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Leveling Acoustic Guitar


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I just got a new PA system, I hooked it up for the first time the other day. Works amazing. The vocals sound great. But when I play my acoustic(Martin DM > LR Baggs Para Acoustic DI) through the system, it sounds sh!tty...

 

anyone got any tips on how to get the levels sounding right? is it all just experimenting or is there a method to it?

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I have a Fishman Pro-EQ Platinum pre-amp/direct box somewhat similar to the Baggs DI that I use with a Dobro with a passive pickup in it (no pre-amp of any kind in the guitar, just a piezo pickup). It sounds very good. I also have a Gibson EC-30 with an LR Baggs I-Mix system in it that sounds great plugged into an IMP2 passive DI. One time I decided to try running the EC-30 guitar (which has an internal pre-amp system) into the Fishman pre-amp/DI. Regardless of any adjustments I made, it never sounded anywhere near as good as just running the EC-30 into the passive box.

 

If your Martin guitar has an internal pre-amp system, try just plugging it into a passive DI, or just straight into the mixer for test purposes if your mixer has 1/4" inputs. It may just be that the two pre-amps in line don't play well together.

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I'm not too keen on the tech-talk but I'll give it a try

 

Heres what I'm working with...

 

Guitar - Martin DM, Acoustic, did not come w/ pick-up, I had one installed. I don't know the brand of the pick-up(apprx. $100 +/-$20), it has a battery, so its active, right? I can take the pick-up out with some effort, if anyone thinks I need to look more into it.

 

Mixer - Carvin RX1200 -https://www.carvinguitars.com/products/single.php?product=RX1200

 

Speakers - Two(2) Carvin LM15 - https://www.carvinguitars.com/products/single.php?product=LM15

 

Pre-amp - L. R. Baggs Para Acoustic D. I. - http://www.lrbaggs.com/html/products/preamps_paradi.shtml

 

How I set it up:

 

For right now, I'm playing alone, so its pretty simple.

 

Ch.1 - Vocal Mic

Ch.2 - Guitar--guitar cable-->Para DI--mic cable-->Mixer

 

 

I have a TON of settings, but as I said I'm not well educated on mixers and knobs and sliders...

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Have you ever plugged your guitar into a different system or amp and been satisfied with the sound? I'd approach this by eliminating as many variables as you can. Surely that mixer has a headphone out. Plug in a set of headphones to eliminate speaker issues. Plug your guitar straight into the 1/4" input for a channel and see if you can make that sound good. The eq on that mixer is pretty limiting, but that hopefully will tell you if the guitar's pickup system is the problem.

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