Favorite Mic for Bass Cab?

bassgrooves2 · #1 09-08-2011, 03:29 AM

Hello all! Just wondering what you guys consider your go to mic for recordng a bass cab for rock music. I have tried a couple different setups and tend to like the sound of the Shure Beta 52 on my 6x10 cab. I love to experiment though and try different things. I typically run severl effects n my rig at any given point ion different songs as well. Lately i have been running my NovaSystem in front of my amp, which did away with about 10 stmpboxes i previously used. There are things I like and things i dont about the NovaSystem, but all in all, i consider it a pretty integral part of my tone for the moment. Oh, also i would be curious as to what ybou guys think of running a compressor in the Fx loop for live use. I have been wanting to try this as well, compressor into sonic maximizer vi fx loop, but i would need several different compressor settings at my disposal, depending on te song.

Phatbottom · #2 09-08-2011, 01:45 PM

What I currently use is a Neumann TLM49 blended with DI. I've used the Beta 52 and am quite familiar with it. I am not a fan of bass drum mics on bass cabs however. Sennheiser 421's are pretty awesome as well. If you'd like to hear both of them i have vids that i shall attach.

Here is the Neumann DI combo:
Bass Guitar Jam by Clay Davis of The Regulars Band - YouTube

Here is the 421 alone in mix:
Hot in Herre by Nelly (The Regulars Band Cover) - YouTube

EricF · #3 09-08-2011, 04:57 PM

I tend to DI bass, but I've had some good results with a SM7B on a bass cab.

IK Obi · #4 09-09-2011, 05:34 PM

Same I DI bass into Ampeg SVX. If I HAVE to mic it I use a SM7 and a 47 styled mic like my Kel HM7U.

Oreomeister365 · #5 09-10-2011, 07:01 AM

Heil PR-40. Love dat tone.

Frank Tuesday · #6 09-10-2011, 07:55 AM

EV RE20 on my '61 B-15. No better bass sound in the world to my ears.

stflbn · #7 09-10-2011, 07:56 AM

Good choices already mentioned, but most of all... About anything but a kick-drum mic.

bassgrooves2 · #8 09-10-2011, 12:56 PM

Why so many haters of the kcick mic on a bass cab? I have used it with good results when blending my mic'd tweeter as well as my di track. Seems to add some beef. Ive been looking for an re20 so im glad to see someone else is in love with that mic.

silentmike · #9 09-10-2011, 04:32 PM

I don't understand the kick mic hate either. I'm currently re-amping bass and am using a U87, an RE20 and a D112. They sound lush together. Huzzah to free university studios is all I'm going to say!

IK Obi · #10 09-11-2011, 10:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oreomeister365

Heil PR-40. Love dat tone.

Yes the PR-40 is another great mic. Its always a toss up on kick and bass between my PR40 and the SM7B

bassgod0dmw · #11 09-12-2011, 07:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by silentmike

I don't understand the kick mic hate either. I'm currently re-amping bass and am using a U87, an RE20 and a D112. They sound lush together. Huzzah to free university studios is all I'm going to say!

You're using 3 different mics though. Use just the D112 and see if you like it...

prd004 · #12 09-12-2011, 07:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bassgrooves2

Why so many haters of the kcick mic on a bass cab? I have used it with good results when blending my mic'd tweeter as well as my di track. Seems to add some beef. Ive been looking for an re20 so im glad to see someone else is in love with that mic.

Kick mics scoop out all the mids. There are countless threads on this subject. Like anything else you can always find guys who like using them, but they are specifically tailored to capture only the extreme low end woof of the bass drum and the snap of the beater hitting the head. All the low mids, all the high mids are removed from the signal, which means crappy tone IMO (and the opinion of knowlegable engineers everywhere)

The best three mics I have found for bass are EV-RE20, Sennheiser MD-421, and AKG C414

bassgrooves2 · #13 09-18-2011, 10:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by prd004

Kick mics scoop out all the mids. There are countless threads on this subject. Like anything else you can always find guys who like using them, but they are specifically tailored to capture only the extreme low end woof of the bass drum and the snap of the beater hitting the head. All the low mids, all the high mids are removed from the signal, which means crappy tone IMO (and the opinion of knowlegable engineers everywhere)

The best three mics I have found for bass are EV-RE20, Sennheiser MD-421, and AKG C414

Yes they dfinitely scoop the mids, but i do like them when blended with a di and a mic'd horn. Of course i typically don't have a huge amount of bottom end in my amp setup. I have a whole different thing going on than what most bass players i know use tone wise. I use a fair amount of effects in various places throughout a set and have my signal routed with various paths. I found that having a big fat bottom end didnt allow me to sit well in the mix for our music. I typically have a kind of mid ish growly tubey tone for most of the set where many wouod have a "clean" sound. Of course i am always experimenting with equipment and setups to see what i can comeup with. Im still looking for an EV RE20 to get my hands on though as i think it could serve several functions in the "studio"

manfish · #14 04-10-2012, 12:17 AM

I like a vintage D12 on a bass cab? Sounds pretty good to me but it lives in the kick drum so I use an STC (now Coles) 4033A set to cardiod for my bass speaker

jkramer5 · #15 04-10-2012, 07:56 AM

I own and use an EV-re20 and a Heil Pr40, I kind of like the EV sound better but I generally try em both and pick between em.

Carebear · #16 04-11-2012, 09:18 AM

Shure Beta 52A may be tailored to best fit kick drums, but it works well with bass amps too!

I think Sennheiser MD 421 is a great microphone for bass amps if you want a "treated" sound straight out of the box. To my ears, it's the most scooped and hi-fi sounding dynamic large diaphragm microphone.

The Shure SM7B is a personal favourite as it's probably the flattest sounding of them all (set flat) and will do just about anything from vocals to kick drums. Some say it relies on post-production to sound good while others WANT just that to sculp their sound.

But here's the kicker! If you run a DI signal through the "Manatee" (Ampeg 8x10) cabinet of Recabinet I can honestly say it sounds just as good without the worries of microphone techniques possibly missing key frequencies.

tdub0199 · #17 04-11-2012, 09:23 AM

We typically use a Electro Voice RE-20 as well mixed with a DI....

kraigo · #18 04-11-2012, 09:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frank Tuesday

EV RE20 on my '61 B-15. No better bass sound in the world to my ears.

+1. For something less expensive I'd try an EV N/D 468. Compact, relatively inexpensive, good low end. +1 one on not using a colored kick mic. You have to put the bass and kick in different frequencies for both to be heard well. Those kick mics (Beta 52, Audix D6, EV N/D 868, D-112, et. Al.) are very good for what they do, but you don't want two of them, one for kick and one for bass. The all perform similar coloration, so stick with something flatter like the RE-20, SM7 or the Heil.

KO