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Double Bass Budget Mic for home recording, also live?..

Fat bob

Fat bob

Jan 14, 2013
371
411
Asheville
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#1
Hey all,
With the current quarantine situation I am looking to do more home recording- and looking for a good mic for of course cheap since there are no gigs in sight. I was hoping to maybe buy one mic that I could use at home for recording but maybe then use as FOH mic when gigs return (though I have hardly ever used a mic for Foh, probably wishful thinking)... A couple affordable options are a large diaphragm condenser AT2035, or a clip on mic AT pro 35. (Both $150) Any suggestions are very much appreciated, though $200 is about as much as I am willing to go right now.
 
#2
Fat bob said:
Hey all,
With the current quarantine situation I am looking to do more home recording- and looking for a good mic for of course cheap since there are no gigs in sight. I was hoping to maybe buy one mic that I could use at home for recording but maybe then use as FOH mic when gigs return (though I have hardly ever used a mic for Foh, probably wishful thinking)... A couple affordable options are a large diaphragm condenser AT2035, or a clip on mic AT pro 35. (Both $150) Any suggestions are very much appreciated, though $200 is about as much as I am willing to go right now.
Click to expand...

There are several threads in this forum area regarding affordable mics for double bass.

If you ever want to use it live, do not buy a large-diaphragm condenser.
 
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#4
I record with an LD condenser, an at 2020 or 2040, I forget which. But I've recorded my upright with an sm57. It's a little touchy because it has to be right by the f holes to work well, so handling the bass is a pain of the computer can't be set up to be comfortable, but it's possible.

I agree with Curry though, a live mic and recording mic for double bass don't comport. Maybe a bridge pu mic? If you want to do the bass only? If you want to record different instruments acoustic only you want a condenser though.
 
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#7
Do you want the mic for only bass (and designed for low bass frequencies), or do you want it for voice and other instruments too (like for an FOH)? This also will influence your decision...

As others have implied, the problem with LDC mics on stage (aside from requiring phantom power) is that they literally pick up everything, not just the music; if there's any unwanted background noise, that'll also go to the audience with your music. LDCs can be superb in the recording studio though.

If a dedicated bass mic is what you want, there are a number of nice recent threads here in TB/DB about mics specifically for the double bass.
 
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#8
I would not recommend an LDC for home use unless you have a well isolated area to record in. I have a few, some good - some cheapies....but they all pick up every single noise imaginable. Great in controlled environments, and for single mic bluegrass gigs - but not for budget recordings. You'll hear your neighbor flushing the toilet right in the middle of your solo.

Dynamics are great at home for rejecting unwanted noise. A 57 will get the job done, though it is colored. All of us have probably used one at some point. Ribbons are even better, but there aren't many on the budget side. Depending on your interface, you might need a decent preamp or a cloud lifter to get a nice amount of gain without a large amount of hiss out of either. A lot of this depends on what your expectations are for the final product so to speak.

I have an MXL R144 which is about as budget as you can get for a ribbon. It sounds good enough to make me want to spend a stupid amount of money on a good ribbon. I mount it on a stand angled between the treble side f-hole and bridge. I use a cloud lifter with it though because of the gain issue.

Micing live is difficult if you are not dealing with professional sounds systems, and sound guys who understand what you are trying to accomplish. If you play mostly low volume gigs, you can get away with it. If you are playing in clubs with full PA's, good luck.
 
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#9
I’ve got a CAD M179 LDC that I just started using for recording at home and like quite well. It’s a relatively inexpensive LDC (~$200) known for its low frequency performance. I wouldn’t try it for live use. Note that it, like many condensers, requires external 48 volt phantom power.

Here’s some info and a recent first experiment at a quarantine collaboration with some friends where I used it for my track.

CAD Audio M179 | RecordingHacks.com

 
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#10
Thank you all for responding so quickly. It sounds like I might be best off deciding if it’s just a mic for home recording or a mic for live. I thought I had made up my mind on this and was going to go Large diaphragm condenser for recording, but then someone suggested to me that for that low price I’d get just about as good of sound with a clip on, and could maybe then use it live. I could see the benefit of a clip on for home recording- consistent sound because distance to the bass would be consistent unlike with a large diaphragm.. but if even a budget ldc mic would sound better than a clip on I’d be better off having one dedicated to home recording.. but has that been your experience? Ldc sound better than clip on?
 
