Voice amplification in absence of a sound system

crowlibrarian

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Hi folks, After 18 years hiatus, I've recently began playing music out in public at an open mike, but it's one of those open mikes without...mikes. My D25M projects nicely but not my voice. :frown-new: Folks in the 4th row back miss words. Yeah, voice lessons might help but I lack interest in pursuing this approach. What came to mind instead, was purchasing a used Shure M58 and mike stand, There isn't a sound system at the venue but I'm wondering if there's anyway I might get decent enough sound with a small amp, or would I need to get a PA head and speakers. Ideally, my approach would cost no more than $200. Any ideas? Thank you! :panda:

p.s. It's a very small listening room, probably 20'x60'.
 
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davismanLV

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Shure SM58's are really the best and for the money you can't beat 'em! That's what i use and when I bought an amp I made sure it could handle a guitar AND the mic at the same time. I got a Fender Acoustasonic 40, which can do both. There are others like Fishman and other brands that i think do a little better job, but they cost a bit more. They're not that much and you can do a small venue with my Fender amp and amplify your guitar and voice at the same time. It's better to sing in a style and volume where you're comfortable and where you have control of your voice without straining, so do that. I can belt out a tune really strongly, but that's not my normal and comfortable place, so it's better to sing normally and let the amp do the work. Others will be along soon with more and probably better suggestions. :encouragement:
 

dapmdave

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Tom has good advice. The Fishman Loudbox amps also sound good with a mic.
 

Grassdog

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Shure SM58's are really the best and for the money you can't beat 'em! That's what i use and when I bought an amp I made sure it could handle a guitar AND the mic at the same time. I got a Fender Acoustasonic 40, which can do both. There are others like Fishman and other brands that i think do a little better job, but they cost a bit more. They're not that much and you can do a small venue with my Fender amp and amplify your guitar and voice at the same time. It's better to sing in a style and volume where you're comfortable and where you have control of your voice without straining, so do that. I can belt out a tune really strongly, but that's not my normal and comfortable place, so it's better to sing normally and let the amp do the work. Others will be along soon with more and probably better suggestions. :encouragement:

Really good advice from Tom here - a small combo amp will work nicely and you just can't beat those SM58's mics for cost and reliability. That rig might put you a little over your budget but hey you'll have a setup that will sound good, is easily transportable, simple and reliable.
 

GAD

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I know - not helpful, but man is it ever the perfect solution.
 

dreadnut

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+1 on the SM-58 and Fishman Loudbox Mini, those are what I use for just such a setting. They'll set you back a little more than $200 though.
 

fronobulax

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This?

import_photos_76.jpg

There are amps designed to handle both an instrument and voice and you have some good suggestions. Remember that with your D-25 you may not want or not need to amplify it even if you mic your voice.
 

Nuuska

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Hello

Since the budget is so limited - how about an active pa-speaker/floormonitor with mic input - some of them have line input only.
Put it on the floor about a foot behind and left or right of you .There should be plenty of those in used-equipment circulation.
 

crowlibrarian

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Shure SM58's are really the best and for the money you can't beat 'em! That's what i use and when I bought an amp I made sure it could handle a guitar AND the mic at the same time. I got a Fender Acoustasonic 40, which can do both. There are others like Fishman and other brands that i think do a little better job, but they cost a bit more. They're not that much and you can do a small venue with my Fender amp and amplify your guitar and voice at the same time. It's better to sing in a style and volume where you're comfortable and where you have control of your voice without straining, so do that. I can belt out a tune really strongly, but that's not my normal and comfortable place, so it's better to sing normally and let the amp do the work. Others will be along soon with more and probably better suggestions. :encouragement:

This should fit the bill for my needs. Thank you! The Loudbox Mini and other mike options would be wonderful to consider if I had a bit more to spend. Thank you everyone! :tickled_pink:
 

dougdnh

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Shure SM-58's are very nice, but you can certainly get by with something cheaper. I have a mid priced Radio Shack mike (around $30), and it sounds almost as good as an M-58. If you are using a combo amp, which should be fine in a small venue, make sure you have a mike with a high impedance jack to plug into the amp.
 

Charlie Bernstein

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A few months ago, my friend's PA pooped out at a pub gig we were duoing. And it's a pretty noisy pub.

So we shouted. And got plenty of tips. And paid. And invited back.

I'm like you: a soft voice. But shouting is shouting, regardless.

For most small-club acoustic gigs and open mics (or un-mics), amplification is over-done and over-rated.
 
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Grassdog

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. . . So we shouted. And got plenty of tips. And paid. And invited back. . .

Probably not a coincidence. The crowd probably appreciated the lower volume so they could have a conversation with the person next to them without having to struggle to hear over a loud PA. For those of us that play out a lot, this is probably good advice to turn it down.
 

davismanLV

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I've actually tipped people performing with a suggestion to turn it down!! I hand them the money and say "This is how much it's worth to me and my friends for you to turn it down. You play and sing well, but we didn't come to a concert, we came to catch up on each other's lives. So here's $20 to bring it down for a while. Thanks!!"

It usually works. :encouragement:
 

Nuuska

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Probably not a coincidence. The crowd probably appreciated the lower volume so they could have a conversation with the person next to them without having to struggle to hear over a loud PA. For those of us that play out a lot, this is probably good advice to turn it down.


So true

In my years of mixing all kinds of bands in myriad different circumstances - hardly ever someone comes to me asking "Turn the volume up."
More often there is the case, that the band is performing in smallish venue - and no matter how I try to tell them - they play too loud.
I end up keeping most of the channels muted trying to make vocal and solos audible.
Makes all the sense bringing 24-channel board and setting up 22 microphones and ending using one mic . . .
Fortunately most of my clients are not like that - but I've been there - and it is quite embarrassing, when there's nothing one can do and people think it's me who's lunatically cranking volume up.
 
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