A quick rundown of some equipment I like to use in my live saxophone setup for performing wirelessly on wedding gigs.
The Input Chain
A good overall sound on the sax can stand up by itself, though usually a microphone is needed when playing with a DJ or band. I use a Sennheiser e908 clip-on microphone. This is sent wirelessly to the receiver and into a Pigtronix Echolution “FX” pedal.
Equipment like FX pedals and audio processing units can always enhance a good sound; the analog limiters built into an Echolution are great!
Why I Use a Wireless Mic in my Live Saxophone Setup
Performing with a wireless mic allows me to move around freely, mingle with the crowd or play from anywhere in the room.
And to add variation to the mix I like switching between settings on the Echolution, so being nimble is key!
- A “dub delay”.
Output To The PA
When performing alongside backing tracks or DJ mixes I will likely be using this Yamaha USB mixer to send a clean signal from the laptop. Along with the live saxophone this allows me to send an output in either stereo or mono to the PA (think The Beatles: listening to only one channel may sound like you’re missing something!).
The room often does a good job at mixing the different layers but I can always control the levels on the mixer or via the laptop and add additional effects.
And that’s mostly my live saxophone setup.
Listen To This
A great example of effects/FX on the sax – including filtering, distortion and doubling – can be heard throughout this album by The Pollyseeds. At the end of “Intentions” you can hear an effect on the sax solo that’s doubling the sound by an octave.
QUICK PLUG ALERT – A few friends of mine have been working on a music project featuring live viola, saxophone and band. Here is a link to see them play, with some cool added effects on the sax: @ YES, Manchester, UK. Supporting @TheMidnightHour
And finally, check out my events page here for some dates when I will be performing.