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LiveStrings

Products for mounting microphones on stringed instruments ranging from banjos and mandolins to guitars (acoustic and electric), cellos and double basses.

The core of the LiveStrings concept is the ability to suspend a microphone from an instrument in the optimum position to capture the best possible sound. To do this in a way that ensures the position is maintained however much the musician moves during the performance means attaching something to the instrument. But to attach something securely enough to hold a typical instrument or vocal microphone in place, somewhere where it will not interfere with the musicians playing action is a tricky proposition. Add to this the need to make the device simple to fit and remove quickly and the paramount importance of ensuring the instrument is not damaged in any way in the process and it is easy to appreciate why no product of this kind has ever been available before.

Nevertheless, our developers were undaunted and were determined to solve the problem. After nearly a decade of research, three years of concept development and another two of design refinement, the H-clamp finally emerged.
Combining proven design features with high technology materials and manufacturing methods, the H-clamp embodies the best of both traditional craftsmanship and leading edge innovation.

Clamps (or cramps) have been used by luthiers since the earliest days of instrument making to hold the bonded parts of acoustic instrument bodies together tightly while the glue sets. The cramps had to be very easy to fit (ideally with one hand and largely without looking) and had to grip the edge of the body very firmly, without damaging the delicate wooden panels. The design that emerged and is still used widely today by traditional craftsmen was a cramp with circular jaws, padded on the insides to protect the surface of the instrument and tightened by turning a screw. The H-clamp employs an ingenious refinement of this tried and tested design to grip the edge of the body of an acoustic instrument tightly without fear of damaging it and to allow the clamp to be be fitted and adjusted easily, even blindfold.

The choice of the edge of the body as the fixing point for the H-clamp is important for several reasons. It is convenient from the perspective of positioning microphones unobtrusively but more important, the edge is the strongest part of the structure and the point at which clamping has least effect on the resonances of the sound box's panels. The H-clamp can therefore be tightened very securely and yet have no discernable impact on the sound of the instrument.

Of course, holding a heavy microphone in position over an instrument places demands on the design that were never expected of the luthier’s cramps. To allow the H-clamp to excel in this new task meant selecting the best materials and manufacturing methods available today from high technology engineering. By partnering with an aerospace company, we were able to ensure that the final design embodied the best of both traditional craftsmanship and leading edge precision engineering . The result is a product that combines a design proven by luthiers over the centuries with the advanced materials and exacting standards of manufacturing necessary to fly us safely half way round the world at hundreds of miles an hour.

Design principles

Functionality

The LiveStrings range is based on the unique H-Clamp (registered design no. 000523253-0001) universal microphone mount for acoustic instruments. The design concept is applicable to a wide range of instruments, from violin to double bass but all variants share the same basic features and construction. The key features of the design are that it accepts virtually any microphone and permits a wide envelope of positioning adjustment but is easy to use, requires no modification to the instrument and does not interfere with the musician’s playing action. Sounds straightforward but developing a device that satisfies all these requirements without compromise presents interesting engineering challenges.

Compatibility with the widest possible range of microphones is achieved by:

standard microphone mount fittings that accept anything from elaborate shock mounts to simple clips
strong construction and materials to cope equally well with both small, light microphones and some of the heaviest studio microphones.

Ease of use is enabled by:

a clamping mechanism designed to allow quick fitting and tightening
synthetic rubber beading to cushion and protect the surface finish of the instrument
positioning adjustment in all planes but easy to control and readjust for optimum orientation
suitability for clamping in any convenient location around the edge of the sound box

Dependability and style

The H-Clamp is a precision instrument but is rugged enough to survive life in a musician’s kit bag, and accept constant fitting / refitting and adjustment without any degradation in the smoothness and security of its operation. To achieve this, H-Clamp is over-engineered for its purpose and its components are machined from aerospace grade materials by an experienced manufacturer of high performance components for aircraft and aeroengines.

Although LiveStrings products are designed first and foremost for maximum functionality, they must also look good. Elegant shapes and high tech materials have been combined to create a device that complements the instruments to which it is fitted. For those who prefer a look more sympathetic to the polished wood of a high quality stringed acoustic instrument , custom versions can be commissioned. These are craftsmen made with wooden clamp disks, produced, stained and finished individually to order in traditional fashion.

Using the H-clamp

On stage, the less you have to worry about, the better. You should be able to pick up your instrument and play without having to worry whether you’re in the right position for the microphone to do a good job. A popular solution, particularly for guitars, is to use on-board electronic pickups. Great for convenience but whether or not the instrument was designed and built for the purpose, the sound is likely to be disappointing. And if your favourite instrument has no built-in pickup, installing one may be costly and involve permanent internal / external modifications.

The solution is the LiveStrings range of products.

With LiveStrings, practically any microphone can be mounted on guitars, cellos or double basses.

The options created by LiveStrings are almost limitless. With simple clip mounts, vocal or instrument microphones can be used either to capture the sound of the instrument alone or, particularly with guitars, also pick up the player’s vocals. For solo performers, this means the simplest possible set-up for amplifying both voice and instrument.

Electro-acoustic instruments can be transformed. Attaching LiveStrings products to instruments fitted with transducers or other pickups opens a whole new world of possibilities. The tone of the amplified sound can be tailored to suit the occasion by varying the balance between the pick-up output and the LiveStrings microphone. Using different microphones expands the range of tonality still further, as does equalisation on the microphone and pickup channels independently.

Even the most inexpensive of microphones will sound better than a typical pickup. When used in conjunction with an electro-acoustic instrument, at least some of the instrument’s true acoustic character can be added into the sound. What’s more, combining the variation of blend between microphone and pickup with balancing equalisation independently between the two creates the potential for a vast range of different tonal textures.