Everything you need to play violin in a rock band

Playing a Violin in a rock band isn't common, but it should be

Violin probably isn't the first instrument you think of when talking about instruments in rock music, but adding a violin to a rock track is one of the coolest things you can do! Check out my top ten favorite rock songs with violin here: https://ethanthebaum.wixsite.com/ethandabaummusic/post/top-ten-violin-rock-songs

The problem is, violin is often too quiet, so how can you make a violin louder?

Here's everything you'll need to play a violin in rock music.

Step one: Pick-up

In my band, Harding Avenue, we're lucky to play with one of the best violinists around! However we often have trouble hearing her. In the past we've used microphones, but those tend to capture the wrong sounds, or not enough violin sound to truly be effective.

The easiest way to mic up a violin is with a pickup, not a microphone.

A common example of a violin pickup

Anna's violin is very expensive, and we didn't want to modify it at all. To avoid permanent modifications, it was important to find a pickup that was easily removeable.

Another priority is sound quality. A simple piezo pickup can be obtained for a few bucks. These pickups don't do a great job of capturing the true sound of the violin however.

The third priority was cost, as many pickups can cost as much as $600!

We narrowed it down to two candidates:

#1 KND VV-3 pickups

Cost: $89

#2 KNA VV-2 Pickups

Cost: $119

The main difference between the two seemed to be the volume knob, so we determined the cheaper option would likely be better.

Step 2: a cable

If you watched either of the demonstration videos above, you probably noticed a large cable hanging off the instrument. In most live settings, this would be extremely obnoxious. So we determined that a wireless guitar rig would be necessary. In this case, the cheapest, yet most legitimate option was this product:

https://www.amazon.com/Wireless-Rechargeable-Channels-Transmitter-Receiver/dp/B07QH1B746/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

Step 3: Amplification

Of course, you still won't be able to hear the violin without an amplifier and speaker! Since the violin doesn't really require a lot of effects, a DI box may work just as well as a guitar amplifier.

Here's one option for a DI Box.

Here's another option for an amp

An onboard amp may be a good idea to insure a clean signal.

Here's a very cheap option

With a DI box, the violin can be plugged directly into a PA system! BOOM BABY you're off!