I'll be damned about covers it. You're not getting any rattling of the clamp or cable across the table of the bass, i take it? This is getting very interesting.
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Double Bass DPA 4099 vs AMT SP25B
- Thread starter Ric Vice
- Start date
I'll be damned about covers it. You're not getting any rattling of the clamp or cable across the table of the bass, i take it? This is getting very interesting.
- May 6, 2003
- 5,272
- 160
- 64
- Disclosures
- Proprietor Fifth Avenue Fret Shop. Technical Editor Bass Gear Magazine
I thought you were talking about a bracket like the AMT where it spans the rib...like 8" or so.
I dunno if I like that.
Does it buzz and rattle right there?
I dunno if I like that.
Does it buzz and rattle right there?
The mic bracket is pretty much solid rubber of some sort, so no rattles. Pay some attention to dressing the cable and you're there.
Jeff.
Jeff.
I know this thread has somewhat morf'd into a DPA thread but I had some thoughts/questions about the S25B..
My setup: Kolstein hybrid busetto, spiro mediums, planet pickup into a EA Doubler and VL208.
I guess it's a little to late since I posted the AMT in the classifieds but I am really digging my tone pick up only. Adding the mic maybe increases my satisfaction with the tone ever so slightly but by using it I have something else to set up and I need to be concerned with feedback. Totally not worth it.
So I wonder does this little set up really sound that good or is it that since I have a marginal at best bass or is the mic really not that great. When it comes to playing amplified DB I am doing all straight ahead pizz jazz...
My setup: Kolstein hybrid busetto, spiro mediums, planet pickup into a EA Doubler and VL208.
I guess it's a little to late since I posted the AMT in the classifieds but I am really digging my tone pick up only. Adding the mic maybe increases my satisfaction with the tone ever so slightly but by using it I have something else to set up and I need to be concerned with feedback. Totally not worth it.
So I wonder does this little set up really sound that good or is it that since I have a marginal at best bass or is the mic really not that great. When it comes to playing amplified DB I am doing all straight ahead pizz jazz...
Pete, I think we are all thinking along the same lines.
Namely: Is it worth bringing along a mic if there is little to no audible improvement? I think it's going to vary from one person, one bass, and one gig to the next.
I think it's every bass players fantasy to be able to play without an amp and be heard. It's been mine for years, and every once in a while, with the right group and in the right room I can turn the amp off and the folks in the back of the audience can still hear me. It's a rare and wonderful thing.
Roughly 1/3 of my situations are no-amp.
I've owned the AMT twice. I dug it each time but sold it each time. It's a nice rig for what it was designed to do: Provide a steady mic sound to the front-of-house. It is not meant to be a pickup.
So yeah, I hear ya. It's not hard to add a mic to my setup -- I run a two-channel amp -- but the hassle has always outweighed the sonic benefit for me. It's been one of those things that is barely audible to bandmates and practically imperceptible to listeners. At this point, balancing cost against result and bearing other financial factors in mind, I'm back to the 57-percent Solution. It gets me most of the way there, although not in the same kind of style.
No doubt many disagree. Here they come now . . .
I've owned the AMT twice. I dug it each time but sold it each time. It's a nice rig for what it was designed to do: Provide a steady mic sound to the front-of-house. It is not meant to be a pickup.
So yeah, I hear ya. It's not hard to add a mic to my setup -- I run a two-channel amp -- but the hassle has always outweighed the sonic benefit for me. It's been one of those things that is barely audible to bandmates and practically imperceptible to listeners. At this point, balancing cost against result and bearing other financial factors in mind, I'm back to the 57-percent Solution. It gets me most of the way there, although not in the same kind of style.
No doubt many disagree. Here they come now . . .
Thanks loads +bass
I'm gonna give this one a try. It's simple and puts the mic where I want it. Sure hope it works. As long as it doesn't get in the way of the bow. I possibly have a solution.
Peter,
Well......... it's quite possible that you have the optimal setup for your bass. I have to use a mic to get the bass to sound like it dose acoustically. The pickup blurs faster passages, but then it's a Realist. Bowing definitely sounds better with a mic on my little French Bass.
Ric
If Fishman offered a Full Circle threaded adjuster in Ebony. I'd be there very quickly. I don't think that's technically possible though.
I hear you about the above, and agree for the most part. Sometimes, however, me feeling good about my sound - even if it's only me that notices the nuances of tone - takes my playing to the next level, which is something that everyone can hear. I liked the 57-between-the-afterlengths thing just fine, but I noticed that it dampened the resonance of the bass a fair bit. Then came the H-Clamp (which I still have), which was cool, but which raised the PITA FACTOR slightly higher than I wanted to deal with for most gigs. I want a mic that can live on the bass on the gig and in transport that won't get in the way or dominate either the feel or look of the bass. if i want to use it, it's there... just plug it in and play. If not, no biggie. The DPA is looking more and more like that kind of mic. The AMT approached that function at times, but never really got there.
My thoughts exactly.
The DPA should arrive today
I'll post an extensive review with photos and sound clips (which you'll be able to compare to some studio tracks) in the coming days and weeks.
Chris, I agree 100%, there are lots of things I do that make me more comfortable and confident in my playing. For me the addition of the AMT in this particular signal chain isn't falling in that category.
I like the idea of having the AMT for FOH though...
all i know is that feeding the dpa direct into a FOH rig results in complete strangers complimenting the fantastic bass sound. i suppose there are always three issues at work: sound for the audience, sound for the players in the band and sound for yourself. the dpa does a sensational job for the audience. there's gotta be some holy grail of amp placement on stage to cover yourself and the band ... i haven't found that yet, though i'm open to suggestions
Here are some first impressions, but keep in mind I'm not that experienced with micing the upright. My only other attempt was with the AMT with super pre-amp. I sold that.
