New 'used' Roland AC-60 in the house

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Jason Derrick on April 20, 2012 at 11:48am

Hmm, very strange. I've never run into a dynamic mic that required phantom power. My understanding is that dynamic mics consist of a coil attached to a diaphragm which is suspended in a magnetic field generated by a permanent magnet. This results in an entirely passive circuit, which requires no external power. When sung into, the diaphragm vibrates, in turn vibrating the coil thus creating electric current and ultimately resulting in amplified sound. I'm certainly no expert, though. In any case, glad the 58 worked out. Some people don't like the SM58, but I've been happy with mine.

Permalink Reply by David Baillieul on April 20, 2012 at 10:28am

Actully this clears up some of the questions I had about mics. I was sort of thinking about an SM58....  Great post Jason.

Permalink Reply by Phil Manuel on April 20, 2012 at 9:59am

@Jason, don't forget the 3rd type - Ribbon microphones...

"Ribbon microphones were once delicate, and expensive, but modern materials make certain present-day ribbon microphones very durable and may be used for loud rock music and stage use. They are prized for their ability to capture high-frequency detail, comparing very favorably with condenser microphones, which can often sound subjectively "aggressive" or "brittle" in the high end of the frequency spectrum. Due to their bidirectional pick-up pattern, ribbon microphones are often used in pairs to produce the Blumlein Pair recording array. In addition to the standard bidirectional pick-up pattern, ribbon microphones can also be configured to have cardioid, hypercardioid, omnidirectional, and variable polar patterns, although these configurations are much less common."

I am wandering down the home recording path, and am having to learn about these things, too.  I'm using condenser mics at home, and am pretty satisfied so far.  Mics, stands, cables, and whatnot add to the cost of doing this 'music thang',  With all the recording gear, you can probably buy a nice guitar, and that's the rub. I want to share my music, and recording is a fun thing, too, once you can get the equipment sorted out.  I'll tell you since I got my recorder, it's forced me to take more care in what I play, and how I play - single most beneficial tool to evaluate your progress IMHO.

The further I go the longer it's taking to get there. ;-p

Permalink Reply by Jason Derrick on April 20, 2012 at 12:02pm

Indeed, Phil! I purposefully left out ribbon mics due to the fact that dynamics and condensers seem to be a bit more ubiquitous. But, ribbons certainly should be included in a complete discussion of microphones! :-)

I, too, have been experimenting with home recording a bit and, boy oh boy, sometimes I feel like I'm heading down a rabbit hole! There's so much to think about, tweak, understand, etc.! Currently, I only have two dynamic mics, which work okay for recording...it's just that they take some finessing, especially when trying to record an acoustic guitar. I've been wavering on getting a condenser, but cannot justify it yet. If I get an hour to play around with recording, I'm lucky. I may procure a handheld recorder like a Tascam first, more for evaluating my playing, as you mentioned.

Permalink Reply by CaliGull on April 19, 2012 at 12:07am

Nice amp.  I had one a few years back, when they came w/ the nice travel bag.  I scaled down to the AC-33 and now have the Fishman Loudbox Mini.  Roland consistently makes great gear.

Permalink Reply by David Baillieul on April 19, 2012 at 5:25am

Thanks. Mine came with a travekl bag as well. The travel bag was never usd. The guy I bought the AC-60 from mentioned that he purchased new, had the amp in his living room, and played it maybe 4 times.

 

I had an old Roland Cube 30 that  was made somewhat redundant by my Fender Bles Jr. I sold this last night to a couple guys who were looking for a metal modelling amp. Final cost of my Cube 30 to AC-60 trade was maybe $50. I am very happy. Didn't need 3 amps at all:)

Permalink Reply by FloridaGull on April 19, 2012 at 8:18am

How long can you play on battery power with the AC-33?

Permalink Reply by CaliGull on April 19, 2012 at 11:19pm

I couldn't tell you. I never ran it out that long. Sometimes the cat turned the switch on and ran the batteries down. :D

Permalink Reply by FloridaGull on April 20, 2012 at 3:56am

Well, that'll do it... ;-)

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