How to integrate my Piezo into my Rig?

[Jerry Jim]

Alright, once again.


I wanna use my stereo output of my Silo and go into the EBMM Splitter Box. Then I have two seperate signals. One cable will go directily into my guitar amp (the magnetic signal) and the other one (piezo) goes through a passive(or active?) DI into the PA.


So far, so good.


BUT:
I want to switch between clean, piezo, crunch, lead in the exact same way. So the piezo is just another option (or kind of new channel)

How do I wire that?


And question two:
How do I combine the piezo with the magnetic signal (in this case with the clean signal, just like Petrucci does)?



thanks!!!


all the best,
Jerry

 

[Willith]

Sure...that's because - as Steve is telling per above - pros tend to use those TRS (or for me simply stereo ) cables which you cannot tell from the ordinary guitar cable, unless you see the jack. But trust me, there are thousands of axe-brothers out there using a two-cable setup...or a two-wireless-transmitters setup, which is cooler

Pro-level TRS cords are extremely expensive (at least the ones I know), many brothers use custom made ones up to their own length specs.

Ugghh. I think I just don't understand how the splitter works. Or what the advantage of using a TRS cable over two mono cables is.

I found this video. It's pretty much what I'd like to do:
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bssuiEBFWc"]YouTube - Musicman JP piezo vs magnetic demonstration[/ame]

It looks like a Y cable, and I'm guessing it's run through a splitter. Can anyone confirm/deny this?

 

[That Guy]

Ugghh. I think I just don't understand how the splitter works. Or what the advantage of using a TRS cable over two mono cables is.

I found this video. It's pretty much what I'd like to do:
YouTube - Musicman JP piezo vs magnetic demonstration

It looks like a Y cable, and I'm guessing it's run through a splitter. Can anyone confirm/deny this?

I just plug one cable into my regular amp and a different cable into my acoustic amp. Easy as that.

And I'm pretty sure it's a Y cable

 

[darren]

The only advantage of using a TRS cable over two mono cables is that you're running one cable instead of two. That's it. Nothing to get tangled, nothing to trip over.

But there is a HUGE advantage to running magnetic and piezo separately, rather than running them down a single mono cable.

Also bear in mind that most pros like Petrucci are probably running two wireless units.

I've taken a different approach and have built a blendable splitter box. Details can be seen in this thread.

Now that i've experienced first-hand how fantastic Ernie Ball volume pedals are, i'm thinking of getting another one and modifying it with a blend pot and a buffer for the magnetic side. This works differently from the Ernie Ball stereo volume/pan pedal.

 

[Willith]

I just plug one cable into my regular amp and a different cable into my acoustic amp. Easy as that.

And I'm pretty sure it's a Y cable

That's the obvious answer, if you have two amps to work with. I don't, and that's not what we're talking about.

The only advantage of using a TRS cable over two mono cables is that you're running one cable instead of two. That's it. Nothing to get tangled, nothing to trip over.

But there is a HUGE advantage to running magnetic and piezo separately, rather than running them down a single mono cable.

Also bear in mind that most pros like Petrucci are probably running two wireless units.

I've taken a different approach and have built a blendable splitter box. Details can be seen in this thread.

I figured that was the only difference. I rarely use the Piezo, so this is my first time really trying to integrate&research it.
According to Petrucci's site, he doesn't use any wireless. And I'm pretty sure on all 3 DT DVDs you can see him using a (single) cable.

 

[e.mate]

correct, JP doesn't use any wireless...at least in the past few years, I havn't seen him on stage with WT. He's fanatic about tone, and the minimal risk of the signal being cut off in some corner of the stage might just bother him too much

 

[Jerry Jim]

Hey willith, that's pretty much, how I want it to work, but like I wrote the Silo does NOT have such a toggle switch for magnetic/piezo.
There's only a volume knob for the piezo.

 

[lenny]

I don't buy the b.s. about having to run the piezo directly into a PA. I, like you, can get great tone through my amp when running directly through the piezo.

.

I totally disagree....you have obviously NEVER ran it through the PA.....unless your running the signal into an ACOUSTIC amp ...your regular amp cant reproduce the Frequencies ....so you shouldnt be talkin smack about something you havent tried.....you dont HAVE TO run into the PA...it just sounds FREAKIN HUGE AND AWESOME thats all..........


I use a DI box to the PA.......and use the blend on my Luke to acheive the mix i want ....or you could use a Volume pedal to blend ......try thr PA and then say there isnt a difference! ......Using logic there has to be ...because of the full range output of the Piezo and the fullrange representation of the PA speakers have Bass mids and highs and a frequency responce that allows it to do so...

