I am thinking of attaching a normal hand held mic between the arch of the bridge. A good place for sound re-production? If you have done this how did you attach the mic?---put the mic parallel to the top or point the mic angled down into the top? Attaching the mic on a stand pointing towards the 'f hole on the top a better sound? Your thoughts welcome on the two methods.
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Double Bass Attaching a mic to the DB
- Thread starter gypsydjango
- Start date
A "normal" handheld microphone is probably too large for this application. A microphone must be fully suspended so it only picks up vibrations through the air. You'll want something as small and light as possible. The other challenge is avoiding feedback, which is a problem even for a pickup. There are a number of commercially available microphones for DB. They are expensive, but you will almost certainly get better results with one of those.
Acoustic guitars are miked at the 19th fret. Miking a DB at the bridge might not give you enough sound. You'd get some off the body but not much off the strings. Everyone I see in town with DB has a piezo pickup.
If it had to mic an upright bass live I would try one of my ATM350As with a long goose neck. For live use, I would much rather use a pickup.
The 9" goose neck (AT8490L) comes with the ATM350UL kit. If you get the ATM350U kit, the goose neck is only 5" long (AT8490).
I think the DPA 4099 has slightly better rejection than the AT350A...but it's more expensive. In the comparisons I have heard, the AT350A sounds a bit more natural, but the DPA 4099 cuts through better. If money were no object, I think the DPA would be a better choice live, but only slightly.
The 9" goose neck (AT8490L) comes with the ATM350UL kit. If you get the ATM350U kit, the goose neck is only 5" long (AT8490).
I think the DPA 4099 has slightly better rejection than the AT350A...but it's more expensive. In the comparisons I have heard, the AT350A sounds a bit more natural, but the DPA 4099 cuts through better. If money were no object, I think the DPA would be a better choice live, but only slightly.
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There are several options for you. One is to wrap a mic in foam and insert it under the bridge as @Ed Fuqua does with a Sennheiser MD402u and others do with a Sennheiser e609. Another option is to mount a mic clip between the string after-lengths as @dhergert does with a Sennheiser e604. The mics do not have to be Sennheisers - just using these as examples.
I have used a 57/58 suspended between the bridge and after lengths with rubber bands, angled as perpendicularly as possible to the top. Sounded good for a quiet acoustic group with no drums. More hassle than a pickup.
@SeayBass sent me a kit he's working on to mount a mic to the tailpiece. It's worked at home, and seems promising with a D4 or PR40, but I haven't tried it live.
@SeayBass sent me a kit he's working on to mount a mic to the tailpiece. It's worked at home, and seems promising with a D4 or PR40, but I haven't tried it live.
The Sennheiser e-604 drum/tuba mic can be mounted with its own hardware to a standard tailpiece, selecting one of the string holes to piggy-back through with the mic's included knurled bracket bolt. Adventurous people could potentially mount it through its own dedicated hole in the tailpiece. It's a dynamic mic which provides really quite good acoustic tone for double bass. It weighs 60 grams (which is typically less than the standard XLR-3 jack that it uses).
My massive custom aluminum tailpiece has an ideal dedicated spot for solidly mounting it, it's aimed at the feet of the bridge.
(NFI)
My massive custom aluminum tailpiece has an ideal dedicated spot for solidly mounting it, it's aimed at the feet of the bridge.
(NFI)
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If you use a slim condenser mic, that fits between the strings, you can use a microphone clamp fixed with a screw through the round part of string hole in tailpiece. Then point the microphone between the strings of the afterlength.
- Dec 13, 1999
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- Chuck Sher publishes my book, WALKING BASSICS:The Fundamentals of Jazz Bass Playing.
MD409, ekchully 
Ric Vice had a clever way to mount a mic using the after length and some metal and rubber washers. I used that for awhile but ended up going back to the “wrapped in foam and stuffed up in the bridge arch”…
Ric Vice had a clever way to mount a mic using the after length and some metal and rubber washers. I used that for awhile but ended up going back to the “wrapped in foam and stuffed up in the bridge arch”…
Can't forget this legendary rubber band method thanks to @Sam Sherry :
https://www.talkbass.com/threads/poor-mans-mic-setup-sm-57-four-elastics.482357/
https://www.talkbass.com/threads/poor-mans-mic-setup-sm-57-four-elastics.482357/
Not to forget about the bassballCan't forget this legendary rubber band method thanks to @Sam Sherry :
https://www.talkbass.com/threads/poor-mans-mic-setup-sm-57-four-elastics.482357/
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
Thanks, @Sam Sherry - this is the method I used successfully for a while.Can't forget this legendary rubber band method thanks to @Sam Sherry :
https://www.talkbass.com/threads/poor-mans-mic-setup-sm-57-four-elastics.482357/
MD409, ekchully
Ric Vice had a clever way to mount a mic using the after length and some metal and rubber washers. I used that for awhile but ended up going back to the “wrapped in foam and stuffed up in the bridge arch”…View attachment 5279800
EdI know you've mentioned it before but if you could remind us. What do you typically plug the mic into for smaller gigs, jams, rehearsals? Are you using a bass amp? Powered monitor?
For those interested in trying this mic...
This is a rare and coveted mic that was originally intended for guitar. They haven't been made since the mid 90s or earlier. I had one go bad (in Germany) around 1995 and Sennheiser had already depleted parts, so it could not be serviced or replaced. The BlackFire mic the store sold me looked like the MD409 but did not sound like one.
The MD409 is somewhat fragile and the foam that suspends the capsule tends to fall apart over time.. If you find one that works, make sure the capsule is not bouncing around inside the mic. If it is, get the mic serviced.
A potential problem with buying used is the original capsule may have been replaced. In some instances a correct capsule may have been salvaged from a different model. But you may also buy a mic that looks like an MD409, but has the wrong capsule, which will not have the same magic.
There are two current models that look like the MD409. E609 and E906. Most reviews say the E906 sounds the most like the MD409 on guitar, but a fair amount of people say the E609 works better on bass.
The response plots will probably give you some hints why.
MD409
MD609
MD906
The MD409 has a cardioid pickup pattern. The E609 and E906 are both super-cardioid.
I have a frankensteined MD409-u3 made from a defunked Sennheiser/Grundig microphone capsule and an e609 body. Sounds great!
I don't do a lot of concerts with front-of-house sound but when I do the SM-57 comes with me every time.
Portland Jazz Orchestra just recorded a live CD. I was running a DI (from the Woods MI-100), some nice mic on a floor-stand and . . . the SM-57 rubber-banded to the bridge. Haven't heard the roughs yet but apparently the DI distorted on some tunes. There's bound to be ambient noise on the floor-mic. SM-57 to the rescue, baybee!
