The Story Behind My Rig
Recently, I recorded with my band Djinn our first album The Middle East Side. My band has been doing shows for a year at this point. Over time I had been perfecting how I amplify my Cümbüş, but when it came to album time, I really solidified it.
Matrix MPU-2 Tuner Pickup Google Search for "Matrix MPU-2 Tuner"
A while ago, I went out searching for "The $10 wonder". You know your friend always has some amazing instrument, microphone, gadget, etc. that they got in some store that no longer exists or in some random country for $10. I found mine...The Matrix MPU-2 Tuner Pickup I have found this online and in stores for $8 to $15. You can clip this onto the bottom of the ring on the Cümbüş right on top of the IS of Istanbul.
GHS A133 Soundhole Mic Google Search for "GHS A133"
Now the clip on mic works great and is a great cheap solution BUT I also wanted to catch the ambiance and resonance of the Cümbüş. For this, I picked up the GHS A133. It's meant to be a guitar soundhole mic, but works great with the Cümbüş too! You need to power it with a AA battery. The newer model (A133) has a volume slide on it. The older model (A131) does not. Be sure you have the newer model, it seems to have replaced the older one. It Comes with a velcro strap thing, but it wasn't long enough for my Cümbüş so I got a longer one from a hardware store.
Presonus Blue Tube DP Google Search for "Presonus Blue Tube DP"
Pete List from Djinn introduced me to Presonus Tube pre amps. Everyone knows tubes really warm up your sound. The Cümbüş has a somewhat harsh sound, and a tube will really warm it up (especially that clip on mic). The cheap clip on mic also needs some power behind it and a pre amp is the way to go. I LOVE the Presonus Blue Tube DP. It has 2 channels (one for my MPU-2 and the other for the GHS A133). I used Pete's during recording than ran out and bought my own the next day. I just used it at Rakkasah East this past october.
Nady MM-141 Mini Mixer Google Search for "Nady MM-141"
Since I often have limited mixing board channels, I picked up this Nady Mini Mixer. It is probably one of the most handiest pieces of equipment I own. For $20 (runs on a 9-volt) you can mix 4 instruments. It's cheap and I take it with me to every gig now.
Neutrik 1/4" Female To 1/4" Female Google Search for "Neutrik Female to Female"
The cable is short on the MPU-2 so you need a coupler so you can add a cable to it. I am using a Neutrik 1/4 to 1/4.
Radio Shack Short Instrument Cables Google Search for "Radio Shack Instrument Cables"
I needed some short cables so I got a bunch of Radio Shack instrument cables. Any instrument cables will do... But I just love shopping at Radio Shack :) For my setup, I need 2 3-foot cables and 2-1 foot cables.
Putting It All Together
The tube pre and mini mixer give me great control over the balance between the clip on (contact pickup) with the GHS mic. Here is how I put it all together:
Put MPU-2 Tuner clip on the IS in Instabul. Attach the coupler and cable to extend it.
Plug it into one channel on the Blue Tube.
Plug the GHS with a short cable into the Blue Tube.
Run the 2 outputs on the Blue Tube to the Nady Mini Mixer. Use 1 foot cables or smaller.
Plug the output on the Nady Mini Mixer into your amp/sound system/etc.
Matrix MPU-2 Tuner Pickup
GHS A133 Soundhole Mic
Presonus Blue Tube DP
Nady MM-141 Mini Mixer
Neutrik 1/4" Female To 1/4" Female
Radio Shack Short Instrument Cables
Putting It All Together