Voiceprint struggles with Anthem SL

[ej504]

I've been using the voiceprint live with my Anthem SL -equipped Taylor for about 6 months. It has honestly been a constant struggle. I think I've found a sound, and then I get to the venue and it sounds weird. The voiceprints themselves that I've made always require severe notching of frequencies for feedback, so I end up hacking away at it to the point where it's thin sounding. Sometimes there seem to be standing waves / notes that are dissonant with what I'm playing until I cut them severely (usually in the 100-200hz range).

I tried using a rubber soundhole cover, and this seems to create its own issues. (I'm not sure if voiceprints are really able to work with these, whether you make the print with it in or out?)

I may have just determined it would be better to simply use the pedal (for this guitar at least) as an EQ & level adjustment alone, and set VP to 0%. But I really can't figure out, as someone who has mixed multiple records and played guitar for quite a long time, why I just cant get a good sound using the pedal as intended on a pickup made by the same company. There has to be a way.

If there are some things you guys have found helpful, let me know! It shouldn't be this hard, but I just can't figure out why my results aren't working.

[Caleb_Elling]

I know that for me it came down to getting the original Voiceprint right. I made a few that worked well in certain situations, but when I went to play live they got pretty unstable and "peaky". I was able to get around that with a lower VP blend and some EQ, but I still struggled to get the sound I wanted.

Then I started messing with the Advanced VP creation in the app, and I was able to get better Voiceprints that worked well in a much wider range of environments. The EQ is still helpful, but getting the base VP dialed in made all the difference.

I haven't tested this, but my theory is that a more natural-sounding pickup (like the SL) doesn't need as much complex information when making the VP. If I strum a few chords for about 15-20 seconds in the Advanced mode and then generate a VP, it sounds great! The tone is even, and I don't have as many overtones that jump out at certain places.

[ej504]

Interesting concept on doing less to create the voiceprint. I'll try that. It sounds like your experience is similar to mine. The anthem SL sounds pretty damn good on its own, and then I'm thinking the voiceprint is just going to make it better, and instead it was exactly like you describe. I played a show last weekend and just used the VPDI as a parametric EQ and it was just so much better, and the sound engineer agreed.

[Guitarune]

I'm not sure why one would add voiceprint to a mic'd guitar...? Doesn't everything but the low end come from a mic on the Antherm SL? I'm thinking adding body resonance on top of body resonance may cause undesirable results Using the VPDI for eq and feedback prevention is likely golden though.

[Caleb_Elling]

I'm not sure why one would add voiceprint to a mic'd guitar...? Doesn't everything but the low end come from a mic on the Antherm SL? I'm thinking adding body resonance on top of body resonance may cause undesirable results Using the VPDI for eq and feedback prevention is likely golden though.

I thought the same thing until I tried it. Other similar products really don't work well with mic'd guitars. The VPDI works great though.

I love the SL, and I still think it has a great sound on its own. The VPDI definitely helps to bring out some top-end "air" while balancing the mids. You can do that with EQ, but the VPDI does it really well without much fuss.

You're right though, the EQ and Anti-Feedback in the VPDI are worth it on their own.

[guitaniac]

I thought the same thing until I tried it. Other similar products really don't work well with mic'd guitars. The VPDI works great though.

I love the SL, and I still think it has a great sound on its own. The VPDI definitely helps to bring out some top-end "air" while balancing the mids. You can do that with EQ, but the VPDI does it really well without much fuss.

You're right though, the EQ and Anti-Feedback in the VPDI are worth it on their own.

Does the anti-feedback control work with the Anthem SL’s dry signal, as well as blended signals and 100% Voiceprint signals? In theory, it seems like it would work best with 100% Voiceprint signals.

[Caleb_Elling]

Does the anti-feedback control work with the Anthem SL’s dry signal, as well as blended signals and 100% Voiceprint signals? In theory, it seems like it would work best with 100% Voiceprint signals.

The Anti-FB is generated off of the resonant frequencies of the instrument. So it should work with no Voiceprint and 100% Voiceprint.

[guitaniac]

That’s great news! My “theory” was wrong because I was confusing the VPDI with a competitor’s device. LR Baggs deserves great credit for creating a product which makes all pickup types easier to control in a high volume setting.