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| Moderated by: Richard Hefner | Page:   1 2 |
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| AutoHarp - Other Instruments - Other Instruments - ezFolk Forums | |||||||||||||||
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Philj200 Approved 
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Will, Excellent information. I'll check the model and the string end tonight. Never had to deal wit this before. The string was that high-C at the end, so it's not a firedrill to replace it. Aggressive finger pick did it in. Thanks!
____________________ My MP3 Section: http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/1143/ My Myspace area: http://myspace.com/philj200 |
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mctabby Approved
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Let's see if I can revive this thread. A conversation about autoharps is never finished, especially when it comes to amplification. There are about 2 articles about this issue on the web that everybody links to, but I have a hard time believing that the thousands of creative autoharpists out there don't have more wisdom to impart. I have the OS73-C, on which I installed Oscar Schmidt's standard issue magnetic bar pickup. It's not famous for sound quality, but is a decent gizmo for those of us who play in loud rock bands. My problem is that there is a huge amount of noise coming off my pickup, as in, I'm sending a lot of HISS into the sound system just by plugging in. I see I'm not the only one using this rig. Any advice? Is there some bad wiring in my pickup? If I take my harp apart, I'd like to go in with a plan. Best regards, McTabby
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Philj200 Approved
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I've long since replaced that string. When I play the autoharp at an openmike, I just stand near the voice mike. Good enough for me, for now. Bigger problem wthe autoharp happened and was cured all in one day. I got a call f rom a good friend that the Koss tuner he lent me over a year ago was needed back. Okay. (I had thought it was a gift, grrrr...) Anyway, it needed to be plugged into an instrument to work, which I got around by running an old AKG mic into it and putting the mic next the autoharp. Worked like a charm. Now I have a piano, but the thought of tuning the autoharp to the piano with my aging and damaged ears was daunting. Solution: I bought an Onboard Intellitouch tuner. The kind you clip on to headboard. It reads chromatically so it worked with all my guitars, banjos and yes the autoharp. All I did was lay the tuner on the autoharp, pluck and tune. Sometimes I have to reposition the tuner. But with patience it works fine. And patience for tuning an autoharp is always necessary.
____________________ My MP3 Section: http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/1143/ My Myspace area: http://myspace.com/philj200 |
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Will Approved 
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My standard pick-up on my autoharps is the Oscar Schmidt magnetic style, and I don't have the hiss problem that you described. It may not be a defect in your pick-up, but the system settings that you're plugging into. 1. Check to see if you get that hiss problem by plugging your autoharp cable into another instrument amplifier. If not, then try checking the settings of the amp that's giving you the hiss. 2. Hiss can be caused by a mismatch in the input level of the amp; some amps and mixers have a "Line/Mic" switch. If you plug your autoharp into an amp input set for "LINE" you'll get a massive amount of hiss because the magnetic pickup is not putting out a strong enough signal. The proper setting for your magnetic pickup should be "MIC." Hope this helps, and good luck.
____________________ Will http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/297/ Loose Change & Friends http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/245/ http://loosechangeandfriends.com The Earth Tones http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/337/ A Bunch Of Coconuts http://abunchofcoconuts.com |
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mctabby Approved
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Thanks, Will. I've been reading your posts in other sections and they are all very helpful. I'll check into the mic/line setting for the amp I use in rehearsal. However, the noise level has been a consistant complaint from the soundperson at about five different venues (i.e. five different p.a. systems, five different DI boxes) as well as our recording studio guy, who gave up on my noisy pickup and put three microphones on me instead. I couldn't move! I'm not much of a tech geek, so bear with me. Would a different preamp make a difference? I'm using my buddy's little guitar preamp thingy, and there aren't any switches on it (other than volume and levels). The hissing was an issue before I started using that preamp, so it's not the problem, but I wonder if a different preamp might pose something of a solution.
