it;s pretty smart
the problem is, he has about 8 accordions
on stage
each one has different mics, etc inside
what he does is this:


one wireless transmitter

wireless receiver output goes into an 8 channel mixer

here is the smart part -
each channel is labeled and set for a specific accordion

C Bflat A F B [yes he has one] - whatever

when he changes accordions, he also
moves the wireless output to the mixer input
channel for that accordion

and of course the single output goes to the PA system

all EQ and levels are set in advance so the accordions all come out sounding the way he wants

it;s obvious - but i hadn;t thought of doing it that way

[it;s a 'mixer' that actually never 'mixes'
more than one signal at a time]

wle.

So much for worrying about wearing out the 1/4" jacks. I do the same thing with my stage mixer, having each channel set up for a particular accordion, but I run a separate cable to each mixer channel from each accordion.

I think Rick's solution is the most elegant. He only has to move the wireless transmitter to the next accordion, and select the EQ/volume preset on his BOSS-20. No need to re-plug the wireless receiver into a different channel on the mixer, like Keith, and no mare's nest of cables to do deal with.

The idea of being cable-less appeals! Walking out front during sound check instead of being tethered to the stage, would almost justify the wireless investment. Does anyone know of a wireless transmitter that can accept both the 1/4" input from a zydeco-prepared accordion and also the XLR plug from a clip-on external mic when playing Cajun music? My rambles have turned up each kind, but none that accept both inputs.

That's a tough one, and I don't think there's any solution that doesn't come with a down side or two. I've never seen anything that's both 1/4 and XLR. The simplest, and most expensive, is two separate systems. There's a couple wireless gooseneck clip ons, maybe you could combine that with a plugin transmitter using the same frequency with one receiver. Got to make sure they are never on at the same time. Cheapest, is a small inline transformer, but it will compromise the sound.
Steve

I seem to remember that one of the high end Sure wireless setups had both 1/4 inch and XLR which would be perfect for switching between an internal mic sound and an external Zydecajun sound. I think it was around 600 bucks.
I use a Sure wireless run through a Tube MP pre amp. I set up the PA and then adjust the preamp for each accordion once I plug in. Not the best solution but so far it works OK. But I like Rick's idea. Only drawback I see is remembering which channel is for which accordion. I can see toward the end of a 3 hour set and a few beers it might get hard to keep them straight.

I like Larry's observation of what Keith does. It's info like that that makes this forum unbelievably cool. We could all spend days emailing our heroes, asking [what and how] and never get a response. But guys like us Braves pool our resources and "help a brutha out!" That's WAY cool, Larry!

To me, Keith's setup seems doable but on a larger scale. A mixer board is big and as far as I know ya can't store the settings. At least on the low-end consumer stuff that I've dealt with. But I've seen Keith in action at a soundcheck. He spends a lot of time getting the sound he wants -- and every room is different. He's the most meticulous artist I've ever seen in a pre-show capacity. He had 5 accordions if I remember correctly -- 2 triples and 3 singles. This was at a venue in Dallas that house the absolute best sound AND soundman in town, and he still spent at least an hour focusing on not only his accordions, but every other aspect and instrumentation. The result was quite a killer show, IMHO.

But he IS Keith Frank!

He's probably not gigging at many house parties and small to medium-sized venues like myself. Not to diminish the need for quality at any level, but I just want an easy solution to creating an overall flavor. Like Keith, I'm also not satisfied in playing in just a couple of keys. My biggest handicap is working with various soundguys that simply don't know how to create and work with a C/Z curve. In DFW, the guitar is king, so naturally I'm faced with accordion riding shotgun to the 6-string. That's okay in most cases since my guitarist knows compensate for the local geography.

I used a Nady wireless external mic (XLR out) for a few years back in the mid 90's with excellent results. But it didn't have that crunchy internal sound that cats like Keith and Beau were blowing me away with. It was, however, the easiest method to mic'ing the Cajun box. No doubt about it. It was just too clean for what I desired, plus I didn't get the left-hand in the mix at all.

I'm gonna give the EQ-20 an acid test this weekend. It's all set up and ready to go. It seems like the best solution to my personal needs yet.

Thanks y'all... I get a lot of good info in this forum.

