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Best bass mics?

C

CannedWalrus

Sep 9, 2009
13
0
#1
I'm looking to buy a bass mic for my 1X15 and 8X10 cabs, and I am wondering which you guys prefer.

I want something that just can capture the true essence of my deep bass sound but also catches all frequencies.

I also dont wanna pay 600 bucks.

Suggestions?

Thanks.
 
#5
The standards for low stuff (prices from Musician's Friend):
- Shure Beta 52A - $190 - Good scooped tone, loved by engineers all over the world.
- AKG D112 - $250 - Flatter frequency response gives more options for post processing and gets lots of love too.
- Sennheiser e602-II - $160 - Also scooped tone and bright treble, not as common as the other two but still a great mic.

For tweeters, smaller elements, thinner sound etc. apply the other standards:
- Shure SM57 - $99 - Cheap and great for everything.
- Sennheiser MD421 - $380 - Not so cheap and also great for everything, especially for bass and toms.

The 421 does great job alone too but if you want deep bass you'll want 52, 112 or 602. I'd start from 112 since it's the flattest of three and you can decide later if you want more scooped tone or not. Having a 52 for the 1x15 and 112 for the 8x10 may also not be a bad idea at all. Comparing the frequency response diagrams is also useful if you know that you need more something and less something else.
 
#7
The Sennheiser MD421 works well for me, as does the AKG Perception 400 condenser. But I've had wonderful results with the Audio Technica AT825 stereo condenser microphone - probably the best of any mic. Every other mic mentioned records in mono (unless you use two). The stereo mic produces the most "real" sound of them all. I'm surprise it's not mentioned with more frequency. It's my "go-to" mic for the best bass recording when I want the mic'd cab sound.
 
#8
Ukiah Bass said:
The Sennheiser MD421 works well for me, as does the AKG Perception 400 condenser. But I've had wonderful results with the Audio Technica AT825 stereo condenser microphone - probably the best of any mic. Every other mic mentioned records in mono (unless you use two). The stereo mic produces the most "real" sound of them all. I'm surprise it's not mentioned with more frequency. It's my "go-to" mic for the best bass recording when I want the mic'd cab sound.
Click to expand...

hmmm, probably because stereo is generally considered a no-no for bass, it is normally dead center along with kick drum and vox, providing the foundation that everything else spreads out from (mix wise). Stereo bass with different things going on in each speaker can make it a lot harder to get a good image going later in the mix.

In the days of vinyl stereo bass was out for more technical reasons, you couldn't have stereo bass because it would make the needle jump around in th groove, the mixing techniques we use developed from those days of course, and bass has, for the most part, stayed mono.

besides, its not a stereo source, generally bad to stereo mic a mono source unless you are trying to grab some of the room as well!

edit - lots of good suggestions, 421's are a classic, I like re20's to. 57 will do the job, not a fan of a d112 or b52 personally but YMMV. I quite like a d12, but its a very specific sound. My normal setup at work is something like a u47, 421 on tweeter if needed, re20 second mic (for grunge) if needed and a DI, that'll give you plenty of options and all but the 47 are very affordable!
 
#11
fwiw I use the mic as candy when I record. a good DI will get the low and articulation of the tone. I usually pair it w/ a sm57. doesn't go way down low, but it has lots of character, and paired w/ the DI it's fantastic.

Sometimes I use an EV RE-20. and as others haver said a 421 is good too.

I still say a 57 is the bomb - I'm dying to try one from Mercenary Audio w/ the telefunken tranny in it!
 
#12
The best sub-kick in terms of miking comes from around 4" – 6 1/2" speaker. That's right - speaker. As a mic, that is. Place it facing the cab like a mic (you'll probably need some DIY patent for a stand) and connect like a dynamic mic (easy wiring to XLR plug). Phase-align the track in DAW software and BOOOOOM. I use it always for kick drum but works for bass too, not always though. Anyone who hasn't tried this at least for kick drum - go for it. Any speaker will do, as long as it's approx. the mentioned size. After that you'll start wondering how much time you have wasted trying to EQ more punch to the low frequencies ;)

EDIT: To be exact, any speaker to get the idea. If you have bunch of old small speaker elements lying around you can try which one works the best. 4 to 6 1/2 inches, that's the optimal range. The bigger the speaker, the more lows but also slower reaction time. Balancing those is the key to WIN.
 
#14
atheos said:
The best sub-kick in terms of miking comes from around 4" – 6 1/2" speaker. That's right - speaker. As a mic, that is. Place it facing the cab like a mic .......... and connect like a dynamic mic (easy wiring to XLR plug). Phase-align the track in DAW software and BOOOOOM.
Click to expand...

Bingo. But a dedicated woofer, with a rubber surround, will work 'best'. I use an 8", which is what the Yamaha Subkick is. Good enough for Sir Paul; good enough for me :p.
I'ved also used a Sennheiser 421, or a AT ATM25. Either is fine. Or do away with a mic and just realize a BDDI is as good or better than any mic setup :smug:.
 
#16
I've never used a mic line as the only source of bass. But alongside a DI line the basic 57 does a good job.

A big question when it comes to mics is where are you planning to record?

The problem with a lot of LDC mics in homestudio settings is the room acoustics especially with bass. If you're in a treated room it's a whole new playfield, but for project studios a decent dynamic is hard to beat. And if you got a decent DI, the 57 is hard to beat in most studios too.
 
#17
There´s no one mic that will do it all. A mic simply can´t catch (and reproduce) everything. I usually opt for mic mid-highs, and DI bottom.

I suggest experimenting with different mic models, and recording a DI line "just in case". I´ve had luck with Heil PR30 and PR40, Sennheiser 412 and 602, AKG D112, Audio-Technica 4047, Shure KSM32 and SM7, Audix D4 and D6 and many others... All of them are different, and some are not best for specific sounds. My fave DI at the moment is an Ampeg SVTDI, other good ones include Radial, Klark and Countryman. SansAmp is good, too, except for the hiss...

I generally dislike kick mics, because I find their response too colored. So, I won´t recommend B52 and similar. I find that "depth" comes from accurate reproduction of mids and highs. The D112 mentioned above was good for a "slap-for-metal" sound, but I wouldn´t use it for more traditional settings...
 

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