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Will Approved
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The hiss problem could be from the pre-amp that you're using. Your autoharp pick-up is magnetic, which has a naturally more powerful signal than a piezo transducer pick-up, which picks up vibrations from the body of the instrument where it's mounted. Piezo pick-ups sound very thin and trebly unless they're boosted with a pre-amp. I used to use a K&K piezo pickup on my autoharp, and I had to use a pre-amp, because the top of an autoharp is very thick (over 1/4") in order to withstand the pull of 36 steel strings. You really don't need a pre-amp with a magnetic pick-up. I don't use a pre-amp with my Oscar Schmidt pick-up; I just plug directly into the amp. For my guitars, I also use soundhole magnetic pick-ups, and those don't need a pre-amp either. Try plugging in your autoharp directly from the pick-up, without a pre-amp, and see if the hiss goes away. Good luck. Last edited on Thu Aug 24th, 2006 05:24 am by Will ____________________ Will http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/297/ Loose Change & Friends http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/245/ http://loosechangeandfriends.com The Earth Tones http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/337/ A Bunch Of Coconuts http://abunchofcoconuts.com |
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mctabby Approved
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mctabby wrote: The hissing was an issue before I started using that preamp, so it's not the problem, but I wonder if a different preamp might pose something of a solution. Nope. She hisses no matter what combination of things I plug 'er into. The sound techs couldn't get enough of signal from me to amplify me over the LOUD boys in the band, and the preamp made a world of difference. It really is a problem with the pickup itself, or the cable, or the connection between the two. I was hoping this was a more standard problem. Thanks anyway!
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Will Approved
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You can get a replacement from Elderly Instruments, who sells the Oscar Schmidt magnetic pickup for about $68 (I ordered mine from them). http://www.elderly.com/new_instruments/items/AP442.htm 
____________________ Will http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/297/ Loose Change & Friends http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/245/ http://loosechangeandfriends.com The Earth Tones http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/337/ A Bunch Of Coconuts http://abunchofcoconuts.com |
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Will Approved
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PJ wrote: Not all autoharps are chromatic. If you attend an autoharp gathering, you'll find players divided into those who prefer chromatic 'harps and those who like diatonic 'harps. Some like both. I have two diatonic autoharps, one is made by Pete d'Aigle (google d'Aigle autoharps if you're curious), and the other is an Oscar Schmidt with custom d'Aigle chord bars and set up. My 'harps each play in two keys. One is set up to play in A and D, while the other one plays in G and C. The advantage of a diatonic is that it has a much fuller sound because not so many strings need to be muted, and it's easier to play melody because many of the strings are doubled. The main disadvamtage is that you get to carry a truck load of autoharps (and tune them) if you play in many keys. Also, if you like fuller chords, like jazz chords, you won't want a diatonic. I also own two 2-key diatonic autoharps, a D-A converted Chromaharp, and a C-G converted Oscar Schmidt, but I haven't played them for the past 6 years. After buying them second hand and playing them for a while, I found them too troublesome to keep in tune (with all the doubled strings), and it was just too much of a headache for me to be switching autoharps for different songs. I play a wide range of different styles of music, and many of the necessary chords weren't available on my diatonic instruments. As much as diatonic autoharps are popular within the autoharp community, it is my opinion that diatonic autoharps are more suitable as solo/single player instruments, while chromatic autoharps work better in ensemble playing, especially if you're in a band. It certainly isn't practical for me to play the diatonic autoharps in a band, so I stayed with using one chromatic autoharp, and I upgraded from the Oscar Schmidt OSC73C to an Evoharp 21-chord with a different range of chords that favored G, D, and A. Last edited on Wed Feb 21st, 2007 05:06 pm by Will ____________________ Will http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/297/ Loose Change & Friends http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/245/ http://loosechangeandfriends.com The Earth Tones http://ezfolk.com/audio/bands/337/ A Bunch Of Coconuts http://abunchofcoconuts.com |
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| ezFolk Forums > Other Instruments > Other Instruments > AutoHarp | |
