Micing the electric bass

Jacob M · #1 05-27-2008, 09:27 PM

So I'm new to the whole recording process, just looking for a good audio interface now, and with it some good mics for recording my bass. I feel like to get anything close to an accurate reproduction of how it really sounds, it would take a bunch of different types of mics placed variously around the room, but that's more of a pipe-dream than reality.

So if I had to buy 1 mic to get the best sound out of my bass amp, what would you guys reccomend? Maybe under $200...

Parabolic Box · #2 05-27-2008, 10:20 PM

You could just DI into the recording device (either directly from the bass or from the amp), unless there's something special about your rig that you wish to capture. As I understand, bass cabinets designed to be reasonably transparent.

If you still desire to mic, the Shure Beta 52A seems like a good option because of its extended low-end sensitivity. You can find some on evilBay for under $200.

Jacob M · #3 05-28-2008, 12:52 AM

Yeah, I definately wanna capture how my bass sounds run through an amp. I'll probably blend DI sounds with miced sounds for a bit extra clarity, but the sound I want is more than just the bass.

Thunderthumbs73 · #4 05-28-2008, 01:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jacob M

So I'm new to the whole recording process, just looking for a good audio interface now, and with it some good mics for recording my bass. I feel like to get anything close to an accurate reproduction of how it really sounds, it would take a bunch of different types of mics placed variously around the room, but that's more of a pipe-dream than reality.

So if I had to buy 1 mic to get the best sound out of my bass amp, what would you guys reccomend? Maybe under $200...

A DI box, and a lot of experienting. Each room, amp, bass are different and how they react to a mic, or a mic to all those variables is impossible to predict or recommend. People spend lifetimes trying to get their sound to "tape" in a way that most closely approximates their live sound. And only you have your ears and hear the way you do. Welcome to the beginning of that journey.

JimmyM · #5 05-28-2008, 03:38 AM

Dang...$200 or less...would I get a DI or a mic? Do you already have an amp with a DI on it? If so, I'd probably get a mic. I love mics. My favorite cheap mic is the Shure SM-58. About $100. BTW, you don't need mics all around the room. Bass sounds much better close mic'ed, IMHO.

BUT...you will need a mic preamp for it if you want quality. I'm not really up on what the good ones are now that are inexpensive, but you need one or the mic signal sounds very weak.

P. Lacey · #6 05-28-2008, 05:35 AM

dude.... im embarressed to ask, but what is a mic pre amp?

Unrepresented · #7 05-28-2008, 11:20 AM

When we were recording my bass tracks for our demo we did three recording channels, one was the di from my head, second was an sm57, and another mic (I've since forgotten) was for the third channel.

For my playing style we ended up skipping the di everytime it came to mixing. The mics just picked up my "tone" much better.

JimmyM · #8 05-28-2008, 11:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rocker_Mud

dude.... im embarressed to ask, but what is a mic pre amp?

If you don't ask, you'll never know.

It's a preamp that you run a mic into in order to allow its low impedance signal to match up to the device you plug it into for recording, and you can control the signal level with it. Makes all the difference in the world in the tone of your recorded signal. It can sound very weak without it.