DI or Mic?

tbirddad · #1 05-17-2011, 08:08 AM

Do you use a DI or a mic for your live bass sound reinforcement?

If so, what brand / model of DI or mic and why?

Bassdirty · #2 05-17-2011, 08:12 AM

DI.
Because It's easier for the soundguy, and the fans do not care.

Toolmybass · #3 05-17-2011, 08:25 AM

Both

D.I outs on my GK1001RB's or
D.I out on my SVT-VR

And Heil PR40's on my cabs

Why?...i bought and paid ALOT of $$ for my Mesa Boogie cabs, and they are a big part of my overall sound! The blending of them sounds yummy

If i want a "Mesa" sound out to audience, and i only have a D.I box or running a D.I out of my head, the sound heard our of FOH will be the soundguys "sound" and not mine

rockstarbassist · #4 05-17-2011, 08:48 AM

Depends on the venue. If the soundguy lets me mic up I use my Heil PR-40 on my PH212 cabs. Most times I just run a post-DI line from my M9 and it sounds pretty awesome as well. I carry my Radial JDI as a backup.

If we ran our own sound I'd do the mic/DI blend of wet/dry signals.

Jimbob Jones · #5 05-17-2011, 08:50 AM

Both, but DI if I have to choose one or the other.

chuck norriss · #6 05-17-2011, 09:00 AM

Direct-out from head unit so I can manage my sound on stage + hear myself. If you mean bass>DI>PA without an amp I don't like the idea of not having physical stage presence

a-lenthe · #7 05-17-2011, 09:28 AM

SABDDI.

JimmyM · #8 05-17-2011, 10:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bassdirty

DI.
Because It's easier for the soundguy, and the fans do not care.

mic.

because i don't care whether it's easier for the soundguy or not (btw, other than taking an extra minute to hook it up and put it on a stand, it's no harder for a soundman to work with than a di), and because i don't base how i set up my gear on fan reaction.

BigMac5 · #9 05-17-2011, 10:04 AM

Try both and see which one you like better. Some people prefer the sound they get with a DI BOX. If the sound man is any decent, he'll get you a decent tone in the mix. Some people like the tone coming out of their amp, specially tube amps, and prefer to use a mic.

billgoodwin · #10 05-19-2011, 05:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimmyM

mic.

because i don't care whether it's easier for the soundguy or not (btw, other than taking an extra minute to hook it up and put it on a stand, it's no harder for a soundman to work with than a di), and because i don't base how i set up my gear on fan reaction.

+1...indeed.

TL5 · #11 05-19-2011, 08:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimmyM

mic.

because i don't care whether it's easier for the soundguy or not (btw, other than taking an extra minute to hook it up and put it on a stand, it's no harder for a soundman to work with than a di), and because i don't base how i set up my gear on fan reaction.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigMac5

Try both and see which one you like better. Some people prefer the sound they get with a DI BOX. If the sound man is any decent, he'll get you a decent tone in the mix. Some people like the tone coming out of their amp, specially tube amps, and prefer to use a mic.

I agree. If soundman can't work with either, you're in for a long night. As far as set-up goes the only difference is the stand. Hanging a DI off an XLR line is no less complicated than plugging in a mic.
I've used both. It depends on what I'm trying to do with my rig. If I bring the head/cabinet bigger rig, typically I mic it. I can use different mics, last time I used a large condenser.

Most of the time, I'm just using a tilted back Fender Bassman as a monitor. In which case, I'm using an MXR M80 Bass DI. The XLR out goes to the house, while the unbalanced out goes to the preamp in on the back of the amp.
I've used my full pedal-board in the same set-up.

Again, what FOH gets from me depends on what I'm doing with my rig.
Thsi works for mw, YMMV.

Manndreas · #12 05-23-2011, 02:31 PM

As a sound tech I use both depending on the player/rig. If the bassist wants his rig mic'ed, I'll mic it. No biggie. It's all the same to me at FOH as long as I get a usable signal.
However, if the player don't care I'll use a DI in most cases. Because then the bassist can fiddle with his amp as much as he wants all night without affecting my signal and I have one less mic on stage to contribute to feedback loops and bleeding. The exception being bands I know and do sound for on a regular basis. In those cases I almost always mic the bass because me and their bassist have agreed on what we want his instrument to sound like.

As a bassist I prefer mics, but I won't make a fuss about it. I almost never bring my own amp, instead I play on local pa-rental or venue provided rigs and sometimes the amp might not sound all that good. In those cases a DI is the best way since I take good care of my instruments and I know they sound good DI'd. All of my bands riders do state what brand of amps I prefer and that I want it mic'ed unless there's a good reason for them not to though.

As for brands of DI I usually use a Countryman Type85 as that what the firm I work for have. When I'm gigging I'll use whatever the tech provides as long as he/she can vouch for it.
There are tons of threads about bass mics if you search. One that pops up lots is the Sennheiser MD421. I've also used the Sennheiser E604 mics with good results.