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Double Bass DB mic on budget

B

bassman1983

Apr 10, 2011
7
0
Hazlet, NJ
#1
hey all!
Doing some indie recording on my db and was wondering if any1 had suggestions for a good mic to use. Been hearing a lot of great things about the cascade fatheads. Those any good for low-end? Is there something else within that range ($150-250)
Thanks!
 
#2
I don't know anything about the fathead mic except for the online review I just read. What I do know after reading the review is that it is a ribbon mic, and I've never recorded my DB with a ribbon mic. A reliable method for recording a DB in the studio is to park a large diaphragm condenser out in front of the bridge and experiment until you find the 'sweetspot' that sounds good and fits in the mix.

My favorite is the AKG d414, which is a tried and true industry standard, but I don't own one. I do own a studio projects B1 that sounds superb, better (on bass) than some more expensive 'brand name' mics I own. It is in your price range.

I am nearly certain that a ribbon mic will require a preamp to function as designed, so make sure to figure that into your budget.
 
#3
I used to always use large diaphragm condenser mics for home recording. Then one day I got lazy and plugged a pair of cheap MXL 603 mics into my Edirol recorder. I was blown away. [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] a sample of the results. The Invalid Link Removed can be found in your price range, although as the previous poster points out, you will need a preamp with these (I use an inexpensive [This invalid link has been removed], which powers both mics cleanly). If you already have access to a mixing board with phantom power, you can just run the mics into that instead.
 
#4
Chris Fitzgerald said:
I used to always use large diaphragm condenser mics for home recording. Then one day I got lazy and plugged a pair of cheap MXL 603 mics into my Edirol recorder. I was blown away. [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] a sample of the results. The Invalid Link Removed can be found in your price range, although as the previous poster points out, you will need a preamp with these (I use an inexpensive [This invalid link has been removed], which powers both mics cleanly). If you already have access to a mixing board with phantom power, you can just run the mics into that instead.
Click to expand...

Nice recording and great playing, man! Be nice to hear it against a single large diaphragm recording for comparison.
 
#7
Perfect timing Chris- I've been shedding Airegin for the last couple of weeks. You're sounding great, man. I'm going to have to look into these mics.

I bought the Apex Tube mic that was supposed to be all the rage for a while, and it seems to be okay, but I think it's not optimum until you ship it off for the Pelosi capsule modification.
 
#9
Thanks for the nice reviews, GB and LM. :) Part of my practice regimen is working from a list of "tunes I should know" and not letting myself check one off until I've recorded it. I just started the second go-round of this, which is why I'm still on the "A's". If anybody's interested I can post a similar kind of cut done with a pair of large diaphragm mics into the Edirol, but I can tell you from experience that there's really not much difference, and in some ways the smaller mics sound better because they roll off some of the tubbyness.

The way I discovered this was that I had the two large diaphragm mics set up for years in their shockmounts, and over time the shockmount elastic started to sag until the mounts were unusable. Just for ****s and giggles, I hooked up the smaller mics and couldn't believe how good they sounded. They are a lot less hassle to deal with, too: one stand, a cheap little stereo mic holder on top, and you're ready to roll with just regular mic clips.

EDIT: for a whole lot less money and trouble, Sam's solution above sounds great, too. I heard a radio broadcast of him using this to amplify his bass and though the bass was studio-mic'd. It just doesn't get much simpler than that.
 
#10
It's been said before but I'll go there anyway.

I think part of it is the sound you are pulling out of the bass acoustically too. I have had luck with a variety of mics from SM58 to Beta 57 or 52 to condensers of various sizes and qualities. If you are getting a nice full sound out of the bass you can get a pretty good sound with a variety of mics.
 
#11
I think Sam's method will really depend on the bass. My Lascala can give a great mic sound in that bridge area. I recently bought a ply Cleveland and it gets muddy in the same spot. The Cleveland likes to mic'd higher up or further away for my taste. IOW, YMMV.
 
#12
Jack-

You'll be happy with the Perception mic. I've got a pair of 100's (now discontinued) and the capsule is probably the same or very similar. That mic loves the bass.

I've never used a small diaphragm condenser on DB. I've got a matched set of pretty nice ones that I use for drum overheads. Very, very sensitive mics... Hmmm...
 
#13
boyle- thanks, i'm going to look into those mics. wasn't sure about ribbons and glad i didn't dive into them blind.
chris- sounds great! can't believe you got that sound with those mics. awesome playing as well! hoping to get that good...:/
peck- i've read that a 57 won't get a realistic sound for upright but hell i'll give it a shot...
sam- talk about improvising! however i already have pickup, more interested in getting more of a "room" sound as posted by chrisfitz.
fingers- totally agree.
larry- thanks for the heads up.
jack- thanks for the link, i will definitely research those too. and good luck in you quest as well.
 
#14
boylebass said:
Jack-

You'll be happy with the Perception mic. I've got a pair of 100's (now discontinued) and the capsule is probably the same or very similar. That mic loves the bass.
Click to expand...

Thanks, boylebass. I've read rave consumer reviews of the 420 from Amazon and many of the online retailers, but none of them even mentioned bass. Made me wonder.

I would be using it mostly to record our 4-member amateur bluegrass group, which plays only in our own living rooms. I'd probably use the omni pattern for that, but figure eight could work out, too, perhaps.

Also, I was thinking of a Presonus FireStudio Mobile for firewire interfacing with my MacBook. Any thoughts on that?
 
#15
Jack Clark said:
Also, I was thinking of a Presonus FireStudio Mobile for firewire interfacing with my MacBook. Any thoughts on that?
Click to expand...

Can't comment on the mobile unit, but I use a Presonus Firestudio Project at home, and it works flawlessly with my Mac.... no driver bugs or updates, just plug and go.
 
#16
Chris, I've got to figure out a way to wake up each morning to your "Airegin" solo here. Your sound is gorgeous and your time appears rock solid, all the way through. I'm no intonation expert, but yours sounds spot on to me. Since it's already recorded, would you consider releasing your entire "Bass Repertoire List" album as a CD or as audio file downloads? If not, maybe to interested TBers?
 
#17
Jack Clark said:
Chris, I've got to figure out a way to wake up each morning to your "Airegin" solo here. Your sound is gorgeous and your time appears rock solid, all the way through. I'm no intonation expert, but yours sounds spot on to me. Since it's already recorded, would you consider releasing your entire "Bass Repertoire List" album as a CD or as audio file downloads? If not, maybe to interested TBers?
Click to expand...

I'm very flattered, but I'm on the second go-round of this thing, the first having been about 8-9 years ago and recorded on minidisc. After listening to the difference between the two, I'd rather have people only hear the second set, which i'm still in the letter "A" of. I have toyed with the idea of putting the soundfiles of round 2 up on my website for my university students, though, and I may just do that. You're more than welcome to the "A" tunes I have of round 2, and any further up the alphabet as things progress, though. I hope that in another 8-10 years, round 2 will sound as funny to me as round 1 does to me now.
 

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