! Instrument Guide - Guitars

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Horace McCarthy
6 years ago
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1 Intro to Guitars We encounter a variety of different types of guitars on the North Point stages every week ranging from electrics to acoustics using amplifiers, PODs, and DIʼs. Each of the different types of guitars require its own unique approach, and itʼs important to understand how to properly setup and line check each type. Acoustic Guitars Acoustic guitars are the simplest guitars we encounter. A DI (direct inject box) is typically required to convert an instrument cable connected to the guitar to an XLR cable for interfacing with our system. The DI should then be connected to one of our floor pockets or stage boxes for patching to the consoles. Two of the most typical DIʼs used on the NP stage are pictured at left. These DIʼs generally require the use of Phantom Power (+48v) which needs to be activated on the FOH console. Note that some players will supply their own DI. Line Check Procedure - Acoustic Guitar If the player is present, the line may be checked by having him strum a bit. If no player is present, disconnect the DI from the mic-line and connect an SM57 for testing purposes. Reconnect the DI after testing. After reconnecting the DI, make sure to check with the FOH engineer that Phantom Power is turned on. Typical Signal Path - Acoustic Guitar

Bass Guitar Bass guitars are the next simplest guitar we will encounter. Much like an acoustic, a bass guitar typically requires a DI to convert an instrument cable to an XLR cable.

2 Bass Guitar Bass guitars are the next simplest guitar we will encounter. Much like an acoustic, a bass guitar typically requires a DI to convert an instrument cable to an XLR cable. Many players will supply their own DIʼs, but in the event that one is required we will typically use an Avalon U5 or Radial J48 (pictured below). Note that the Avalon U5 requires a separate power connection. The DI should be connected to one of our floor pockets or stage boxes using an XLR cable. Line Check Procedure If the player is present, the line may be checked by having him play a bit. If no player is present, disconnect the DI and connect an SM57 to the line for testing purposes. Reconnect the DI when finished testing.

Electric Guitars Electric guitars are a little more complicated in nature as there are a variety of different configurations we might encounter.

Amplifiers will either be Combo Amps or utilize a Head and Cabinet. A Combo Amp is a completely self-contatined amplifier.

Amp Head & Cabinet Combo Amp POD PODs or Amp Simulators PODs are typically the easiest electric guitar setup to deal with.

3 Electric Guitars Electric guitars are a little more complicated in nature as there are a variety of different configurations we might encounter. Electric guitar players will typically use an amplifier or an amplifier simulator such as a POD with their guitars. Amplifiers will either be Combo Amps or utilize a Head and Cabinet. A Combo Amp is a completely self-contatined amplifier. A Head and Cabinet utilizes a separate amplifier head that connects to a speaker cabinet. Amp Head & Cabinet Combo Amp POD PODs or Amp Simulators PODs are typically the easiest electric guitar setup to deal with. Much like DIʼs, PODs generally have XLR outputs on the rear of the unit for easy interconnect. A mic cable should be connected to the PODs output and patched into a floor pocket or stage box for patching to the consoles. Line Check Procedure - Electric Guitar with POD If the player is present, the line may be checked by having them strum a bit. If no player is present, disconnect the POD and connect an SM57 for testing purposes. Typical Signal Path - Electric Guitar with POD

4 Amplifiers Connecting guitars using amplifiers is a little more complicated because we are dealing with two separate signal paths. The first signal path connects the guitar on stage to the amplifier located in our amp isolation boxes. The second signal path connects the microphones in the iso box to our consoles. Each signal path must be looked at and tested individually. Signal Path 1 - Stage to Amplifier Guitars on stage are connected to the amplifier by using a Radial SGI system (pictured at left). The SGI consists of two boxes, the TX(transmit) and RX (receive). The TX is connected to the guitar on stage while the RX connects to the amp in the box. The two SGI boxes are then connected using our existing stage and amp room patching. Line Check Procedure - Signal Path 1 - Stage to Amplifier Due to the sensitive nature of guitar amplifiers, line checking the stage to amplifier requires the player to be present. A visual inspection is recommended when a player is not present. If there is a buzz present in the amplifier, check the ground lift switch on the SGI RX in the ISO cabinet. Signal Path 1 - Stage to Amplifier Amplifier ISO Cabinet Signal Path 2 - Amplifier to Console The signal path from the amplifier to console is much like what you will find for any other inputs on the stage. We simply connect the microphone(s) in the amp box to the patch bay where we patch them into the console inputs. Line Check Procedure - Signal Path 2 - Amplifier to Console If the player is present, he can play his instrument to test the signal. If no player is present, lightly tap or talk into the microphone(s) in the iso box. Signal Path 2 - Amplifier to Console Amplifier ISO Cabinet

5 Micʼing Guitar Amps Default Location Brighter Location Darker Location NOTE: The diagrams above indicate typical mic position for a guitar amp based on the use of the standard guitar amp microphone, the Shure SM57. Different microphones may need to utilize different positioning based on their frequency response. For example, the Cascade Fathead II ribbon microphone often works better when placed closer to the center of the cone due to itʼs darker frequency response.

Stereo Direct Insertion Box

Stereo Direct Insertion Box Table Of Contents Front and Rear Panel Layout 3 Powering S direct plus 3 Operating the S direct plus Direct insertion of an instrument into a PA system 4 Converting the output