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Double Bass Best microphone for recording?

B

Bassing around

Apr 11, 2010
46
1
#1
Hey guys,

Wanted to get into the habit of recording my playing, and am looking to get a good microphone which will allow me to get the most accurate bass sound possible.

Can anyone of you point me to microphones that you personally have used to record with and found them good? I mainly want to record solo arco-ed bass at home. No budget constraints right now, but nothing priced out-of-this-world would be more practical ;p

Oh, and is there any additional set-up I may need? As of now, I've only Logic Pro and nothing else.

Thanks!
 
#3
I'll leave specific mic recommendations to others, but I would say the mic itself is not the most important element. I have been recorded with mics including Neumann M149, Neumann KU100 binaural head, various ribbon mics from cheap to nice AEA models, Sennheiser MD441 and MD421, Blue Mouse, Rode K2, Electro Voice RE20 and many others. They have all worked fine. I've heard good results from large and small diaphragm condensers, ribbons, and dynamic mics. I think mic placement and room sound are going to be more important for you.

Since you are focusing on solo arco bass, I think the main thing is to record in a good sounding room with the mic a decent distance from the bass. This will give you the most accurate impression of how your bass sounds to a listener. Close miking is useful if you are worried about bleed from other instruments and can give a good sound to mix with other instruments, but does not give as accurate of an impression as a mic further away from the bass.
 
#4
Hey thanks for responding!

Waleross, that looks like a cool mic! Though it doesn't seem to be the kind i'm looking at. Any suggestions for like a diaphragm mic (large, small etc.) for acoustic upright bass? :P

Hmm, Michael, if the mic isn't the most important element, what to you is? Cause I'm thinking of doing something like, mic to laptop setup, direct most preferable. Is there other key elements i'm missing?
 
#5
I like AKG C414'S. My unit has a pair of them and they are very versatile. AKG C2000's are what I own at home for my recording. Quite a bit of difference on price (compared to the 414's) and they really work for me. Like Michael Glynn said, mic placement and room choice are what is going to make or break your sound.

What pre and or comp are you using?
 
#9
If the rooms aren't that big, a dead sounding room might be best. In my house I've noticed that each room has a very distinctive sound. You should try playing in different rooms and see how they sound. Try placing yourself in different parts of the room as well. Try to find a spot that doesn't exaggerate certain frequencies. Once you have your mic, you can then adjust where you put your mic as well. If you're not going to go all out and acoustically treat some room (which is beyond my abilities), it may just be a matter of trial and error to find the most natural sound.
 

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