Chapter 3: instruments with pickups

Question 1

is it better to just do DI into DAW or mic the amp into DAW? Why?

Answer 1

Although the outputs of most electric instruments are quarter-inch TS jack
sockets, you’re unlikely to get a good recording by hooking those straight up
to normal unbalanced recording inputs, because most pickups only oper-
ate properly when connected to special high-impedance input circuitry.

Question 2

just read this again

Answer 2

Some TS jack inputs can be switched into a high-impedance mode to cater
for such eventualities, usually via a button labelled ‘instrument’ or ‘Hi-Z’. A
more flexible option, however, is to use a dedicated DI box instead, because
most of these not only provide a high-impedance TS jack input socket for the
instruments with Pickups
instrument and a balanced XLR output socket for recording purposes, but they
also feature a TS jack output socket labelled ‘thru’ or ‘link’, which can be con-
nected to the player’s amplifier, so that they can perform with that as they’d
normally do

Question 3

what kind of pic up do instruments such as acoustic guitar, mandolin, and orchestral strings use? Why?

Answer 3

piezo-electric pickups fitted, primarily to allow onstage
amplification during live performances. Again, though, such systems always sound
rather unnatural, so reaching for a mic is almost always a better option in the stu-
dio.

Question 4

what kind of pickups do you have to be careful with when it comes to signal degradation?

Answer 4

magnetic pickups

Question 5

What happens when you use long cables for any instrument with any kind of pickups?

Answer 5

keep instrument cables as short as possible.
‘With short cables, you get all the bottom end as well as a nice top end,’ says Mike Fraser.1 ‘As soon as you lengthen the cable, the magic of the sound goes away, and
you have to add top end.’ It’s also good to lay instrument cables well away from
mains and data lines, because of the typically low level of many instrument sig-
nals and the unbalanced nature of their TS jack interconnections.

Question 6

how should one set up a system for the engineer and performer to communicate?

Answer 6

A separate foldback mix makes your engineering job easier, not least by allowing you
to put the musician in a separate room. If the performer and engineer can’t hear each
other directly, set up a communications system, preferably involving separate hardware-
switched talkback and listen mics.