Bartlett mic

[pops1]

Was playing a gig last night and the fiddle player was using one of these. He just stuck it in a piece of foam under the strings behind the bridge. It had lots of gain and sounded great. We weren't playing too loud and weren't using monitors so was wondering about using one in different situations where there might be more crowd noise and monitors. Has anyone had experience with these. Nice and small.

[Nate Lee]

I've used the Bartlett on my fiddle quite a bit in the recording studio. We used it along with two other mics and blended the sounds. On my fiddle the Barlett makes a nice warm, clear sound, and the studio I use swears by it. I haven't tried it in a live situation, but I imagine it would be great for that as well.

[almeriastrings]

You can use any decent quality Lav or 'lapel' mic in that role.

[UsuallyPickin]

There are several threads about using body mounted mini mics and they are not recommended for noisy situations. Loud bands and noisy rooms are a problem because they are prone to reproducing ambient noise as well as instrument sound. Transducers are easier to deal with in those situations as they are less prone to reproduce ambient noise. Many users here on the café swear by their mounted mic setups. Best option , seems to me, would be having one in your gear bag so you can use it realizing that it won't always be the best solution. R/

[pops1]

Thanks for the replies. I have a K&K in my mandolin, but was wondering about the mic, it sounded very nice and had lots of power compared to the dynamic mics the rest of us had. Of course his mic was very close to the instrument being under the strings, while our were 6 inches away, and turned up much farther on the board. If it would work well the ability to move it to any instrument is appealing.

[mandroid]

One of my friends Plays Violin and dances around on the stage a bit while playing ,
wearing a Headset mic,

It picks up the fiddle great, and the package with a body worn Transmitter is relatively Common.

Lots are used on TV announcers..

[Br1ck]

I have one for quieter acoustic situations, and have a small cigar box size case for a power supply and a DBX GoRack used for feedback control. Pretty much plug and play. Have not used it with a drummer.

I'd say it works anywhere a mic would with much more freedom of movement. Clips right on the f hole.

[Pete Martin]

I use one for acoustic jazz situations. Works great!

[Bob Buckingham]

I like the Bartlett mic because it does a great job and does not modify my instrument at all. Have used them on variety of instruments with good results. They are hot so you have to be mindful of that if using a monitor. But the pluses for me override any minuses.

[JimKo]

I have been using one for several years now. It is very convenient, sounds good, and easy to use. If you want to check archives, I posted a review a while back.
To be completely honest I liked the sound reproduction of the AT Pro 35 a bit better but the mounting on my mando was such a hassle I went back to the Bartlett with no regrets.

[Uke Richard]

Does the Bartlett work well on an oval hole mandolin?

[almeriastrings]

Any of the good quality Lav mics can work, as can most of the 'Saxophone' or other wind instrument clip on type mics. So, for example, AT PRO 35, ATM350 or DPA 4099. Another excellent one is the AT PRO 70. This one has a power supply that runs off an AA battery as well as 11-48V phantom. The main issue, usually, is not "how they sound" or "will they work" (because they do, and all of the above sound great), but "How do you mount them?". This can be especially tricky on oval holes (F-holes are nearer the rims). I have found that the Audio Technica PRO 70 does a good job on these. You do need to roll-off the LF quite hard due to proximity effect (the power unit has a roll-off built in, but you can use a variable, steeper one on the desk), and that not only removes the 'bass boost' but also dramatically cuts down on handling noise and LF feedback. The 'guitar' clip works well on most oval holes (check bracing positions). It is thickly padded and does not scratch the finish. You can get a really excellent sound from these. They're a real little gem of a mic. Very popular with the 'Gypsy Jazz' folks, but I have used them on all kinds of things and never been disappointed. Once you have your EQ set (or various presets saved on a digital console) you are good to go.

[Pete Martin]

Does the Bartlett work well on an oval hole mandolin?

I use one on my 24 A2. At their recommendation for an oval hole, I bought the guitar mic. It clips just inside the sound hole. As with any mic, you have to watch your position for feedback. I've used it with both acousic and and direct to PA. I highly recommend the Bartlett Mic!

I need very little EQ to make it sound good.

[almeriastrings]

The Bartlett mics are omnidirectional. That equates to less proximity effect (aka 'bass emphasis') used close, so less need to roll-off any LF but at the same time, much greater susceptibility to ambient sound pickup and feedback (especially from stage monitors) than you get from a tight cardiod pattern mic. A typical horses for courses, swings and roundabouts situation, in other words.... in quiet situations omnis sound great with very little need to EQ. If on a noisy stage, they can be a real problem and a more directional mic will help a lot (e.g. DPA4099 or ATM350).