Plugging a mic into the second input?

[Darcy Hoover]

I have a Blues Deluxe RI that I am quite pleased with, but I was experimenting with my set up today....

I am presently using a Roland Cube 30 as a monitor, with a drum machine plugged into it's guitar input, and my mic preamp (a warm tube unit) is plugged into it's AUX input. Sounds OK.

For the first time, I tried plugging the mic preamp into the second input on my Blues Deluxe, and was very impressed with the sound I got (I don't use the drive channel at all).

For you learned fellows with far better developed ears...

a) is this an OK thing to do?
b) will I lose any tone out of the first input? I'm very happy with my guitar tone and don't want to mess it up.

[Darcy Hoover]

I apologize if this is a stupid question, but it seemed that this was farely commonplace with amps in the 50s, yet I've yet to see anyone do this today.

Seems handy. Just curious about the electronics involved with today's amps.

[Robin Nahum]

Originally Posted by Darcy Hoover

....I am presently using a Roland Cube 30 as a monitor, with a drum machine plugged into it's guitar input, and my mic preamp (a warm tube unit) is plugged into it's AUX input. Sounds OK.

For the first time, I tried plugging the mic preamp into the second input on my Blues Deluxe, and was very impressed with the sound I got (I don't use the drive channel at all).

For you learned fellows with far better developed ears...

a) is this an OK thing to do?
b) will I lose any tone out of the first input? I'm very happy with my guitar tone and don't want to mess it up.

Nowadays vocals, keys, drum machines etc go through PA because PA is designed to be hi-fi, and of course because we can afford to own and transport a PA as well as a guitar amp. Electric guitar amps are generally designed not to be hi-fi but rather to accent certain frequencies. If your vocal sounds okay through a guitar amp, go for it. So answers are....

(a) Yes - in the sense that it won't break anything - but I would stick to using the lo-gain input with the pre-amp to avoid distortion.

(b) Your call.

(c) Is the Cube 30 a keyboard amp or a guitar amp? If it is a guitar amp and your drum machine is putting out a lot of bass, you may be at risk of blowing the speaker. In these circumstances, you are better off using a powered PA speaker.

At some point, you may also want to get yourself a mini-mixer for your mike and drum machine so that you have control over volume and EQ for each input.

[Darcy Hoover]

Thanks for the reply. The Roland is a guitar amp, and I've been running the drum machine through it for well over a year, but I will be careful! It sounded very "midi-ish" direct, so with the guitar input, I can shape the tone somewhat...to something more "drum-like". I'm trying to get away from the drum machine anyway and use it more for practice. Attempting all those old blues tunes with just guitar and vocals.

[blue metalflake]

No problem with your mic in the guitar amp. Thats what we did in the "old" days when we couldn't afford lots of amps. Surprising how good a sound it produced.

I'd be very careful of the drum machine though, as there's usually quite a bit of bottom end.

[TelZilla]

When my brother an I were in high school, we ran 2 guitars and a mic through a single Roland JC120. Probably didn;t sound great, but I don't think it's gonna hurt anything.

I've used the non-vibrato channel of a Blonde Bandmaster for vocals, with a bandmate's guit in the other channel last year due to other equipment failures. Works in a pinch, and even has a ckinda cool low fi vibe.

Check out "She's Tuff" of of the Fabulous T-Birds first record. Can't remember where, but I've heard Kim Wilson is singing through a green hornet into a Brown Princeton on that track. Same setup he was using for harp.

[woodman]

yikes -- had a flashback to 1969: two guitars and two mikes through a cream-colored Fender Concert Amp! sounded like cats fighting in a burlap bag, but it never damaged the amp.