What mic?

JGT · #1 04-07-2008, 11:00 PM

Just wondering what microphone would be recommended for a cab. Mainly for recording purpose but live as well. Would I be better off using a bass drum mic? or would something like a sm57 do better? Is my thinking way off here?

Thanks.

projectMalamute · #2 04-07-2008, 11:15 PM

EV RE20
Beyer M88
Shure SM7
AT4033
Senn 421

I've used and liked all of those. I don't like kick drum mics so much, don't really care for the SM57 either. Lots of other people do.

RE20 would be my first choice at a studio, I own and use an AT4033a around the house.

JimmyM · #3 04-07-2008, 11:17 PM

RE-20 or a 58 (not 57) for me, please. I used a 58 on my B-15 speaker tonight...sounded amazing! And no kick mics, please!

JGT · #4 04-07-2008, 11:20 PM

Well an sm57 and sm58 are essentially the same mic, correct? Would it sound better with the filter?

JimmyM · #5 04-07-2008, 11:37 PM

They are essentially the same mic, but the 58, for some strange reason, has a bigger bloom on the low end. The 57 is a more gradual climb.

Stumpy · #6 04-07-2008, 11:49 PM

If you don't have a DI out then use the largest diaphragm mic you can get your hands on...

Sennheiser 421II, EV RE20, that kind of thing. Your engineer should have a good mic or three laying about that would do the trick, I should think

Bass Below · #7 04-08-2008, 01:08 AM

I got this mic and I could not be happier: http://www.musiciansfriend.com/produ...nts?sku=275669

I use it for both live and recording and it leaves nothing to be desired.

mgood · #8 04-08-2008, 04:30 AM

+1 on the Beyer M88
That was one of my favorite mics back when I was doing sound for a living.
Great for kick drum, upright bass, electric guitar (depending on the sound you're looking for), or use it for a vocal mic for that large, deep-voiced male gospel singer to blow the doors off the place. Anything with a lot of low frequency information you want to capture and maybe accentuate a little bit. If I were going to mic a bass guitar cab, that would be my first choice of mics.
I'd love to have one of my own. The ones I've used belonged to sound companies I was working for.

That being said, I prefer to DI the bass.

I own an AKG D112 kick drum mic that I've wanted to try in front of a bass cab just for grins, but have never gotten around to it. I also have an Audix i5 which I think is a great all-around instrument mic, somewhat similar to the Shure SM57, but with more balls, IMO. I got it to use with my guitar amp and whatever else I may need a dynamic instrument mic for.

bottomend! · #9 04-08-2008, 04:49 AM

I've been using a cheap ribbon mic lately and it's sounds FANTASTIC! It was made by PPA and it's just your basic Chinese "junk"... but wow!

mgood · #10 04-08-2008, 05:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bottomend!

I've been using a cheap ribbon mic lately and it's sounds FANTASTIC! It was made by PPA and it's just your basic Chinese "junk"... but wow!

Sometimes you find a diamond in the rough.
Don't write off a mic just because it's inexpensive.

BillMason · #11 04-08-2008, 05:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JGT

Well an sm57 and sm58 are essentially the same mic, correct? Would it sound better with the filter?

The 57 is flat, which is why more people prefer it for instruments. The 58 has a mid range bump.

51m0n · #12 04-08-2008, 05:20 AM

Senn 421

coreyfyfe · #13 04-08-2008, 06:38 AM

RE20!

I use one of these to record my b-15 and it sounds wonderful. Haven't had a chance to use one in a live setting, most places typically use a 57 for that, but if I were to bring my own I would like to think it would be an RE20.

coreyfyfe · #14 04-08-2008, 06:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mgood

I own an AKG D112 kick drum mic that I've wanted to try in front of a bass cab just for grins, but have never gotten around to it.

I used one of those for recording once and the D112 was not my sound at all. It was just too bassy and boomy. Ended up just doing everything DI from my SVT-CL for the rest of the recording.

BassmanPaul · #15 04-08-2008, 10:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by coreyfyfe

I used one of those for recording once and the D112 was not my sound at all. It was just too bassy and boomy. Ended up just doing everything DI from my SVT-CL for the rest of the recording.

Kick drum mic's are designed for mic'ing a kick drum not a bass instrument. I picked up an EV Cardinal to mic. my cabinet in live situations. Works well and cost me a little under $100.

Paul

metalmariachi · #16 04-08-2008, 10:23 AM

In the studio I’ve used their 57, 58, and Beta 52 A Could have been an 82 though) with great results.
I think the Beta 56 would be a better choice over a 57 for a bass cabinet though.

I bought a set of CAD’s the PMP percussion mic pack for home/live use until I could afford something better.
It has 4 TSM411s and a KBM 412

http://www.cadmics.com/TSM411.htm

http://www.cadmics.com/KBM412.htm

They reproduce the sound very well and I’m happy with them.
I like them enough that I haven’t upgraded to any thing else.
But then again I don’t need super high-end studio quality.

I usually set the 412 on axis and the 411 off.

MM

2Loud4You · #17 04-08-2008, 01:03 PM

I've used and gotten great results from the EV RE-20, Sennheiser 421 and AKG D112. People tend to forget it's about mic placement as well. It's amazing how much the tone can change just by pointing the mic at different points on the speaker not to mention proximity. SM57's are great on guitar cabs but I feel they lack on bass cabs. Not that it's feasible but a Nuemann U87 set a distance away from the cab (so you don't bow it up) sounds good as well.

You also mentioned this will be used for live applications so be aware of people on stage and whether or it's possible the mic will be hit. The 421 kinda sticks out there and is on a plastic mount vs other mics hard mounted or slipped into a standard mic holder. It could be hit and broken if someone's not careful.

mgood · #18 04-08-2008, 10:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by coreyfyfe

I used one of those for recording once and the D112 was not my sound at all. It was just too bassy and boomy.

Kind of what I figured. You can snap your fingers in front of it and it still sounds like a rock kick drum. I think that's the only sound that mic makes. Not that that's a bad thing, it's an awesome kick drum mic. It's just not all that versatile.

Fretlessboy · #19 04-09-2008, 07:48 AM

I use a Beta57 when I mic a cabinet. This works great for me but I also use the mic'd cabinet to just fill out my D.I. sound which is always pre eq

SwamiRob · #20 04-09-2008, 09:01 AM

Second session of the recording of my bands first EP the guy we worked with with stuck a D6 in the centre of the top 15 of my Berg NV215, the things got a pretty extreme freq. response but it provided a hell of alot of bass, I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who likes a very deep but not too mid present sound. He messed about with it to get some of the mids back in and since it was it was placed pretty central and I use alot of mids anyway it was pretty decent sounding.

Personally I'd prefer something flat though, the RE20 sounds pretty awesome but I'd be tempted to used something with some more bass presence, roll off from the high mids, then mix it in with a flatter mic. Never used or heard a RE20 so that's all speculative though, it says the lowest it goes is 45Hz and I like a fair bit of sub-bass in my sound to give it lots and lots of depth.

What's the variable-d on the RE20 do by the way? Is it just a name given to the bass roll off on the mic? It sounds a little more advanced then that in the manual.