I plan on useing 2 pf115 cabs with my portaflex pf500 amp...
I was wondering should I mic the cab ontop? Or thr cab on bottem?
I was wondering should I mic the cab ontop? Or thr cab on bottem?
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Cab micing
- Thread starter bassface613
- Start date
Either should be fine. You may get slightly more of a floor boundary effect by micing the bottom cabinet, but the difference is probably negligible.
I've gone direct many a time and been miked a few times (by a sound guy) but is there an advantage to being miked? That is, aside from the mic picking up your post-preamp tone and cab characteristics? Is it mostly about what the cab characteristics add? I have an SM57 sitting around that I've never used and have been tempted to try out. 
M. M.
M. M.
Either cab should be fine, point it halfway between the dustcap and the outer edge of the cone, 2" or so off the grille.
I always enjoy the sound of a mic'd cab when I'm playing, benefits are that your sound through the PA is going to be much more similar to what you hear when you're playing, rather than a direct signal. A speaker will roll off some highs and lows which can sound odd or unpleasant through a PA. A competent sound guy or gal will know how to EQ the DI to make it sound decent, but there's a lot of amateurs out there. Best thing to do is have both a DI and a mic, blended at the board.
I always enjoy the sound of a mic'd cab when I'm playing, benefits are that your sound through the PA is going to be much more similar to what you hear when you're playing, rather than a direct signal. A speaker will roll off some highs and lows which can sound odd or unpleasant through a PA. A competent sound guy or gal will know how to EQ the DI to make it sound decent, but there's a lot of amateurs out there. Best thing to do is have both a DI and a mic, blended at the board.
Depends how boomy the stage gets from the rig. Presumably you want to stay under the PA out front.
Whatever resonances the room has should be under control of the PA's underlying EQ.
All the time you read here how the engineer needs to tweak the bass tone for the room so he needs pre EQ signal. That's bollox.
Only DI if you are doing weird EQ things due to the stage sound or scooping your mids to bits without just cause.
Good luck. You must have a useable and noiseless mic tone and you must insist on trying it before the DI. I have made myself unpopular but never refused.
An amp clamp is a great way to instantly get your mic in place of DI for a trial.
Mind out for passive single coil pickups Jazz style. Run both full on for soundcheck and mute yourself if you are getting noise with other settings.
Noisy pedals are a no go. Engineer will invariably fail to engage noise gate before insisting you go pre EQ if he's of that school.
Whatever resonances the room has should be under control of the PA's underlying EQ.
All the time you read here how the engineer needs to tweak the bass tone for the room so he needs pre EQ signal. That's bollox.
Only DI if you are doing weird EQ things due to the stage sound or scooping your mids to bits without just cause.
Good luck. You must have a useable and noiseless mic tone and you must insist on trying it before the DI. I have made myself unpopular but never refused.
An amp clamp is a great way to instantly get your mic in place of DI for a trial.
Mind out for passive single coil pickups Jazz style. Run both full on for soundcheck and mute yourself if you are getting noise with other settings.
Noisy pedals are a no go. Engineer will invariably fail to engage noise gate before insisting you go pre EQ if he's of that school.
- Sep 3, 2006
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Many want to use a bass drum mic - be careful as it may not be what you want as several of them will peak exactly where you don't want it to. I prefer using a flatter mic. It really is easiest to just run a direct and that is what the majority of engineers want, but personally I like micing a bass cab.
If you're going to mic, I strongly recommend buying your own mic and stand.
And don't go cheap.
Mainly, you want to present a complete solution to whoever is running sound so they can't argue with it.
"See? It's all set up and ready to go, and good stuff."
As a longtime soundman, I loved guys that did this. Take the DI box off the end of the XLR cable and plug it into their mic. Done.
I also recommend a decent large diaphragm condenser mic.
Don't believe the BS that condensers aren't road-worthy-- a LOT has changed in the last 30 years. Just take care of it.
Phantom power might be your only issue depending on the mixing boards you encounter, so a stand-alone phantom power box would be a good idea, too.
And don't go cheap.
Mainly, you want to present a complete solution to whoever is running sound so they can't argue with it.
"See? It's all set up and ready to go, and good stuff."
As a longtime soundman, I loved guys that did this. Take the DI box off the end of the XLR cable and plug it into their mic. Done.
I also recommend a decent large diaphragm condenser mic.
Don't believe the BS that condensers aren't road-worthy-- a LOT has changed in the last 30 years. Just take care of it.
Phantom power might be your only issue depending on the mixing boards you encounter, so a stand-alone phantom power box would be a good idea, too.
Note that the cabs in question have a tweeter = difficult to mic properly. I don't like to mic those kinds of cabs unless the tweeters are shut off. I generally have an AKG P2 mic and a stand with me whether I'm providing sound or "just" playing 
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I mic low. I want to use a small mic stand that doesn't get in the way visually. I usually use a low level K&M boom stand such as a 25950 or 25900.
Note that the cabs in question have a tweeter = difficult to mic properly. I don't like to mic those kinds of cabs unless the tweeters are shut off. I generally have an AKG P2 mic and a stand with me whether I'm providing sound or "just" playing
It can be easy or difficult depending on where the tweeter is in relation to the woofers. I've found with the typical 4x10 that has a tweeter in the middle that I can aim a top address mic in around the side of the cabinet with it turned at about a 45 degree angle about 2 inches off the grill between a woofer and the tweeter. I find that micing directly right on the dustcap of a bass speaker is usually too clanky, so catching the speaker off-axis is fine and enough of the tweeter gets in the mic without being too plinky. The arrangement allows me to still close mic, which A). keeps down on the rigs foot print, and B). doesn't require a big gain boost at the board.
There have been a few instances I've played where the stage environment and the room environment were so different that I knew that a pre-EQ signal was my best bet. However, I generally agree with you. If you have sensible EQing that sounds great on stage, the tweaks at the board to compensate for the room and FOH speakers are not the huge big deal that some people here make them out to be.