 

[marduke]

I don't buy the b.s. about having to run the piezo directly into a PA. I, like you, can get great tone through my amp when running directly through the piezo..

are you serious!! the piezo sounds completely different running to an amp rather than PA.. i can guarantee you that even through my Mesa Mark V the piezo will NEVER sound as good as running it through a DI into a PA.. I run mine through the PA when playing live, and i always get people coming up to me afterwards asking how i get the acoustic sound when there is clearly no acoustic. its also fun to watch peoples faces trying to figure out where the acoustic is!

 

[Willith]

I totally disagree....you have obviously NEVER ran it through the PA.....unless your running the signal into an ACOUSTIC amp ...your regular amp cant reproduce the Frequencies ....so you shouldnt be talkin smack about something you havent tried.....you dont HAVE TO run into the PA...it just sounds FREAKIN HUGE AND AWESOME thats all..........


I use a DI box to the PA.......and use the blend on my Luke to acheive the mix i want ....or you could use a Volume pedal to blend ......try thr PA and then say there isnt a difference! ......Using logic there has to be ...because of the full range output of the Piezo and the fullrange representation of the PA speakers have Bass mids and highs and a frequency responce that allows it to do so...

"I totally disagree...you obviously" are an insecure CANADIAN who's coming on here trying to pick a fight by telling me what I have and have not done. I put in bold all of your antagonistic b.s.
Why did you even bother singling me out- I was AGREEING WITH SOMEONE ELSE. Are you dense? Why don't you go back, actually READ my posts, and THEN respond without acting like a total CANUCK for no reason. Your post is littered with inaccuracies about what I said and about what is "fact"...as well as spelling and grammatical errors.
Not only do you have absolutely NO idea of what type of music I play (and therefore what I would use a Piezo for)- you also don't even own a JP- so wtf do you think you're doing telling me how to run my gear?
Seriously, GTFO this thread before you further ruin it.


Ninja edit to appease MODS

 

[lenny]

Ummm dude you might wanna settle down...i quoted the part I WAS REFERRING to ...and you cant get the same tone out of a plain Electric amp as the P.A plain and simple ...so take your trash talk elsewhere...what are u 12 years old and 4 foot 2? come around here and try to be a big man?

 

[Willith]

Ninja edit:

Ummm dude you might wanna settle down...
...i quoted the part I WAS REFERRING to ...and you cant get the same tone out of a plain Electric amp as the P.A plain and simple ...so take your trash talk elsewhere...what are u 12 years old and 4 foot 2? come around here and try to be a big man?

Again, you're telling me what to do. You made an antagonistic post out of NOWHERE, for no reason, and then act surprised when someone responds like that?

How dense are you? NOBODY said you get the same tone going through a PA that you do going through an amp. Again, you've proven your ignorance by, AGAIN not going back and reading/comprehending my, and others', posts. The only one who started talking trash was you, because like you've shown everyone already, you're an idiot and can't read or comprehend.

and LOL at calling someone 12, and spelling "you" as "u" in the same sentence. Talk about being 12...

And FWIW, I'm 6'2", 235, @ 11% bf. u mad?

 

[lenny]

Again, you're telling me what to do. You made an antagonistic post out of NOWHERE, for no reason, and then act surprised when someone responds like that?

 

[SteveB]

Willith, you just don't see that kind of language here.. the company won't tolerate it.

 

[lenny]

Willith, you just don't see that kind of language here.. the company won't tolerate it.

Exactly what i was referring to ,but im done with him....He obviously hasn't been here long ...

 

[Willith]

Willith, you just don't see that kind of language here.. the company won't tolerate it.

Are they as tolerant towards unprovoked attacks?

 

[lenny]

again it wasnt an attack ..just an observation as i was reading the thread....obviously has a HUGE chip on his shoulder!

 

[Willith]

again it wasnt an attack ..just an observation as i was reading the thread....

Oh OK, that wasn't an attack..... I wonder what this would be considered then:




Sounds like a threat to me. BRB, informing authorities...

 

[SteveB]

Are they as tolerant towards unprovoked attacks?

First you have to consider that it is often hard to tell someone's tone when they're typing. Second, this *is* a forum - which means it's full of opinions (and we all know what those are like) - so you have to expect some level of back-and-forth on issues.

I didn't really take Lenny's initial comment as an 'attack' so much as someone spouting his own opnion. But that's just my take. No, the forum doesn't generally tolerate unprovoked attacks.. but we're pretty good at self-governing without hurling obscenities.

I'm not trying to provoke you, just trying to help avoid trouble with the moderators, who will certainly take exception to the 4-letter parts of your post. You can certainly fire back on Lenny if you feel so inclined, just keep the language within the bounds of what a company might want the world to read on its web site.

 

[lenny]

what im saying is your acting like a school yard bully and someone needs to shake u up ...and that is why i sent you a PM
This is getting out of hand and silly im done!