So, here goes:
It's tiny! and very light.
It's sounds very good. It's like the best pickup imaginable, up to a certain volume level. I imagine I'm going to spend the most amount of time finding the right placement, as this is the most important aspect of getting the sound happening. After that, some minor EQ, but placement is the key to getting a desirable sound.
I can get nice and loud before feedback. I imagine loud enough to cover some medium-loud gigs, where I would previously use just a hint of pickup.
Getting it to stay permanently on the bass is not going to be a problem. I've currently got it mounted between the rib and the f-hole on the G-string side. The adapter (ie, connection to XLR cable) will either be clipped to my quiver or mounted like the 1/4" jack for the Realist David Gage pickup. The latter will probably require some trips to the hardware store. Either way, having the mic live on the bass is not going to be an issue.
Well, that's all I can come up with for now. I just spent the last couple hours twiddling around with it. For those of you waiting for a glowing review, it might be coming. I need more time with it. Take it to a few gigs, rehearsals, etc. But so far so good.
It's late and I'm beat.
More Later.
So, here goes:
It's tiny! and very light.
It's sounds very good. It's like the best pickup imaginable, up to a certain volume level. I imagine I'm going to spend the most amount of time finding the right placement, as this is the most important aspect of getting the sound happening. After that, some minor EQ, but placement is the key to getting a desirable sound.
I can get nice and loud before feedback. I imagine loud enough to cover some medium-loud gigs, where I would previously use just a hint of pickup.
Getting it to stay permanently on the bass is not going to be a problem. I've currently got it mounted between the rib and the f-hole on the G-string side. The adapter (ie, connection to XLR cable) will either be clipped to my quiver or mounted like the 1/4" jack for the Realist David Gage pickup. The latter will probably require some trips to the hardware store. Either way, having the mic live on the bass is not going to be an issue.
Well, that's all I can come up with for now. I just spent the last couple hours twiddling around with it. For those of you waiting for a glowing review, it might be coming. I need more time with it. Take it to a few gigs, rehearsals, etc. But so far so good.
It's late and I'm beat.
More Later.
- Jan 25, 2006
- 1,292
- 6
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist; Arnold Schnitzer/ Wil DeSola New Standard RN DB
Most of the time when I've used a mic successfully (ie; great sound for audience, no feedback issues, not too much PIA factor) has been w/ feeding just the mic signal to the FOH w/ a competent or better sound person and only the pu signal to my amp on stage. The amp acts as my monitor and its sound blends in the room w/ the mic sound the audience is getting from the PA. This way feedback issues are minimized w/o the mic signal in the amp. If it's a louder band I'll also occasionally will blend in the pu into the FOH mic signal. Since I like the amp on the floor, not on a pole I never feel having the mic thru the amp has been worth the PIA and raised feedback potential. I currently don't have a reliable clip on mic that's been good enough or worth the PIA so I only get to use a mic when I have a willing and able sound person who's not too put off by a miked DB fairly close to a drummer. Usually doing this is not hi on their priority list and often only have a SM 57 or 58 left over on an oversized boom stand to give me.
What's exciting here is that it sounds like this dandy li'l thing could take on all these issues, sound great thru a PA AND be quite good for smaller situations thru the amp as well.
That f hole, edge/rib mic placement may be just the solution that sends me into a GASeous cloud
.What's exciting here is that it sounds like this dandy li'l thing could take on all these issues, sound great thru a PA AND be quite good for smaller situations thru the amp as well.
That f hole, edge/rib mic placement may be just the solution that sends me into a GASeous cloud
Bribass,
Yes, the prospects that you've listed are exciting and I think this "lil' dandy" will fulfill them all.
The only thing missing is a little mount like the one that comes with the Realist -- the one that feeds through the ball of the string end and tightens around the cylindrical output jack. If DPA used that design and made it bigger to accommodate the larger size of their XLR jack this would be a great solution to mount the mic semi-permanently on the bass. The only other option at this point is to use the clip that attaches to the XLR connector and clip it to the quiver. I think this is what jrlynch demonstrated in his photograph (see post number 279). This is exactly how I've got it mounted on my bass, and the sweet spot on my bass looks like the same as on jrlynchs bass.
I tried it out again briefly this morning just to confirm what I was experiencing last night. The mic sounds good and it get very loud through the amp. As soon as I get some free time I'm going to post a bunch of examples on iCompositions, a free audio file hosting page.
I'll post pictures here soon as well. I've just been so busy lately. I was hoping I'd have some time to catch my breath after the holidays but the craziness ensues.
Mounting on the quiver: not so good.
The thing is too heavy.
Gotta find some other options . . .
The thing is too heavy.
Gotta find some other options . . .
Since this thread has morphed into something like a megathread, here the most promising solutions that have worked for others. They are very bass dependent. Neither works on my instrument.
Vunz's mount is very simple and elegant here's the link to that one Invalid Link Removed The other is the one you found for us
Attachments
- Jan 25, 2006
- 1,292
- 6
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist; Arnold Schnitzer/ Wil DeSola New Standard RN DB
- May 6, 2003
- 5,272
- 160
- 64
- Disclosures
- Proprietor Fifth Avenue Fret Shop. Technical Editor Bass Gear Magazine
Brian,
Right you are, it's so unfortunate that DPA (as far as I know) isn't going to build a long flexible goose neck style mount for Double Bass. This really puzzles me. Sometimes engineers just make me wanna shake my head.
Ric
