Difference in recording with DI, dynamic and condenser microphones

[N. Kentucky Bass]

Recently I switched to new flatwound strings by Sadowsky. I really like how they sound! But I was curious how they would record with DI, dynamic and condenser microphones. Here are the results, which may be educational from several perspectives so I’ll cross post as appropriate. The files are downloadable for easy comparison in your DAW. Or you may listen to them here one by one.

SIGNAL CHAIN

Room: home studio with hardwood floor, bright ambiance

Instrument: 1996 Fender American Jazz Deluxe 5 with Sadowsky preamp and Lindy Fralin pickups, J pup slightly rolled off, VTC preamp on full, bass & treble boost on about 25% (see photo)

Amp: Reiner Studio 1200 with all tube preamp (two 12au7s and one 12ax7); all EQ set flat. TalkBass discussion here.

Cab: Barefaced Big Baby 2 (horn rolled off about 33%) with all mics in same area at midpoint of front grill about 5.5 inches from grill to allow a touch of air but minimize proximity effect and room noise (see photos); cab and amp physically cushioned with Auralex Gramma pads (see photos). TalkBass discussion here.

Recorder: here. The ultra quiet preamps sound great and have been compared as almost indistinguishable to the Sound Devices 744T. All inputs were simultaneously recorded to WAV files in 192kHz sample / 24-bit depth

THE MUSIC PATTERN

Played fingerstyle from bottom almost to top of neck starting with open B. Pattern was a two-octave chordal scale up and down, then repeat on C, etc. This pattern reveals string performance all over the fretboard and eases comparisons between mics.

RESULTS

All files are the raw recordings with no EQ or effects applied. All are the same volume level. Each has a playtime of 2:55

Download all files at once in compressed ZIP format from my Dropbox: WAV 192/24 (576MB) or WAV 44.1/16 (88.2MB)

Links below are WAV files @ 44.1kHz/16-bit

Direct Injection. Used the DI built into the Reiner Studio 1200. The signal went through the 3-tube preamp, which is coupled with the power amp by a Jensen transformer. The studio-grade DI uses a second Jensen transformer and provided a pre-EQ signal to the Zoom F8 recorder. CLICK TO PLAY

Shure SM57 cardioid dynamic microphone. The SM57 is the “workhorse” of live sound. Recording bass is not this mic’s forte. It demonstrates the quality of a low-end dynamic mic on bass. CLICK TO PLAY

Sennheiser MD421-II dynamic microphone. The MD421 is a better grade cardioid dynamic mic that is often used for bass guitar, toms and kick drum. CLICK TO PLAY

Telefunken M60 small diaphragm FET condenser microphones in X/Y stereo pattern. The [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] is Telefunken’s Field Effect Transistor version of the ELA M 260 small diaphragm tube microphone. Similar to the Neumann KM 184 as both are cardiod mics; I prefer the M60’s more even response. Used as a matched pair in 90 degree X/Y configuration, they provide a slightly bigger yet tightly focused sound. CLICK TO PLAY

Peluso 22 251 large diaphragm tube condenser. The Peluso 22 251 provides the harmonic richness and vintage vibe of the Telefunken ELA M 251, which is a close cousin to the AKG C12 (used on Sir Paul’s Abbey Road sessions with The Beatles). The Peluso was set to cardioid mode and its tube infusion provides a slightly rounder and sweeter tone than the M60s. It’s my personal favorite for recording the Sadowsky flatwounds. CLICK TO PLAY

 

[Zirc]

Just FYI for next time - you could (and probably should) put these clips on SoundCloud instead of people needing to download the files to hear them.

 

[Santol]

I don't get it. Why do people bother amping bass guitars if DI sounds so good? Everyone who amps their bass should download and listen to these samples. DI sounds either superior or clearly no worse than any mic+amp combination.

OP, thanks for this wonderful test. This has been eye-opening to me.

 

[ofajen]

My recording approach is sometimes different and more or less "record what I hear" in a much more controlled recording space. In that case I record the amp because I know what I will get.

