Fireball Harmonica Microphone With Volume Control

Audix Fireball V Harmonica Microphone ( With Volume Control ) Free USA Shipping!!

Audix

  • $139.00
    Unit price per 


Dynamic harmonica microphone with conveniently placed volume control knob

The FireBall V, with a cardioid pickup pattern for isolation and feedback control, is equipped with a VLM™ diaphragm for natural sound reproduction with exceptional transient response.

Designed for harmonicas (both diatonic and chromatic) and beatbox, the FireBall V has the added feature of a volume control knob. The Fireball V has a wide frequency response of 50 Hz - 16 kHz and is lightweight, compact and comfortable to hold.

Because the FireBall V is a low impedance microphone, a quality, low-high impedance transformer (Little IMP) is required when using with a guitar amplifier.

Type Dynamic
Polar Pattern Cardioid
Frequency Response 50Hz - 16Hz
Impedance 280 ohms
Sensitivity 1.5 mV/Pa @1k

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D
Douglas Tanner
best harp mic for Chromatics

The Audix fireball is fantastic for chromatic harmonicas. This mic was developed as a horn mic and as such it doesn't pick up much of any sound that is more than a few inches away from it. This is great for a chromatic harmonica because it doesn't pick up as much mouth/throat sound as a regular vocal mic. It works well as a vocal mic as long as the singer knows they have to keep the mic really close to their mouth! And - because it loses sensitivity after a short distance, it rarely feeds back! sturdy and comfortable too. I have the version without a volume control and I use distance and playing volume to control my stage volume - no problem, but I'm sure the volume control model is great too!

T
Tony Eyers
Audix Fireball V

The harmonica is an acoustic instrument, amplification has come from adapting equipment meant for other purposes. For example, the classic harmonica combination is a circa 1950s bullet style radio mic, like an Astatic or Shure Green Bullet, and a low power guitar amp, such as Fender Champ. While this Chicago style amplified sound suits many players, others want a cleaner sound, like the acoustic harmonica, only louder

Others, myself included, want both. To achieve this, the right mic is needed.

The classic bullet style mics, while sounding great through the right amplifier, sound very ordinary when plugged directly into a PA. Not surprising, given their distinctly Lo Fi mid 20th century design. A standard vocal mic, such as a Shure SM58, sounds far better through a PA. However these mics don't fit as nicely into the hands as the bullet mics do. Also, they often sound lame when plugged into a harmonica friendly amp.

What to do then? Some players have both mics on hand. Another approach is a vocal style mic, built specifically for harmonica. Like the Audix Fireball V.

This mic is readily available online, retailing for well under $150. It fits nicely into the hands, without the long body of a standard SM 58 type vocal mic. It has a rotary style volume knob, easily operated by the thumb. Very handy indeed.

The clean Audix Fireball V sound is just that, without the distinctive "honk" of a Shure SM 58. Plugged directly into a mixing desk with a standard mic cable, it works very well. I've had mine for over five years, and have never had feedback issues. It seems indestructible.

As the name suggests, the Audix Fireball V is a distinct red colour. Not that anyone can see this while cupped in the hands...

A useful volume control tactic is to set it to the mid point, then draw a line with a thin black marker pen, in line with the Audix logo. Set your mic to this level during sound check. Then when the band gets louder, you can dial in more volume for yourself.

So far so good. Now to plug the mic into other gear, an effects pedal (e.g. for delay), or an amp. The standard approach is a cable with a cannon type connector on one end and a guitar type plug on the other. I used these cables for 25 years, they have a basic problem. Impedance matching.

Omitting the technical details, a "low impedance" mic like an Audix Fireball provides a relatively weak signal into an effects pedal or amp, compared to a bullet style mic. The solution is an "impedance convertor", an attachment which fits on to the end of a mic cable, and, like the name suggests, converts the mic impedance into one which better suits the effect pedal or amp.

The result is a dramatic improvement in sound, as a mic like the Audix Fireball V will now drive an amp in a similar way to a bullet style mic, albeit with not quite the same sound. I wish I gotten on to this 25 years earlier.

While impedance convertors greatly improve the sound through an amp or effect pedal, they are cumbersome. An impedance convertor attached to an amp input is an accident waiting to happen. One careless knock and your amp could be damaged.

Unless of course you use the Audix T50k impedance convertor. This has a short cable separating the two ends, thus relieving the strain on the amp or effects pedal plug.

So. If you buy an Audix Fireball V mic, spend the extra $25 on the Audix T50k impedance converter. RockinRonsMusic has them both.

Then go out and play loud.

Tony Eyers

www.TonyEyers.com