Hi, I am new to this forum and new to live sound issues. I have a brand new Kustom V50 tube amp. The sound from the amp is very clean by iteslf. However, when I connect the amp to the PA system using the XLR Direct Out connection, there is a very bad hum noise. I have tried different XLR cables. I made sure the amp and the PA system are powered on the same grounded power outlet circuit. I tried the amps ground lift button. I have tried contolling the direct out volume level. All of these have not helped.The PA system in the practice studio is an older Trace Elliot. None of the other microphones and instruments connected to the PA system are having or causing this issue. The only other thing I would add to the information already listed, I am the only one with a Tube amp. I have $700 invested in this new amp (the sound is amazing), but cant connect to the bands PA system. Any ideas on what else might be causing this...? Any help or suggestions would be appreciated.
Mic your amp. It will sound better that way anyhow. (Just my opinion) The speaker and power amp are components in your amps sound and going direct you eliminate that from the PA signal. That said, the mic will color the sound some but that can be a positive, after all that is what you are hearing on most recordings. Most pro setups I have seen the guitar amps are mic'd. Bass is another story. I've seen both ways with bass.
"Work hard, rock hard, eat hard, sleep hard,
grow big, wear glasses if you need 'em."
-- The Webb Wilder Credo --
Thanks for the suggestion. Do you have a recommendation on a mic to buy for this purpose....?
Well, the Shure SM57 is the industry standard but they are about $100. You can get good results with cheaper mics. I have no specific suggestions but any dynamic mic with a cardiod pattern that says it is good for instruments should do. It is like most things, you get what you pay for but the SM57 is the standard. Myself I use a Shure mic that is the little brother of the SM57 but I bought it long ago and don't even think they make it anymore. Different placements in relation the the speaker cone give different sounds too so moving the mic around to change the sound is kind of like adjusting the EQ knobs on your amp. I'm sure you can find a lot of articles on mic placement on the internet.
Try this link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXu3_kRli4U
and this one
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7ArZ5ElkxE&feature=related
They are talking recording but the only difference I would advise live is to use close micing only as distant micing will lead to fedback issues.
"Work hard, rock hard, eat hard, sleep hard,
grow big, wear glasses if you need 'em."
-- The Webb Wilder Credo --
Thanks for the help and information. The others in the Band thought Mic'ing the Amp in our practice space was going to create feedback, but we are going to Mic it for Live performances. However, I have good news, before I had a chance to go with a Mic on the Amp, we found what was causing the hum thru the PA with my Amp connected via XLR Direct Out. It was the "Reverb" control on the Amp. With the Reverb turned to 0, the sound is clean. So, I had some reverb added at the PA, but it takes the control away from me being able to switch it on/off with my Amps footswitch. Oh well, not sure if anything else can be done.
Glad you found a solution! Rock n Roll!
"Work hard, rock hard, eat hard, sleep hard,
grow big, wear glasses if you need 'em."
-- The Webb Wilder Credo --
