How to Make Your Pickup on Your Acoustic Violin Sound Good

[@violacharlie]

Well done Matt, this video is now recommended viewing for all of my students. Rock on brother!

[@ElectricViolinShop]

Wow! Thanks!

[@jimlewis874]

Matt, great installment. I’m learning these things now after 35 years of playing. Really appreciate the tips!

[@jeffcurtis8089]

Glad to find this. I appreciate your comments.

[@earthearth5188]

You are such a great resource, and so down to the point.. Great work 👍👍👍

[@weedancer3142]

Great video. Thought I'd add my 2c for what it's worth. Been doing sound and playing for The Jiggers ceilidh band for 25 years in all kinds of venues and fiddle sound has always been a challenge, especially with a short time to set up and soundcheck. For the reverb, I'd suggest a fairly short reverb tail (time) in order to colour the sound of the note you're playing, rather than leave it hanging into the next note - so chamber or medium room effects tend to work better than large hall on anything that isn't slow, solo violin. Compression can also help a little to tame the harsh notes, but you need to know how it works! We use the headway EDB2HE dual preamp which has decent EQ on it and other useful settings for such a small box. A mixing desk with TWO swept mid knobs (rarer at the lower end of the market) can really help, as I find there's usually a resonance in the 400-1k frequencies, then a general harshness in the upper mid (2-5k ish) that needs to be pulled back. Bridge piezo pickups are indeed harsh in the top end, so something to take that out is usually necessary. Though interestingly, with an on-body fiddle mic, I've found that adding some "air" at the very highest end (e.g. 16k) can make the violin sit nicely on top in the mix, without sounding harsh. But it definitely varies from room to room, player to player etc... Totally agree about high-pass (low cut) EQ - nothing useful happening down there! I've used fishman bridge pickups which do sound more tinny, high-frequency, as well as The Band wraparound pickup, which is duller and needs some top end added. Pickups that are loose or badly positioned can distort when they vibrate on certain notes - if it sounds like there's a distortion pedal on it, you need to check that it's properly "seated" and making a clean connection. (Distortion can also be because you've got the gain up too high, or you forgot to put on phantom power for the DI and are trying to amplify a miniscule signal, or the battery in the preamp is dying, so check those things too!) One thing I suggest is to be nice to the sound tech. He (assuming it's a he) will often find your instrument a challenge. Don't touch his board unless he's inviting you to do that. If you're not certain enough about the specific issue to say to him "can you pull down 2.5k a little" then you need to be as polite as possible as you discuss it with him. You've got a nice clear sound of the violin right at your ear, so you're not the objective listener, so you have to adjust for that and be patient (but also persist if it's really terrible). Ask him to try methodically cutting a few different frequencies, and tell you when he thinks it sounds best ("good" might be too much to ask), and you can tell him when you think it sounds best as he does that. That goes like " I feel like there's something resonating that can be cut, but I'm not sure where it is. Do you have an idea, or can we just take two minutes to work through it methodically? Can we start by trying cutting somewhere around 500? (test by playing a short phrase in the problem zone on your fiddle) Now let's try cutting 1k (play the same thing)? Now what about 2.5k? Now what about 5k?" You might find that one or two of those sound the best when cut, and that's the process that you have to go through to get there. Make it easy for them by being consistent - and if you can talk into a mic while communicating (if he's not standing next to you) all the better. Always good to say "huh, I'm sounding quite strange in this room tonight" rather than implying "huh, you seem to have cloth ears and can't work an EQ knob." A digital mixing desk e.g. X32 or similar gives you multiple EQ channels to pinpoint various problem frequencies (e.g. room or instrument resonances) and cut them only, while leaving everything else. Very handy thing to consider, especially since some cheaper digital desks cost about the same as e.g. a DPA mic. Other options are to use the pickup and mix it in with an external mic - the pickup can be used to add volume in a PA (with less chance of feedback) but the mic will round out the sound, be more natural and capture more of the instrument's character. Mics will also pick up the room sound and the foldback speaker, so having the pickup mixed in means you don't have to have the mic up so loud. Some pickups have a mic AND a bridge pickup, so you can blend the two - if you're OK with the extra wiring and mixing, that can be a good option. If you're unsure what to opt for as a professional player, if you're going to be in a noisy band, and you're just one element of many, go for a pickup. If you're going to be in a quieter environment and maybe just an instrumental duo or trio without e.g. drumkit, then a mic (either on a stand or on the fiddle) can sound nice. Just watch where you're moving in relation to the speakers, especially when you're not muting your strings (e.g. in between songs!) That's a summary of some extra tips, again, only for what it's worth!

[@filippkishko444]

Thank you!!

