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As an artist, I have experienced much apprehension in relation to sharing my faith publically. Many times I have felt
With the right combination of music equipment, anything is possible. The Techie Flutist turns your ordinary flute into a polyphonic electric instrument with the tone capacities of an electric guitar and pitch range of a piano. While there are a number of different ways this can be achieved The Techie Flutist is primarily interested in methods that allow the performer to be in full control of both the flute and the effects that are altering its sound. Initially inspired by a first-year university assignment the concept has progressively grown and developed into a practice that is now limited only by your imagination.
Many sound engineers find flutes hard to mic but they don’t need to be. You just need the right equipment. It is quite common to go to a concert and see a flautist standing in front of a vocal mic looking lovely and professional. Unfortunately nearly every time you encounter this the flute is seen but not properly heard. The reason why vocal mics aren’t particularly effective is that its too hard for the flautist to stay close enough to the microphone. Singers usually hold the microphone so close to their lips they are almost touching and if they do accidentally touch its not the end of the world. But, if the flute accidentally touches the mic to creates an unpleasantly loud tapping sound.
Another problem with vocal mics is that they don’t deal very well with wind. So the microphone has to be as close to the flutes mouthpieces as possible but also not in line with the column of air escaping from the instrument.
You can line the microphone up perfectly once during a sound check however after that the flautist isn’t allowed to move because the second they do you can’t hear them. This is an unrealistic expectation as all performers move when they play.
The solution is to use a specially designed flute microphone that clips easily onto the end of the instrument. There are a number of these microphones on the market. However, the one used by The Techie Flutist is the KK Silver Bullet Flute Mic.
You may or may not need this next piece of equipment, it just depends on what pedals you are wanted to use.
Some effect pedals are lovely and come with a dedicated mic XLR input. If this is the case then you won’t need this piece of equipment. However, if your pedals only have the standard 1/4″ jack input or you wish to connected multiple instruments then this piece of equipment will make it work. The Rolls Promix IV (MXi24).
This battery operated mini mixing desk will allow you to connect up to 4 different microphones. You can individually adjust the volume of each microphone. To connect this box with you pedals simply run a guitar lead from the headphones output into the input of your pedal. You could technically use any mixing desk however the smaller and more portable your set up is better.
Rolls MX124 Portable 4 Channel Stereo Mixer
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With literally hundreds of effect pedals on the market, you are limited only by your imagination and wallet. Treat each pedal like a new instrument that you have to learn and practice. The Techie Flutist has 3 pedals in her permanent set up: the Boss RC-300, Boss GT-100 and the Game Changer Plus.
However, you can use any pedals you like. If you aren’t very confident with technology then start off with the smaller stop boxes and you may find that this is all you need. Below are all the pedals The Techie Flutist has used.
This beautiful pedal comes with 3 separate channels that can be looped and a collection of built-in effects. The only downside with using the in-built effect is that you have much less control over them during a performance than you do with the individual stomp boxes. Boss also has smaller pedals in this series which include both a one and two channel pedal.
This multi-effects pedal has everything including delays, reverbs, distortion/overdrive, pitch shit, harmonist, flanger, chorus, noise gates, pre-amp simulation and more.
A great simple and basic delay pedal. If you’re looking for something with more advanced features try the Boss DD-7. The only drawback is its more expensive.
Reverb is a huge part of Emma’s work. It allows you to manipulate spaces and layer your sound in unique and exciting ways.
This pedal works beautifully with all the flute it includes effects such as reverb, strobe, distortion, delay and many others. Emma’s absolute favourite feature is the harmoniser which turns the flute into a chordal instrument.
This fabulous tiny box lets you drop your pitch down/up by up to 24 semitones (2 octaves) While the flute tone becomes less recognisable at the 2 Octave mark when mixed with the VE-20’s harmoniser the sound is vibrant, rich and deep.
Its a good entry level pedal, however, switching between effects with your foot can be a little cumbersome.
And intriguing pedal that operates as a sustain pedal. Basically, it records a tiny sample of your sounds and then plays it back in a continuous loop.
The final step in our chain is a small but important D.I Box (or direct input box).
Guitar pedals put out a really weak signal. So, in order to connect your set up into a sound system you need to boost your signal. If you don’t your volume will be frustratingly quiet. The D.I Box takes the weak and unbalanced signal from your guitar pedals and converts it into a high impedance signal that is ready to be plugged into your P.A system.
Finally, you can connect your set up to a sound system. Despite using guitar pedals it is really not a good idea to use a guitar amp for your amplification. Guitar amps were not built for microphones and consequently tend to produce a lot of feedback when used with a flute mic. PA systems work really well. And for private practice at home headphones are the best.
As an artist, I have experienced much apprehension in relation to sharing my faith publically. Many times I have felt
Date: August 20th, 2023 Time: 2:00 PM Location: Upwey High School Venue: DRMC Building F Parking: Off Marchant Ave The
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