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#11
FB,
Their totally different animals unless you raise the price point, which most of us cannot afford, especially now. I've recorded with Neumann's U74's and DPA 4099B's. With the right engineer both sounded great. But those are very expensive mic's.

If you have a decent pickup for live gig's I'd get something for recording that works for you and sounds decent. I think the ATM 35/350 if you can find one would be ideal. I had one and it worked fine for both live and recording. They are also so much

easier to mount in a position on the bass where the microphone stays in the sweet spot.
 
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#14
About twice as much as your budget, but Thorkild just sent me one of the new D540 Remics to review. Compared to his other offerings, it’s way more budget friendly. I’ll be doing a side by side today and should have it up by Monday.

REMIC D540 Microphone for Double Bass - REMIC Microphones
 
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#15
notabene said:
An sm57 is a wonder. Recording and live, it's cost and versatility make up for its shortcomings. Warm sound and you can use it as a hammer if need be.
Click to expand...
In my 40+ years doing live sound, I've never known a live sound tech, myself included, who couldn't put their hands on an SM57 in a heartbeat. They are, as stated, about as important to live sound as a hammer is to construction. This would be a good choice for a first mic, and at ~$100, a pretty good buy as well.
 
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#16
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#17
filmtex said:
In my 40+ years doing live sound, I've never known a live sound tech, myself included, who couldn't put their hands on an SM57 in a heartbeat. They are, as stated, about as important to live sound as a hammer is to construction. This would be a good choice for a first mic, and at ~$100, a pretty good buy as well.
Click to expand...

Drew Gress used a SM 58 for some time into a Walter Woods MI-100-8, it sounded incredible, but it was Drew Gress. I like the SM 57 but it's a bit of a challenge to mount on a bass, you need an H-Clamp or On Stage Mount. It's a true workhorse, but there are a whole

group of mics now for live double bass amplification. Unfortunately, their not as inexpensive as a SM 57 or in some cases as durable.
 
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#18
Fat bob said:
Thank you all for responding so quickly. It sounds like I might be best off deciding if it’s just a mic for home recording or a mic for live. I thought I had made up my mind on this and was going to go Large diaphragm condenser for recording, but then someone suggested to me that for that low price I’d get just about as good of sound with a clip on, and could maybe then use it live. I could see the benefit of a clip on for home recording- consistent sound because distance to the bass would be consistent unlike with a large diaphragm.. but if even a budget ldc mic would sound better than a clip on I’d be better off having one dedicated to home recording.. but has that been your experience? Ldc sound better than clip on?
Click to expand...

Bob, most recordings of bass are made with the mic 2-4 feet from the source, so unless you're a wild man, the changing distances aren't going to be significant. I stick my AEA R84 on a stand about a yard away. A directional clip-on mic is going to require some experimentation with positioning and some severe EQ (or be designed with built-in EQ) to sound right.

Why a large diaphragm? Small-diaphragm condensers are easier to deal with and by design exhibit less coloration.
 
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#19
Fat bob said:
Thank you all for responding so quickly. It sounds like I might be best off deciding if it’s just a mic for home recording or a mic for live. I thought I had made up my mind on this and was going to go Large diaphragm condenser for recording, but then someone suggested to me that for that low price I’d get just about as good of sound with a clip on, and could maybe then use it live. I could see the benefit of a clip on for home recording- consistent sound because distance to the bass would be consistent unlike with a large diaphragm.. but if even a budget ldc mic would sound better than a clip on I’d be better off having one dedicated to home recording.. but has that been your experience? Ldc sound better than clip on?
Click to expand...

Clip-on mics don't necessarily have to be clipped to the bass for recording either. You might get a better recording sound with it positioned further from the instrument. Ray Brown was recorded with an ATM35 on some of his later recordings. On the cover of Live at Starbucks you can see that it is mounted on a mic stand a little distance from the bass:

 
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#20


Herve Jeanne made this video where he uses some clip on mics in a more studio mic setup. The old Audio Technica ATM 35 is one of them. To my ears they sound pretty good compared to the AT 4041. I could see them being a good option for home recording stuff, but a clip on would definitely need some extra reinforcement when recording with a band.

If you can find one for $200, an AKG C214 could be a good option. I got one b stock for $250 (the only thing off was that the carrying case it came with doesn’t have a handle) and have been liking the results I’ve been getting with it. I doubt it would be a good live option, but the Ischell contact mic I use gives me plenty of satisfaction for live sound.
 
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