diablo175 Posted January 9 Posted January 9 (edited) Well, damn! Don't I feel stupid. All these years and I didn't truly understand how a talk box worked. Snagged one of the newer MXR talk boxes and was gobsmacked to discover that the sound/signal, once modified in the tube by the mouth, doesn't then continue on to your amp. The sound coming out of the tube IS the end... ...until you get a mic up next to it. So the sound the "audience" hears is not from your amp per se, it's from your microphone. This creates some interesting issues with regards to mixing sound if a band member, say, plays guitar, sings backing vox and occasionally uses a talk box. The sound guy better be on the ball and I'm guessing there ain't no set it and forget it audio mixes. 😬 Edited January 9 by diablo175 4 Quote
hamerhead Posted January 9 Posted January 9 34 minutes ago, diablo175 said: Well, damn! Don't I feel stupid. All these years and I didn't truly understand how a talk box worked. Snagged one of the newer MXR talk boxes and was gobsmacked to discover that the sound/signal, once modified in the tube by the mouth, doesn't then continue on to your amp. The sound coming out of the tube IS the end... ...until you get a mic up next to it. So the sound the "audience" hears is not from your amp per se, it's from your microphone. This creates some interesting issues with regards to mixing sound if a band member, say, plays guitar, sings backing vox and occasionally uses a talk box. The sound guy better be on the ball and I'm guessing there ain't no set it and forget it audio mixes. 😬 I think as long as you balance the volume of what comes out of the tube with the volume of your singing voice, it shouldn't - theoretically - be too much of a problem. Some guys use a separate mics. You could also run a separate mic back to a second amp (or second channel on an amp) so you'd have the stage volume, but feedback might be an issue. I have an original Dean Markley Voice Box (from the 'Frampton Comes Alive' era), with no built-in amp. You just ran a speaker cable from your amp's speaker out to it, then another one back to your speaker(s). Step on the switch and the full wattage of whatever you were using went to that little driver (there's a lightbulb in there to absorb the extremes). It could rattle your fillings loose. Fun as hell! (photo stolen from Reverb) 5 2 Quote
diablo175 Posted January 9 Author Posted January 9 10 hours ago, hamerhead said: I think as long as you balance the volume of what comes out of the tube with the volume of your singing voice, it shouldn't - theoretically - be too much of a problem. Some guys use a separate mics. You could also run a separate mic back to a second amp (or second channel on an amp) so you'd have the stage volume, but feedback might be an issue. Therein lies the issue- I "sing" backing vox in the most pedestrian sense. Put it this way: the band tolerates my adding some backing vox. That said, my mic level is kept kinda low, likely because you don't want vox like mine way up in the mix. So, with a low(er) mic level for BV's, I'ma need a sound man to be johnny-on-the-spot with some slider manipulations or get a separate mic for vox only. ETA- The whole time I was typing this, I kept hearing the Scorpions "The Zoo" in my head. 😄 3 Quote
hamerhead Posted January 9 Posted January 9 And...yeah the second channel on the same amp won't work - the speaker is muted. Duh. If you're only doing a couple songs with it, your soundman - theoretically - should be able to stay awake long enough to handle it. Although I've worked with a few..... 1 2 Quote
diablo175 Posted January 9 Author Posted January 9 44 minutes ago, hamerhead said: your soundman - theoretically - should be able to stay awake long enough to handle it. Although I've worked with a few..... Yeah, same. 🙄 2 Quote
Camstone Posted January 9 Posted January 9 I read somewhere years ago that Frampton heard Rocky Mountain Way by Joe Walsh and became fascinated with that sound. Wasn't the original Talk Box manufactured by Heil? I remember seeing them back in the 70's. 6 Quote
velorush Posted January 9 Posted January 9 I'm remembering Heil. Did Electro Harmonix make one? For some reason I'm remembering messing with an EH box back around '82, but it could have been a Heil. Quote
ZR Posted January 9 Posted January 9 Mathias Jabs playing The Zoo in Vegas a few months back...he's got two mics in use... 7 Quote
Steve Haynie Posted January 9 Posted January 9 Jeff Beck used something called "the bag" that might have been homemade. I have not looked up that piece of history. Quote
Saul Goodman Posted January 10 Posted January 10 Adam Jones got Joe Walsh to teach him the talk. You could try that. One or the other. Probably do you the bajizmos. Quote
hamerhead Posted January 11 Posted January 11 Joe Walsh had something like a funnel with a hose attached to it taped over a small amp for Rocky Mountain Way. That's why you hear his guitar bleeding through in the background. 2 Quote
hamerhead Posted January 11 Posted January 11 I believe Heil was one of the first road-worthy commercially available units. My Dean Markley (1978) could be used as a car ramp and absolutely nails the sound. 2 Quote
diablo175 Posted January 11 Author Posted January 11 On 1/9/2026 at 6:23 PM, ZR said: Mathias Jabs playing The Zoo in Vegas a few months back...he's got two mics in use... I’m pretty sure he had a half decent sound man. 😝 2 Quote
DaveH Posted January 11 Posted January 11 Old footage of Walsh and Frampton playing live, they simply moved to a different mike stand. 2 Quote
Steve Haynie Posted February 18 Posted February 18 Alvino Rey was using a talk box as early as 1939 according to a comment on this youtube video. 1 Quote
BTMN Posted February 18 Posted February 18 (edited) On 1/9/2026 at 6:33 PM, Steve Haynie said: Jeff Beck used something called "the bag" that might have been homemade. I have not looked up that piece of history. Joe Perry has had his in a leather bag since the mid 70s. Not sure how it works beyond that. Edited February 19 by BTMN 2 Quote
HAMERMAN Posted February 18 Posted February 18 It's a very strange sensation, I have the MXR one and have a hard time not laughing while using it. 2 Quote
Steve Haynie Posted February 18 Posted February 18 3 hours ago, HAMERMAN said: It's a very strange sensation, I have the MXR one and have a hard time not laughing while using it. So does that mean you get a rapid wah effect while you are laughing? 2 1 Quote
diablo175 Posted February 25 Author Posted February 25 On 2/18/2026 at 6:51 PM, Steve Haynie said: So does that mean you get a rapid wah effect while you are laughing? I suppose it could... 🤔 Quote
Jakeboy Posted February 28 Posted February 28 The MXR one is the perfect solution, IMO. No chance of blowing your amp and you don’t need a separate amp. I love mine. Quote
burningyen Posted March 1 Posted March 1 Late to this thread. I’m a Banshee user and have never had a problem with the FOH guy mixing in my mic signal. But if that’s a real problem, you could also use a vocoder, which won’t sound exactly the same but at least will run to your amp. 2 Quote
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