R!CK

i wouldn;t worry about wearing out the jacks
mr frank's mixer is an old peavey powered head
probably can get them all day for $150

the boss 20 solution would be coolest if you
could have the EQ settings labeled
meaningfully - A, Bflat, Acadian C, etc

having them called 1, 2, 3, is kind of
not useful

you could probably have a midi foot controller
select the EQs though, and not have to
finger-fiddle it
for a lot more money and junk to carry

actually my boss VF-1 could do that
with names
i think its EQ may be a 10 band though
still you can set EQ, level, name each
setting, control it via MIDI, maybe
even have some other effects for each one

to answer rick;s question, there are
1/4" male to XLR male adapters that
could make internal and external mics work
with a wireless
[though there can;t be any phantom powering from
the wireless that i know of]

wle.

My x-wire X905 supports phantom power.
I use it with both the ATX gooseneck condensor and a 1/4" cable.

But good luck finding one of those today. :(

DP

Yes, going wireless is the thing ! I use an AKG kit, (link above), for my accodions. It's not very expensive compared to other wireless instrument sets. I use an old-fashioned Shure mic setup that I move between my accordions and the big advantage of the AKG-set, is that the transmitter is just a "slug" on a 1/4" plug. No belt or pocket transmitter.

It's always great fun to walk out among the audience along with the rubboard guy !

/Gunnar

Russ - you could either use a small, lightweight DI like the Behringer Ultra-DI DI20 to adapt the 1/4" singnal to an XLR input, or use an in-line impedence matching transformer like the Audix T-50K to make the XLR output line-level-friendly.

Either of these things are small enough to be taped onto a strap or belt next to your transmitter. (don't believe Behringer's spec sheet on the DI20: it's really about 3" x 5" x 1"; not 6" x 5" x 2-3/8" like they say)

How either solution would affect sound quality can only be determined through experimentation. These gizmos are about $30 a shot.

so...Kieth has for instance, a little Mackie mixer, like a 1204, with everything preset(and taped?) and just pulls out his input to another channel and unmutes it?

how about compression? I've been thinking about compression for about a week now. He's gotta have it compressed for that sound. anybody have any knowledge on the compression issue?

see ya,
Kirk

you could mute and unmute

i don;t think his old peavey head has
mutes though


he just yanks the wire like
an old timey switchboard operator

he has it preset but he is so fussy about sound
that he readjusts for the house mix
every time he plays, yes for every accordion!

he stands back with the sound guy,
with each accordion, plays it, and signals
someone on stage how to change the EQ
on that channel for that accordion for that gig

that seems unnecessary to me but that is what
he does



wle.

about compression, not sure
if he uses it, it isn;t a lot
if he is doing his own sound, his rack has
a million things in it, you can;t tell
what goes to what
and if you ask him, he might or might not
tell you the truth!
i asked him once a few years ago what mics
he uses internally
he said EV 767 or something
this year he was talking about shure mics,
he didn;t mention
the EV mics
i said - but you said you used EV mics
he said, well i might have lied!
:)
which is silly, i am no threat to anyone
like i am going to copy his sound somehow!
i don;t even think he remembers that
i even play the accordion, still he doesn;t
really necessarily tell the truth
but the mixer stuff i saw
seemed like a good idea

wle.

I was wondering about compression in the nouveau sound, too. That's why I considered the Fishman Aura. It had only 5 presets, a lot less equalization (3-knobs BMT, but it did have compression). But it's really just an amp simulator with other guitar effects which I didn't want.

I listen to Keith's "What's His Name" release, or a lot of Step's single-row recordings (OR live) and it sure seems compressed. It's a cool sound...

Could it be.... you know.... compressed?

R!CK

it could be compression

i;ve tried it, didn;t really like it

but it;s like EQ though, there can be a lot of
things to set, right, wrong, or 'your own way'

i would like to know what step rideau does
though, in recordings, he does get a unique
sound that i like and can;t quite figure out


wle.

Right on Larry; I'm right there wit'cha. When you find out what Step does, let us all know! I'm wondering if it is his reeds. That's why I was so curious about mixing up brands/#3 vs. #1s/machine made vs. tipo a mano/ back several threads ago with El Jefe. Maybe Step is using Czech machine reeds? Man, that convo really got me thinkin'... and schemin'!

R!CK

if you think it;s reeds, best ask him first
too expensive to cut and try...

whatever it is, it;s mellow
nothing harsh or tinny about his sound
which you could do with just EQ, if that is all it is

wle.