[@molotulo8808]

Always record your sell. It is a great way to keep a diary of your playing.

[@SharifulIslam21]

Thank you so much, Its really helpful...

[@theresevanwyk9211]

Thank you so much! Now it should be way easier to decide on a pre amp, and chat w sound people

[@molotulo8808]

Use your effects and have fun. I like your spice analogy. A little bit of each is good instead of drowning in one effect (unless that is what you want. I just bought a Yamaha sv-200 electric violin and will play it threw... My Boss Me-80 My Moog Matriarch And, my Tascam Model 24 with it reverb effect. Effects are cool, but musicians use them to sound better, and achieve their desired effect.

[@JosephEReedMusic]

Helpful. Thanks!

[@MindRabbits]

first of all, put phones on your ears to hear only what goes out from your pickup, then dial your tone according to your taste. Use every tool you want, eq, compressor, impulses, reverb

[@monoswinger]

Idk, I had a cheap 'put on the surface' type guitar pu, when they asked to do a show, and it turned out "not bad". I plugged it into a small transistor bass combo. Turned off the treble knob. It was ok to me. AndI i started to play extremly light from the start instinctly :))

[@Fireman9143]

@Electric Violin Shop is there a good pedal or DI that has low pass, hi pass, and EQ? I like the look of the LR Baggs Paracoustic, Fishman ProEQ, and maybe the Boss EQ 200 or Source Audio EQ2. New to pickups. Love the videos. Thanks for the help!

[@ElectricViolinShop]

Any of the Helix products.

[@347nian]

I play by violin NS design wav 5

[@347nian]

My effect for my violin is Yamaha ag06

[@ArmyGideonTV]

Hey there! I’m working with a LR Baggs built into bridge pick up and man is it way too loud immediately. And I need it to go through the same pedal board as my guitar but it was way to loud even without the pedals… is there something that can take the output of the volume from the outset?

[@new.asteroid.tracker]

Just found you on KZbin and I'd like to know how you feel about a piezo pickup directly attached to a place on the lower bout of a violin, either chin rest side or opposite the chin rest, top surface or bottom.

[@anantramanujviolin7683]

Please recommend best pitch shifter for violin. I have zoom A1X Four but it's pitch shifting effect found latency. Thank you.

[@lifewithjimmy4389]

I am playing a violin- acoustic. I want a good pic up going into my amplifier. I am hoping you’ll guide me to a good reasonably priced one. I like your analogy of playing. Squeaky in a well. 😵‍💫😃👌your funny❤️😃👌

[@rlabarbe]

help! I'm in that rabbit hole. Been here all my life. will probably die in this hole

[@ElectricViolinShop]

We'll see you there.

[@rlabarbe]

@@ElectricViolinShop Heya Matt - I've been fairly happy with my Tone Dexter - huge improvement over naked piezo, but I still hear the piezo coming through - especially when playing loops. Was wondering if you have found the Baggs Voiceprint any better for reproducing an instrument's sound?

[@ElectricViolinShop]

@@rlabarbe Probably not. There's also a 99% chance that you are the only person on the planet who is bothered by what you're hearing. I mean, I get chasing tone, but at some point you start to reach diminishing returns.

[@user-cj2gl9rp6n]

Bsr comment je peux fabriquer un microphone pro a mon viloln et merci😊👍

[@jenivi7544]

Can a violin pickup be used on a guitar?

[@ElectricViolinShop]

I'm not sure why anyone would do that. There are LOTS of pickups designed to work with guitars.

[@347nian]

Hi

[@lifewithjimmy4389]

How do I get that sultry sound?? 🧐🤷🏻‍♀️😳

[@347nian]

please tell me which is the best effects processor for NS design wav 5 electric violin?

[@ElectricViolinShop]

There are a number of ways to go with this. This video might help: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bGOYi4hom7aib5Y

[@lifewithjimmy4389]

I want a microphone on my violin n to a wireless amp. Can you recommend?

[@ElectricViolinShop]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/qIW5o6SXaMira8k

[@lifewithjimmy4389]

Yikes I made this dumb request a year ago. What a novice I was. I realized now I’m referring to an input not wireless , as I would like to plug it into my amp. 😊❤️😃👌

[@dbi1036]

How can I purchase a instrument from u guys

[@ElectricViolinShop]

Our website. www.electricviolinshop.com/

[@mountairymobile3301]

what is your email..I need to send you a picture to explain,,my violin pick- up situation.

[@ElectricViolinShop]

[e-mail]

[@lifewithjimmy4389]

What’s EQ? 😳🤷🏻‍♀️

[@ElectricViolinShop]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/m5m2koOul8qiopo