Hello!
First time poster here...I play mando (old Stradolin) in a duo with my buddy on acoustic guitar and I've never really been satisfied with our live sound (to my ears anyway). We mostly play gigs in bars, breweries, restaurants, small venues etc ..all places that are pretty chatty and loud (before Covid obviously).
The setup I use for sound is a Shure Beta 57A on the mandolin, playing through our PA with a wedge monitor for both of us. I've been told it sounds pretty good from the audience perspective, but to me I can never hear myself as clearly or as loudly as I'd like.
I'm always wanting the monitor to be as loud as possible but even when it's turned up, I'm still not a fan of how it sounds to me. When I can't hear myself clearly in a loud chatty place, it changes my playing style by making me really dig in with my attack which makes my speed go down. I end up playing sloppy because I'm going for too much volume to be able to hear myself.
So my question is, do I change my playing style/mindset or am I looking for a different equipment setup?
Would a clip on mic be the way to go in this situation? I've been looking into the AT Pro 35 condenser (my price range on everything is low to mid-range). BUT I'm worried about feedback if I want the monitor so loud. What about a personal monitor for myself like the Mackie SRM150? Not really interested in playing the in-ear monitor game.
Basically to sum it all up: how the hell do I hear myself clearly in a loud place without feedback?
Maybe that's too much to ask in the world of mandolins?
Thanks ya'll sorry for the novel!
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