Something to Improve the sound when using wireless equipment?

[JJRockford]

I like the idea of using wireless when playing live, but don't really like the sound; It sounds/feels like there are something missing, compared to how it is to play with a usual cable. I know that my wireless equipment isn't the best (a Samson system, about 4-500 US$), but at least soundwise, I get the same feeling with more expensive equipment as well.

Anyone here who have any ideas about some "smart boxes" that might improve the sound while using wireless?

[MartyMart]

Systems have improved in the last few years, the more expensive ones ( $1000 and up ) are good but
I hear a small loss of low end even with these - UHF ?
You should be able to compensate at the amp end and also at the FOH desk, so no real problem.
Do you feel that you're not getting a good signal overall withyour system, or just some bass loss ?
MM

[JJRockford]

It's hard to describe, but I guess it is some kind of frequency loss; It sound almost like with a cable but something is missing. Might be the lows, don't know. Also noticed the substain decreases with wireless. And it's more noticeable if I use a "real" amp, compared to using a digital amp, like Vox Valvetronix.

[MartyMart]

I'm not sure if the output of the wireless system is buffered OR if there's an impedance
issue .... what's the first pedal in your FX board - if you're using one ?

I'm just thinking that if there's losses between gtr->wireless->FX->Amp  that a buffer after
the wireless system into the board and/or a buffer before the cable to amp may help.
MM.

[MKB]

I have and use one of those Samsons as well, it does have a few issues.  The first is an impedance issue, but the opposite that you would expect.  Since the cord is so short between the guitar and transmitter (the Airline system doesn't have any cord at all), and the transmitter impedance is so high, you don't get any of the loading effect of the cord.  This causes the guitar to have a lot more highs in relation to the mids.  It can cause a Strat to sound more brittle.  There is a manufacturer (Radial i think) that makes a device that simulates the cord effect, but in a small passive unit you can put on your guitar strap.  That may help.

Also, the Airline transmitter can be easily overloaded, so you have to be careful that you aren't overdriving anything in the chain.  My ES-333 overdrives the receiver when it is used on an external 9V supply.  The overdriven transmitter or receiver does NOT sound good.  Overall, after getting it set right, I like mine quite a bit, but it does have limitations.

[Paul Perry (Frostwave)]

There is a manufacturer (Radial i think) that makes a device that simulates the cord effect, but in a small passive unit you can put on your guitar strap.  That may help.

At audio frequencies, that should be pretty easy.. just hang a couple of pF capacitance across the output! I can't see there being significant resistance or inductance in a normal guitar cable.

[Meanderthal]

 At the risk of sounding like I'm suggesting a band aid(heh), have you tried a BBE Sonic Maximizer yet? Great at bringing 'dead' sound back to life...

[runmikeyrun]

I used to use them religiously, tired of stepping on and getting tangled up in cords.  I almost broke and actually did sprain my ankle a couple of times when my foot stepped on a cord and it rolled causing me to go down. 

It was cool for like a year cause the main benefit i wanted was being able to stand in the crowd while the soundguy set us up, i could have him make changes if necessary.  Then i started to get annoyed-

-i had to duct tape the transmitter to my strap because it kept flying off, which would make the battery door open and battery come out.  Very annoying in the middle of a song to stop and put your stuff back together.  so now i had to duct tape my receiver AND the battery door shut.  This left goop on my transmitter after every show that wouldn't come off. 

-It ate batteries, i would get about 3 shows max (at 1/2hr sets each).  that meant a lot of removing the duct tape holding my battery door closed.

-I would get static crackling in and out, even standing 5 feet from the thing regardless of any stray RF or fluorescent lights, which are extremely loud and annoying through the PA, especially if they have a lot of tweeters. 

-Then there were periodic momentary dropouts where i would just lose the signal. 

-I kept busting off the plug for the transmitter because my bass had the jack on the very bottom and the plugs were straight.  I would fall on the floor or do something crazy and the damn thing would just snap off.  It was a molded plug so i couldn't put a right angle plug on it like my other cables.  They were $30/each and i must have bought 5 of them before i said that's it.  Then, right before i could give it up, the receiver died.

I was pissed because i spent $350 on the thing (in 1998) and that was a lot of money earning only $6/hr fixing cars.

I went back to a 25 foot cable and got 30 footers and a long extension cord for my pedalboard and now i carefully route all my cords across the front of the stage from my pedal board and around to the side where i'm not going to step or slide on them.  I haven't had any problems since and that was 8 years ago.  Forget the rock star part of you and use cables.  They've been tried and true since the first telephone exchanges came out 100 years ago (which is why some catalogs call em phone plugs) and mine aren't going anywhere anytime soon.

[blanik]

seems like someone thought of this problem...

http://www.tonebone.com/tb-dragster.htm

[MKB]

That Dragster is the device I was referring to in the previous post.  Not sure if it would be worth the money.  The load a cable puts on a pickup is a bit more complicated than a simple capacitance, it's more like a transmission line.  In fact, the device used on the "sweet switch" on the older PRS guitars is a custom delay line, with a bunch of LC networks in series.  The Dragster is probably something like that.

Concerning the Samson Airline wireless, one of its big benefits is that the transmitter works off a single AAA battery, so it is WAY cheaper to use than those transmitters that use 9V batteries.  I can easily get through a 4 hour gig with a single AAA, and have enough battery life for the next practice.  It is a very nice piece of equipment; you can mount the receiver on your pedalboard, it's very quiet (ALWAYS go UHF on a wireless unit!!), very few dropouts, with good sound quality.  But it indeed isn't as good as a cord.

The other wireless I have owned was one made by Samson in the early eighties, what a screaming horrible piece of junk.  Very noisy, horrible sound quality, 2 hrs. life on one 9V battery, terrible dropouts, the list goes on.  I literally threw it away.