the other to feed in my harp or another instrument. Audio sources including my music library, Amazing Slow Downer, etc., can be added to that. Also, the sound card in my anciant laptop is trashed, so for any audio input our output I need to use an app rather than the laptop's own speakers and mic, and the app for the 2i2 works just fine.

Hi Elsa. Hope this helps:

The Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 is just the thing for running stuff into your laptop to record on any program. You don't need a DI box. The two inputs on the 2i2 will take either high impedence via 1/4" plug OR low impedence via XLR cable.

Most (but not all) harmonica mics are high impedence and use a cable that ends in a 1/4" plug, and starts at the mic with either a male 1/4" plug or a female Swichcraft screw-on connector. If you're using the Bulletini, either you got from BlowsMeAway one of Greg's great Switchcraft-to-1/4" cables, or a Switchcrraft-to-female-1/4" adaptor and someone else's 1/4"-to-1/4" cables.

My mics:

One of Greg Heumann's BlowsMeAway wood mics, made with gorgeous walnut, and built-in volume control. To combat some hum interference issues, Greg later installed some copper shielding in it. I love the mic for most live applications.

A Shure SM-57 that Greg converted to one of his "Ultimate" mics, with volume control, and an installed "Bulletizer" collar. It's my prefered mic for performing or recording on chromatic, as it has a broader frequency range than the wood mic.

An ancient Shure brown bullet with Black Label CR element, bought from a friend. Great sound, but it's a tad heavy for performing with.

All of the above three are high impedence, and I use Greg's excellent cables. My fourth mic is one of the very-badly-rated Shaker Dynamic mics, but a lot of the bad reviews are from folks who don't understand that it's a low-impedence mic, and that if you want any kind of sound out of a guitar or harp amp, you need to also use an impedence converter. I don't use the mic all that much, but I've taken it (with cable and impedence converter) to places like Cheryl Arena's The Harmonica Experience and Kim Field's Harmonica Northwest, where I've loaned it to fellow campers who haven't brought their own mics. I keep it sanitized and re-sanitize it when I get home, and it's inexpensive enough that if it gets dropped into a bucket of beer, or lost while traveling, it won't bother me all that much.

Back to you: Greg's Bulletini mics are wonderful. I've played demo models before. My only issue is that they are a tad small for me. For recording, you don't need a DI box. You can plug right into one of the XLR/1/4" combo inputs in the 2i2. Assuming that your laptop will accomodate the Focusrite app (as I mentioned, I use a Mac), you'll be good to go with great recording. I havent used Audacity, but if it has features like reverb and delay, you can have fun with the sound. If not, a reverb or delay pedal between your mic and the 2i2 input will make for even better sound.

And when you're ready to jump on stage, you might want a DI box just in case.

Elsa:

The Shure SM58 is the classic for vocals. Like, literally bomb-proof. It's the most common wired mic for venues (with Shure's wireless versions being used some places, as well). I've used house SM58s to play acoustically from time to time. (E.g., at a jam when the host says there isn't time to set up an amp.) They work fine.

My own vocal mic is the classic-looking 55SH. I figure that if I can't sound like Frank Sinatra, at least I can look like him. Mic-wise that is. But for playing what is generally thought of as acoustic harp, the SM58 is a better bet, and for my own recording for lesson submissions would probably be a better bet than my 55SH. There are pros (e.g., Howard Levy and his $1,000 Sennheiser 441) who use much more expensive condenser mics for recording and performance, but for starters the economical dynamic SM58 is likely the best way to go.