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Best mic for live bass

zenlowend

zenlowend

Jan 26, 2008
251
5
#1
Need some help here fellas(and ladies). I play through a 73svt and I really want to send that great tone to the front of house PA / monitors but as most of you know there is no DI on the early SVT heads. When I ask them to mic my cab most sound guys grab a SM58 which does not reproduce bass well at all, thats when I tell them never mind and just run direct passave through my SADI. Is there a way to run direct from the back of the svt through one of the other outs? Like 1/4 to xlr? And what effect will this have on the head (ohms and all)? Should I just invest in a good bass mic and which one is good and tough enough to play live with over and over?
 
#2
As far as miking your cab, don't toss out the SM57 or SM58 too quickly. I found that kick drum mics are not really all that great for bass as they tend to have a pronounced midrange notch to facilitate bass drum sound. Although the 57s and 58s don't go really deep, they tend to sound good live (deep, but not boomy deep with good presence). The sound guys are not off base here. I like using SM57s generally when miking (although I tend to just use my Markbass head DI most of the time).
 
#3
The SM58 is actually not a bad bass mic at all. THE fattest, fullest bass sound I've ever heard in a live situation was from a GK head and SWR 1x15 cab miced up with a 58. Seriously, CRAZY huge sound. I couldn't believe it. I've also had pretty good luck with the SM57.

Next time, give the SM58 or SM57 a whirl if that's what the sound guy wants. If you're really unhappy, you can change to something else at a set break or the next show. Realistically, nobody's going to walk out because the bass doesn't sound as great as it should.

You CANNOT run a 1/4"-XLR adaptor out of one of the speaker outputs on your amp. You'll fry the mixer, and in all liklihood, your SVT. If there is a 1/4" output labeled "Line out" you can run that out to a direct box, and it should be post-preamp, so you'll get your SVT's EQ and preamp grit in there, but you won't hear the power tubes breaking up if you really push it.

One option that you have is to get a speaker-level DI box, like the Avalon U5. You run it in between your head and your cab, and it will get your amp's tone into the house.

As for mics, there are a LOT of options for those. The Shure Beta 51 is a pretty popular choice, but a lot of bassists don't like it because it is too mid-scooped and it tends to make the bass sit on top of the kick in the mix.
 
#4
I totally agree that a 57 or 58 is a great bass mic. Yeah, it's got a rolloff. But a lot of times the soundman will roll it off anyway to keep from interfering with the bass drum and creating mud.

However, it is nice to have a full range mic so the soundman can make a choice. I bought a Heil PR 40 that I'm crazy about. Another good choice is an EV RE 20. Both very flat, both have good low end, etc. But really, as long as they don't give me a kick mic, I'm usually happy.
 
#5
JimmyM said:
I totally agree that a 57 or 58 is a great bass mic. Yeah, it's got a rolloff. But a lot of times the soundman will roll it off anyway to keep from interfering with the bass drum and creating mud.

However, it is nice to have a full range mic so the soundman can make a choice. I bought a Heil PR 40 that I'm crazy about. Another good choice is an EV RE 20. Both very flat, both have good low end, etc. But really, as long as they don't give me a kick mic, I'm usually happy.
Click to expand...

+1 on the RE20...one of my all-time favorites.

A kick mic that isn't so biased toward the lows can actually work well, such as an Audix D6. Don't let anybody stick a Shure Beta 52 in front of your cab, though...

-Mark
 
#6
Beyerdynamic M 88
Sennheiser MD42

From what I've heard, seen, and also read, these are very decent mics which you might eb interested in checking out. I'd say 90% of the festivals I've played use the M 88 and all the recordings I've done have used the MD42.
 
#9
machell said:
Beyerdynamic M 88
Sennheiser MD42

From what I've heard, seen, and also read, these are very decent mics which you might eb interested in checking out. I'd say 90% of the festivals I've played use the M 88 and all the recordings I've done have used the MD42.
Click to expand...
I really like the M 88. Dont think I've ever used the MD42.
 
#10
I've never had trouble with a Sennheiser 421 including using it on SVT cabs(1970's~1981) and Trace Elliott cabs(1981~1989)...both have 10's...plus it works amazingly well with almost anything else. A new one for my daughter to use for voice(and me too if needed for bass again) ran about $128 per month x 3(Invalid Link Removed). What sold me originally on that mic was the old ad/techstuff that showed you could shoot a gun off next to it and the mic would not distort. I liked that.

The above setups used a Countryman DI for fundamental with the mic giving the edge/dirt/bite the 10's put out. A SansAmp would work fine too if you want mic + DI. I used both(mic + DI) so the soundman had no excuse and always got a good sound. He's does sound for Heart now...:eek:
 
#12
mrokern said:
+1 on the RE20...one of my all-time favorites.

A kick mic that isn't so biased toward the lows can actually work well, such as an Audix D6. Don't let anybody stick a Shure Beta 52 in front of your cab, though...

-Mark
Click to expand...

....Unless you want to sound like Fieldy....:p Same goes for the Sennheised E602. Both of those mics exhibit an extreme mid scoop proximity effect.

I've used the following on bass with great success:

MD421
M88
RE20
B57A

and even a D112.

But out of all of them, I think I prefer the B57A or the 421. The B57A is possibly the most useful mic on the planet. It works nicely in a lot of different applications. If you're only going to buy one mic, make it a B57A.

EDIT: I currently use a B57A to mic my SVT rig. It works very well.
 
#14
Ya, the Beta 57 is a very bright mic. That's why I actually prefer a regular 58 or 57 for bass. My guitarist and drummer love them for vocals, but they're both insane high end freaks. I think they're deaf myself ;)
 
#18
zenlowend said:
Need some help here fellas(and ladies). I play through a 73svt and I really want to send that great tone to the front of house PA / monitors but as most of you know there is no DI on the early SVT heads. When I ask them to mic my cab most sound guys grab a SM58 which does not reproduce bass well at all, thats when I tell them never mind and just run direct passave through my SADI. Is there a way to run direct from the back of the svt through one of the other outs? Like 1/4 to xlr? And what effect will this have on the head (ohms and all)? Should I just invest in a good bass mic and which one is good and tough enough to play live with over and over?
Click to expand...

20 years ago I used something like this outa the back of my old Peavey MkIV.

Just connect it between the head and cabinet.

Invalid Link Removed
 

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