Mic-ing a cab. What's the standard?

tnks · #1 07-13-2003, 10:27 AM

Hi,

I have a tone coming out of my cabinet that I'd like to mic for recording (I've been recording direct up until now).

Is there a standard mic out there for mic'ing a bass?

Please feel free to explain things like "cardiod" and the like. I really don't know what I'm getting into here, but I have a budget that should allow me to get something fairly nice (a few hundred).

Thanks for your feedback.

Richard Lindsey · #2 07-13-2003, 03:57 PM

I dunno about standard for bass cabs, as I don't know if anything is as standard for bass as a Shure SM57 is for guitar. But if I were you, I'd probably buy a Sennheiser MD421. Better bass response than an SM57 and will withstand a pretty high SPL.

GreyBeard · #3 07-14-2003, 06:36 AM

The best mic I've used for mic'ing a bass cab is a CAD E100. 57's are fine for 4 string but roll off to much for a 5'ver. Many so called kick drum mic's have good low end response but lack mid-bass. (That's what makes them sound so good for kick drum.) The CAD E100 is ruler flat from 20 - 10K and will handle 150db spl, no problem. (my experience)

Richard Lindsey · #4 07-14-2003, 08:01 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by GreyBeard
The best mic I've used for mic'ing a bass cab is a CAD E100. 57's are fine for 4 string but roll off to much for a 5'ver. Many so called kick drum mic's have good low end response but lack mid-bass. (That's what makes them sound so good for kick drum.) The CAD E100 is ruler flat from 20 - 10K and will handle 150db spl, no problem. (my experience)

This is a really good idea. For some reason I was thinking live use as well as recording, even though the original poster explicitly mentioned recording only. D'oh! I tend to shy away from condensers for live use, except maybe on hats and overheads--hence the rec for the 421 (which is still an excellent mic). But thumbs up on the CAD. I've got a CAD E-200, which is kinda like two E-100s, and that mic has a great low end and, as you note, will take a pretty hefty SPL.

tnks · #5 07-14-2003, 08:47 AM

Okay, I'm hearing a lot of different options on this post and on some newsgroups too. A lot of people are suggesting kick drum microphones, but I'm not sure that's for me.

After looking at the 20Hz to 18kHz reach of the CAD E100 (discontinued) and the E200, I was pretty impressed. That's that low-end reach that these kick drum mics just can't make a claim too.

I'm not trying to stop discussion here. I'm still not totally sold, but I think I'm getting close.

Thanks all for your participation. Keep it coming.