But it depends on the type of sound I want. Direct gives a great sound and so easy.

Otto

 

[Santol]

In fact, I'm pretty sure he'd get results that are just as good even if he simply plugged the guitar into his F8.

The F8, by the way, seems to be a marvel of technology... a game-changing piece of gear which can bring top-of-the-line studio quality sound into any home studio for a modest $1000 investment. I don't know how Sound Devices and Zaxcom are going to stay in business after this thing being on the market now. I'd love to hear what it would sound like the an electric guitar directly connected to it. I bet it's no different than that elaborate signal chain.

 

[Right_Butterscotch64]

I don't get it. Why do people bother amping bass guitars if DI sounds so good?

Not all DIs are created equal.

 

[N. Kentucky Bass]

In fact, I'm pretty sure he'd get results that are just as good even if he simply plugged the guitar into his F8.

The F8, by the way, seems to be a marvel of technology... a game-changing piece of gear which can bring top-of-the-line studio quality sound into any home studio for a modest $1000 investment. I don't know how Sound Devices and Zaxcom are going to stay in business after this thing being on the market now. I'd love to hear what it would sound like the an electric guitar directly connected to it. I bet it's no different than that elaborate signal chain.

This is OT, but so you know, the F8 cannot operate as a DI. You need to have a DI in front of the input. The preamps are excellent!

 

[Timi]

I don't get it. Why do people bother amping bass guitars if DI sounds so good? Everyone who amps their bass should download and listen to these samples. DI sounds either superior or clearly no worse than any mic+amp combination.

Because most people who mic amps are using charactered rigs that sound very different to a direct tone. The rig in this example appears to be of the hifi/transparent variety, meaning the miked tone isn't going to be drastically different.

Interesting test, the Peluso is my pick due to its warmth and smoothness but I'd take any others over the direct tone, I don't like the "hard" top end.

 

[N. Kentucky Bass]

The other reason to mic in a studio is to capture the room sound. For example, when recording bass for The Beatles' St. Pepper album, Geoff Emerick (the engineer) placed Paul McCartney's bass cab in the middle of the room with the C12 about six feet in front of the cab. This was in the middle of the night when everyone else had gone home. Emerick says in his book, Here, There and Everywhere (p 170), that this positioning enabled achieving "the ultra-smooth bass sound he and I had been pursuing for years.... With the studio empty, you could actually hear a litte bit of the ambience of the room around the bass, which really helped; it gave the sound a certain roundness and put it in its own space. The sound we crafted effectively transformed the bass from a supporting rhythm instrument into a lead instrument."

 

[ofajen]

Yeah, I'd didn't want to belabor the point, but there are other ways to record than direct and close miking.

I typically mike a cab with a figure 8 ribbon and I tweak the distance to strike a balance between direct and reflected tone (or control reflected sound with the Quick Sound Field). In my studio, the mike usually ends up being about 3 feet out from the cab.

The notion of putting a sound in its space is definitely a benefit of miking the cab, and I find the figure 8 mikes particularly excell at this.

Otto

 

[N. Kentucky Bass]

Yeah, I'd didn't want to belabor the point, but there are other ways to record than direct and close miking.

I typically mike a cab with a figure 8 ribbon and I tweak the distance to strike a balance between direct and reflected tone (or control reflected sound with the Quick Sound Field). In my studio, the mike usually ends up being about 3 feet out from the cab.

Otto

I would think w/figure 8, you couldn't have any other instruments being played because the opposite end of the mic polar pattern would pick up those sounds?

 

[ofajen]

I would think w/figure 8, you couldn't have any other instruments being played because the opposite end of the mic polar pattern would pick up those sounds?

Well, often I'm tracking bass separately, but also remember the figure 8 mikes have the strongest null of any mike, comprising the plane thru the mike and perpendicular to the axis of the forward and rearward lobe. Just line things up with that null and go for it.

Also, a minimalist like me learns to embrace bleed. The trick is that less compromised capsules (pressure omni and figure 8 ribbons) give bleed that doesn't suck (assuming your space doesn't suck).

Otto