Double Bass Advice on a budget mic please

[Inconnu]

Hi there!
Working on a personal home recording project for fun. I need a new mic. I only have a Shure SM57 and a Behringer SM58 copy, and neither do justice to the bass.

I want to keep it as cheap as possible while still getting a good sound. Suggestions?

 

[Don Hergert]

Do you want something you can mount on your DB, or do you want a general stand mic?

 

[Inconnu]

Do you want something you can mount on your DB, or do you want a general stand mic?

I don’t mind, really. Whatever works best.

 

[Don Hergert]

My personal tonal experience using the Sennheiser e 604 as a mounted mic has been excellent.

This mic comes with a drum mount which can be removed and the bolt used for standard mounting. My DB's tailpiece is pretty non-standard, but on a standard DB the e 604 should pretty easily mount directly to the top side of your tailpiece, placing the mounting bolt through the underside of the tailpiece, through one of the tailpiece string holes. Mount could be permanent or temporary. Cost is pretty reasonable, lists around $150US.

This is a low impedance dynamic mic (no phantom power required), so if you're feeding into an amp you'll probably need a pre-amp or at least an impedance transformer. For FOH use, it's easy, just provide a clean feed and let the mixer do the work.

FWIW, here's how it's mounted to the under side of my custom tailpiece:

Sennheiser e 604 3

• Don Hergert
• Aug 28, 2021
• sennheiser e 604

Sennheiser e 604 2

• Don Hergert
• Aug 28, 2021
• sennheiser e 604

Sennheiser e 604 1

• Don Hergert
• Aug 28, 2021
• sennheiser e 604

 

[LaFaro01]

If you can use phantom power, I would go for the CM4 from Line Audio...
Line Audio Design - Made in Sweden
I've never found a better micro for less or equal money...

 

[John Chambliss]

I have a Line Audio CM4 and a number of other mics that I use for recording at home. Based on someone's recommendation here, I've been placing the CM4 on a stand about 12" away from the bridge pointed slightly toward the G string. It is a wonderful, mic. I haven't tried an SM57, or a SM58, but I bet they would sound fine in the "sweet spot".

 

[Ric Vice]

Agreed,
I have a Line Audio CM4 as well, for recording Double Bass it's a outstanding microphone and costs @$150.00.

It's very compact and small, easily mounts on a standard microphone, and captures every nuance of the instrument.

 

[AGCurry]

The SM57 isn't a great microphone, but for recording instruments it's about as good as anything else in its price range. Mic placement is IMO more important than the mic itself.

Another option is to go with an omnidirectional mic, which you can put right up close to the bass without worrying about proximity effect. A used Electrovoice 635 or RE50 can be had for less than $100.

 

[Ryan in PDX]

Audio Technica AT2035 has been a workhorse for my home recording projects, and it's readily available everywhere at ~$150 USD new.

Line Audio CM4 gets great reviews here on TB and in the "low end" section of the Gearspace forum, especially from people who record orchestras and chamber music. There's a wait-list to buy them new, and they rarely show up on the used market. I'd love to try a pair.

 

[Ric Vice]

Line Audio CM4 gets great reviews here on TB and in the "low end" section of the Gearspace forum, especially from people who record orchestras and chamber music. There's a wait-list to buy them new, and they rarely show up on the used market. I'd love to try a pair.

I recently got a OM1, to compliment my pair of CM3’s ( now the CM 4) wait list only took about 2 months for me to get my mic after I put my name on the list.
Well worth wait.

 

[Chris Fitzgerald]

The SM57 isn't a great microphone, but for recording instruments it's about as good as anything else in its price range. Mic placement is IMO more important than the mic itself.

Agree, but one step up from that is the Beta 57a, which is my favorite all-purpose mic. When I was putting together a recording/live rig for my department at the U., we bought Beta 57's. When the Louisville Jazz Society put me in charge of putting together a budget live sound rig, we went with a Presonus board and beta 57 mics. They work on everything, are pretty much indestructible, won't break the bank, and are hypercardiod besides, which is useful when you want less extraneous room noise or other noise bleed. Highly recommended, and I am still discovering new uses for them.

 

[Ryan in PDX]

I recently got a OM1, to compliment my pair of CM3’s ( now the CM 4) wait list only took about 2 months for me to get my mic after I put my name on the list.
Well worth wait.

Thanks for fueling my GAS, Ric. I've been considering a pair of the OM1s as well. Are you using the OM1 close to the bass, with the CM3/4s in stereo farther back?

My room isn't treated well enough to use omnis yet, but if the reports are true, I might as well spring for pairs of both... Are you using them on other sources as well?

 

[Jay Corwin]

A 57 will always get the job done. I recorded tracks for album in a kitchen with a single 57 once. Cheap ribbon mics can be a nice option too. There are a handful of options out there now.

Condensers IMO are not great for at home recording unless you have a good room, and enough isolation to keep every noise happening around out the mix.

Depending on your interface, something like a Cloud Lifter will make any inexpensive mic work a lot better. They provide a ton of clean gain to play with if you are forced to use dynamics and close mic'ing.

 

[AGCurry]

My room isn't treated well enough to use omnis yet...

Ryan, if you get them close to the source, the room is less important, i.e., the portion of ambient sound relative to source sound diminishes to negligible.

 

[longfinger]

Often you can go to a music store and rent a mic for about $10/day, even expensive mics. Worth it to experiment with different microphones at a low cost and get projects done with a deadline.

 

[Don Hergert]

Ryan, if you get them close to the source, the room is less important, i.e., the portion of ambient sound relative to source sound diminishes to negligible.

In my experience, this is one of the advantages of a mounted mic.

Another is that it's there whenever it is needed.

And if you've got an installed piezo setup too, there are lots more options.

 

[Ric Vice]

Thanks for fueling my GAS, Ric. I've been considering a pair of the OM1s as well. Are you using the OM1 close to the bass, with the CM3/4s in stereo farther back?

My room isn't treated well enough to use omnis yet, but if the reports are true, I might as well spring for pairs of both... Are you using them on other sources as well?

Good point, I use the CM3 or CM4 to record bass, single mic only. I have used a pair of CM4's and it's incredible. I got the OM1 (eventually I'll get another) to record piano with) It's so small and has such a small aperture that

if you place it in close proximity to the instrument AG is spot on. However I actually prefer the sound and timbre of the CM4's.