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Best Mic for bass cab to-$500

rodl2005

rodl2005

Jun 1, 2005
19,567
15,063
Tasmania, Australia
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#1
Well Whaddya reckon???? I've decided to buy my own mic-to mic my NV610 cab-on the occasions where the stage is big enough & the desk is also. Hopefully under $500:hiding:
Any opinions are appreciated...what you've used, results.
This'll be for LIVE use 95% of the time-perhaps 100%:bassist: & so It'll need to be rugged!!!-Shure???
Thanks,
Rod.

Whoops just saw thread re DI's has a bit of mic info! I DID search 'microphone' but no matches...... so.....
 
#2
I use an Audix D4 for this purpose, and it works very well. Extended bass response, and high SPL capability. Hyper cardioid pattern for tight noise control. It will be very tricky micing both a woofer and tweeter with this mic, unless you pull back quite a bit. They are highly directional.
 
#3
Personally I think it's a waste of funds and time but if I were going to do it it would be an EV RE-20. I still think it's a waste of time & money though. Particularly in a live environment. In a studio with a smallish vintage tube amp at your disposal maybe ...
 
#4
bgavin said:
I use an Audix D4 for this purpose, and it works very well. Extended bass response, and high SPL capability. Hyper cardioid pattern for tight noise control. It will be very tricky micing both a woofer and tweeter with this mic, unless you pull back quite a bit. They are highly directional.
Click to expand...

+1...The D4 is a great mic. I also use an Audix D6 with is a great cab mic as well...I think the D6 is about $180 (in that ball park)
 
#5
no way is this a waste. I record bands and always mic my early 70's SVT into the 8x10 or the 2x15. it produces bass tones you wouldn't ever imagine direct, trust me.

honestly, recently I've been a fan of blending common dynamic mics and in studio situations, putting a condenser farther back for room feel and transient mids. last project I did, I used a SM57 to collect the punch on the grill of the 2x15, and I used an AKG D112 kick mic on the grill as well to retain a lot of the natural low and low mid growl. I put an Audio Technica 4047 about four feet back from the cab set higher up and got the phase to sit right from there. mixed all together, it was a perfect blend. toppy punch from the 57, growly low mids from the D112, and the cutting but not harsh mids from the AT4047. sometimes the 57 is better replaced with a Senn 421 or just not used at all, if you aren't looking for too much punch.
 
#6
Thanks so far guys.... Do U have a website for Audix or is it simply Audix.com??

The EV RE20- whats it like??? I've always liked EV's mic's. Prices on any o' these???

For me it aint a waste of time & money as we're very often playing corporate gigs-1000-2000 ppl- & the sound men usually simply stick a 'house' DI for me..... which I politely tell 'em to stick.... & run outta my line out of the amp, but I'd like some of the NV610's sound out front, as I find it SO NICE!!!!

Koobler- thanx also. Interesting comments. Keep 'em comin please!!!!! Any prices for the mics mentioned so far- even 'ballpark figures' would be a help too!
 
#9
The dedicated kick mics will give you lots of lows,but might make you turn to mush with the kick if the engineer isn't very good.

D112 would be ok, but Beta52 and particularly the Audix D6 would not be a good option, the will kill your midrange. I own a D6 but I don't let it anywhere near my cab.

I'm a big fan of the Shure SM57 or Sennheiser e609 on bass, but if you have a bit more money and want a bit more low end I would recommend:

Sennheiser MD421 or MD441.
EV RE-20.
Beyer M88.

Lots of people will tell you not to bother, I am not one of these people. Miked bass cabs for the win!
 
#10
The RE20 and the sennheiser 421 are great mics but you're not going to get them in Oz for $500. My understanding is that NV610 is a very mid punchy cab, I think a 421 would be great mic to bring out it's punch and growl. An audix D2 sounds closest to a 421 of any mic I've used (including the D4 and RE20). It doesn't quite have the lows of the D4 (or a 421 or an RE20 for that matter) but the mids are more forward, very nice. Combined with a DI feed that would be my choice, a good live setup. They're not expensive, only around AU$200ish, but don't let that fool you. If you find something better for anywhere near the price let me know! ;)
 
#11
Mark Reccord said:
RE20? Way more than $500. Totally impractical live too.
Click to expand...
NOT!!! In the last week alone on E-bay 10-9 $336
10-4 $325
10-2 $250 (2 of them @$250 each buy it now)
10-2 $289
see here: http://www.prepal.com/data/EV.htm
Average price used $310. Re-20 is not only practical, but one of the best large diaphragm dynamic mics there is for bass guitar. I worked with an engineer for many years who swore by a combined signal of RE-20 and Countryman DI (reversed phase) for bass signal. He had probably the most killer bass reproduction you will ever hear.
 
#12
+1 on the Audix D4. I use one with my 810e cab and it works great. The only draw back is the mic clips are a bit frigile.
I got lucky a while back when I bought a drum mic kit from the Audix D series. The kit I purchased came with two D4 mics. Originally I was thinking it would be nice to have when working with drummers having two kicks. Now I've found how great the mic is for bass cabs and I've got one for the kick and one for my cab.;)
 
#13
The BLUE Kickball is a $100 phantom powered dynamic mic with three position eq switch. Sounds great on-axis near the grill of my bass cab which is loaded with an Eminence 12" speaker. Good off-axis rejection will be a plus in a live environment. You'll most likely want the shockmount (around $50) as the threaded mic stand input on the Kickball is a bit awkward. Blend this in with your Di signal - have the soundman check the phase! - and you'll have the best of all worlds.

Good luck!
 
#15
I have a pair of RE-27, which are the Neo version of the RE-20. They are a bit brighter, but still work on the same principle of no proximity effect. They are great for talent that swallows the mic because they don't get woofy. Great in the studio, but overkill for live.

When I do FOH work, I use SM58 and SM57 mostly, because the "talent" is so abusive on mics and gear. For instruments I use Audix D3 on guitar amps, D4 on bass amps and brass, D1 or AT23HE on snare and D2 on small toms. I have a single D6 which is wonderful for kick. I keep a pair of ATM25 when a more thuddy kick is required.

I really prefer to DI the bass.
 
#16
Jerry Ziarko said:
NOT!!!
see here: http://www.prepal.com/data/EV.htm
Average price used $310. Re-20 is not only practical, but one of the best large diaphragm dynamic mics there is for bass guitar. I worked with an engineer for many years who swore by a combined signal of RE-20 and Countryman DI (reversed phase) for bass signal. He had probably the most killer bass reproduction you will ever hear.
Click to expand...

Meh, been a while since I priced one. I agree that it's an amazing mic, but I still think that it's impractical for most live situations. It's big, heavy, should be shock mounted for best results and doesn't have great off-axis rejection. That typically excludes it from my list for live work.

I find that a combination of a good DI and a mic is the best combination for bass guitar reproduction too. Gotta watch the phase reversal though, because the phase difference between the mic and DI is hardly ever 180 degrees. I usually toggle between reverse and normal and use whatever sounds best.

My favourite combos are probably a Countryman or BSS DI and a Beta 57A, MD421 or M88. Though I'm liking the DIs I designed myself these days.....

I'm with Timi on the dedicated kick mics, unless you're looking for dub tone.
 

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