Clip-on pickups ?

I have a Cordoba 22C concert uke and I want to amplify it wirelessly.

Any suggestions for a wireless, clip-on pickup?

Lost_Chord

Hi, Lost_Chord! Ask Booli. He is specialist in this field too.

Do you really need a wireless? I use iRig for my guitars and ukuleles.

You could go wireless from the preamp.
I really like the iRig.

SailingUke said:

You could go wireless from the preamp.
I really like the iRig.

Click to expand...

My uke is acoustic. No electronics.

Hi, LOst_Chord! Ask Booli. He is specialist in this field.

Lost_Chord said:

My uke is acoustic. No electronics.

Click to expand...

A is microphone, B is preamp. iRag consist of two parts (A and B). We still can set up wireless system with iRig. We connect wireless device to preamp (B).

I have an expensive ($250-$350) Sony DWZ B30GB wireless battery (trans and rec.) system that can be used with a 1/4" cable or a lavaliere mic that can be clipped to the sound hole. The receiver besides 1/4" out, also has an XLR DI out to go directly to a PA or sound board.

zztush,

I looked up the iRig Acoustic Stage. Since it takes ¼" plugs I can use the Xvive that I use with my bass guitar. I don't like being tethered.

Thanks,

Lost_Chord

There you go, I am really enjoying my Xvive setup too.

Thanks Lost_Chord and SailingUke!

I've ordered Xvive.

Lost_Chord said:

zztush,

I looked up the iRig Acoustic Stage. Since it takes ¼" plugs I can use the Xvive that I use with my bass guitar. I don't like being tethered.

Thanks,

Lost_Chord

Click to expand...

FYI: Previous thread on iRig Acoustic Stage here of 131 posts and sound demo/videos here:

http://forum.ukuleleunderground.com/showthread.php?125196-NEW-iRig-Acoustic-Stage-99

Preamp alone is worth $100, and can be used with other instruments sans MEMs mic, AND easily moved to any instrument in less than 20 seconds with no glue, funtack, putty or permanent adhesives.

If you get a 6" patch cord, you can run the output of the iRig Acoustic Stage to any wireless body back, and clip both boxes to your belt or shoulder strap. Preamp unit is a little bigger than an Altoids tin but smaller than an 8-track tape cartridge...

zztush said:

Thanks Lost_Chord and SailingUke!

I've ordered Xvive.

Click to expand...

The Xvive looks neat, but by operating exclusively in the 2.4ghz freq range, it is competing with BlueTooth, WiFi, Microwave and other radio sources in the same area of the spectrum.

I'd be suspect of getting a clean channel and have always had good success in the past with the UHF spread-spectrum units that allow you to select (on the fly) from a dozen different modulated 'channels' in order to both minimize interference while ALSO allow multiple players to use devices that wont step on each other's radio frequency...(otherwise mayhem ensues and sound engineers consider to suicide themselves)

Sony, Shure, Electro-Voice, Sennheiser and Samson are units I've used in the past, but you are looking at prices starting at $300 for most of these with such capability.

Therefore we always need to be patient to wait for Booli. ^^

zztush said:

therefore we always need to be patient to wait for booli. ^^

Click to expand...

BOOLI has left the building.

Please continue in his absence. Mahalo.

Don't know a lot about clip on pickups, but the cheaper ones I have heard are not very good. You really need some sort of pre amp to cutout the bad sounds. It might be worth having a pickup professionally fitted to your uke, or buying another uke with a decent fitted pickup. Suggest you try and find someone who will let you try theirs out before spending a lot of cash.

phil hague said:

Don't know a lot about clip on pickups, but the cheaper ones I have heard are not very good. You really need some sort of pre amp to cutout the bad sounds. It might be worth having a pickup professionally fitted to your uke, or buying another uke with a decent fitted pickup. Suggest you try and find someone who will let you try theirs out before spending a lot of cash.

Click to expand...

Passive pickups without a preamp sound bad due to an electrical phenomena called 'impedance mismatch'. Using a preamp remedies this problem.

The link in my signature below will direct you to previous threads on this subject where I've written about this extensively before, based upon my own experience as both a sound engineer and as a performing musician.

Some reading will clarify all.

Booli said:

FYI: Previous thread on iRig Acoustic Stage here of 131 posts and sound demo/videos here:

http://forum.ukuleleunderground.com/showthread.php?125196-NEW-iRig-Acoustic-Stage-99

Preamp alone is worth $100, and can be used with other instruments sans MEMs mic, AND easily moved to any instrument in less than 20 seconds with no glue, funtack, putty or permanent adhesives.

If you get a 6" patch cord, you can run the output of the iRig Acoustic Stage to any wireless body back, and clip both boxes to your belt or shoulder strap. Preamp unit is a little bigger than an Altoids tin but smaller than an 8-track tape cartridge...

Click to expand...

Please pardon my dumb question, but I want to clarify. If I have a uke with a passive pick-up, the iRig becomes the pre-amp? I believe that's correct. Definitely worth the $100 to have a portable pick-up for ukuleles without one, and to serve as a pre-amp for those with a passive pick-up.

RafterGirl said:

Please pardon my dumb question, but I want to clarify. If I have a uke with a passive pick-up, the iRig becomes the pre-amp? I believe that's correct. Definitely worth the $100 to have a portable pick-up for ukuleles without one, and to serve as a pre-amp for those with a passive pick-up.

Click to expand...

No question is dumb and I am glad you asked this one in particular.

You can either:

a) use the MEMs mic that comes with the iRig Acoustic Stage system alone WITHOUT the pickup already in your uke

or

b) use BOTH the MEMs mic AND your passive pickup together, and your passive pickup goes into the AUX IN jack on the preamp, and you use the blend control on the preamp to balance the volume betw the two

or

c) use the passive pickup from your uke, and an adapter cable to convert 1 end of the cord from your uke down to 2.5mm so it fits into the MEMs mic input plug ALONE without, the MEMs mic, and this will actually give a very nice tone much improved over whatever you have now from the passive pickup with no preamp.

I have personally tested all of the above and know this to be true based upon my own experience.

All of the above makes a nice sound because use of the iRig Acoustic Stage preamp remedies the 'impedance mismatch' problem as discussed in the pages found from the link in my signature below regarding pickups.

It is science fact that ALL passive piezo pickups going into any system without a preamp or DI box will have impedance mismatch and will sound thin, tinny and what is often labeled the 'dreaded piezo quack'.

All is explained if you follow the link in my signature. I've written in great detail about this many times before.

Hope this helps.

Thanks Booli. I did read your thread on mics, and thought that the iRig was indeed a pre-amp. I just wanted to make sure. Since I have the iRig, I can choose a passive pick-up in the future if I want. For $100, the iRig seems like a good multifunctional system. Mine came with an 18 ft. audio cable included, so I didn't have to go out and buy one.