Any experience with a direct box? I used one at a gig where the sound guy plug me in. It worked great. I got the phantom power needed from the board.(?) The volume was excellent too. The next time i tried it at another club, no sound at all. What gives?
DI Boxes are great for a number of situations, but they have nothing to do with your current problem. I am not familiar with your particular pedals, but if you are using a 1/4" output from your pedals to the board, a DI box can correct potential impedance problems which occassionally occur in such setups. The end result is a slightly improved sound quality.
Phantom works by sending a slight current through the ground wire found in XLR cables. This current travels up to your condensor mic and allows it to work. A condensor with no power will not produce sound. Your pedals do not carry the extra ground wire in between their inputs and outputs. Therefor, phantom power can travel from the board to the first pedal it reaches, but once it gets there, the power hits a break in the circuit and cannot continue to the microphone. Once again, a condensor mic can not operate without a power source. When you practice, you have a phantom box in between the microphone and the effect pedals. The phantom box is able to send power directly to the microphone, the mic is able to work properly and sends its signal through the Phantom Box, into the effect pedals, and out into your mixing board and PA. So you have several options in order to avoid problems at gigs.
1) Bring the phantom box with you. Hook up everything as you would during your rehersals.
2) Swap out your condensor mic for a dynamic mic. Dynamic microphones do not require power in order to operate. The Shure SM57 and SM58 are still the industry standards in dynamic mics, but there are cheaper alternatives that are every bit as effective. If you are looking to save some money, I would look into the Sennheiser 815S or those Samson SM58 clones that come in a 3-pack. Both options are very cheap, and easy to replace if the mic becomes lost, damaged, or stolen.
FWIW, I would not worry about purchasing a mic preamp. The pedals have preamps built into them, and if you are getting an adequate level during rehersals, then you already have all the signal you need. Adding another preamp into a two pedal system can potentially cause more feedback issues than what you have now. Besides, any soundguy worth his salt will know how to bring you up through the PA board to keep you balanced with the rest of the instrumentation. Just make sure that you are powering that condensor mic properly, and you shouldn't have a problem with your rig.
