Instrument rigs and gear setup

"How much gear do i need to play my fiddle live?" I am often asked.
Well, it depends greatly on what style you are playing and what sounds you are going for.

If you play in great concert halls with fantastic acoustics all the time, you might never need anything but your great acoustic instrument.

If you play at festivals, concert venues or small cafés in an amplified acoustic or electric setup then read on.

Remic v5200-lb

Remic Microphones is a rather young Danish microphone company founded in 2009.

I first came to hear about Remic when my good friend and guitar multi-instrumentalist Perry Stenbäck introduced me at the soundcheck for a concert with my band.

The microphone in focus here is the prototype v-5200-lb miniature condenser for violin and viola.

New mic

Just got this exciting new mic from the new Danish  company called Remic Microphones.

It is a miniature omni made for mounting on the instrument.
The special feature is the 20db's rejection of ambient sounds.

I will be posting a test shortly.

DPA 4061

Miniature omnidirectional microphone.

Mounts with a special clip to the strings behind the bridge.

Visit DPA microphones website

Mässbacka Microphone

Finnish designed and hand-built microphone called Mässbacka (from the name of the designed I guess).

I do not hav any additional info on the origin of this microphone.

The microphone is an omnidirectional miniature mic. It sits in a metal housing and mounts on the violin through the tailpiece G-string hole by the sue of a small finger-screw.

Schaller Oyster

The Oyster is one of the oldest and cheapest pickup designs I know. I have seen other manufacturers use the same design with small detail changes.

The pickups is a piezo placed inside a metal housing, providing shield from hum and potection.

The Schaller has 3mtr's of cable and is terminated with a 6,5mm jack.

Microphones for violin

Wether you are performing on stage or recording in the studio it is good to acquire some basic knowledge about the different microphone types and their uses.
The right choice of microphone will save you from waisting a lot of time trying "fix" your sound and good sound makes you perform better.

Microphones come in 3 different types: capacitor, back-electret and dynamic - these three types has different properties but can all be brought to good use on bowed instruments.
The first two types requires some powering to work (phantom power). Tube capacitor microphones come with separate power supply and do not need phantom. Dynamic microphones does not require phantom powering either - be aware that phantom power can in some cases damage dynamic microphones, for instance ribbon microphones.