Ok, here's a short clip. This is me standing about 3 feet from the drummer last night.
Pretty good sound, and pretty good isolation I think.
Pretty good sound, and pretty good isolation I think.
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Double Bass DPA 4099 vs AMT SP25B
- Thread starter Ric Vice
- Start date
Nice clip!
You have the 6001 ( flat ) or the 4099 ( built in HP ) adapter?
Now I work on samples on logic, with several mic positions and both adapters. I come back when I ready!
The 4099 (HPF). No shortage of low end. I think the proximity effect cancels it out and you end up essentially flat. Mike from DPA said other bass players liked it flat. YMMV.
Maybe with certain basses or set-ups the HPF is not the best choice. I have a hybrid LaScala with Olivs/Eudoxas. I keep my strings medium-high.
I'm following with interest here, but what I dont want is another cold harsh sounding mic whether it cuts feedback or gives more volume or whatever. I have a shelf full of them. What I love about a tube recording mic and the PR 40 is that the sound is pleasing and warm. Does anyone have any thing to say about the cold/warm aspect of this mic?
Today, I made couple of records with this mic in several positions. With the flat adapter the sound is very-very warm and meaty, with the built in HP adapter the sound is tend to cold, but the gain before feedback is fantastic. This mic is not a large diagram tube mic, this is a clip on mic with another benefits. If you searching for warmth, maybe a ribbon mic is for you.
My experience is that "harshness" comes from oddball resonances in the upper frequencies (either from the mic or from improper placement). When mics are smooth and even, you can get the highs without pain. I have a Sennheiser MKH30 for example (a rather expensive piece of German gear), it is RULER flat from well below human hearing to well above. I've heard mics like that described as "clinical", but never harsh or cold. I think that is where money invested in better mics pays off.
If you are used to hearing a tube mic that is adding nice harmonics and/or rolling off some high end - I can't say what the DPA will sound like to you. I can tell you that "harsh", "cold", "brittle", etc. are not words I would use for the DPA. To me, it just has the euphonic sound of a good professional mic.
My only concern is how long that thin cable will last...
there is this other quality too, maybe it is the harmonic resonance or the large diaphram but My tube mics and the pr 40 have a thick clarity that isn't muddy or glossy,You know what I mean. For one week I had it in a small size ( a prototype pr 40 in a really small package) and since then I have used mostly condensers waiting for the small pr40 to become available. thru an amp they are pretty problematic and I get fed up alot and just use the pickup until that bugs me. The idea of the 4099 is brilliant and I'd love to have it...
The Beyer 160 is a great mic. Used it exclusively in high school. (MANY years ago) Too delicate, though. I've always liked the ATM 35 as far as small mics. Very warm and full bodied for a clip-on. All of the other little mics I've tried are thin sounding to me. (like the Shure, Beyer and AKG) The ATM may not be the last word in terms of detail, but much better than dynamics. Which is why I'd love to try the DPA. I wish someone here had an ATM 35 or 350 that thet could compare
firstly, the 4099 is designed for high quality live sound, not recording, and, imho, it succeeds at some very challenging design requirements: to be at once extremely neutral and extremely feedback resistant. i love my pr40, but mounted on an Hclamp the thing makes an inherently humpty-dumpty feeling instrument feel even more fragile ... the 4099 on the other hand, sounds better live and is far more feedback resistant ... and is just plain easy, mount it and forget it.
i've the fragile wire carefully looped and velcroed to the back of the tailpiece, where it's not subject to the evils of the stage. and regardless of it's configuration, it sounds light years better than any pickup.
i've the fragile wire carefully looped and velcroed to the back of the tailpiece, where it's not subject to the evils of the stage. and regardless of it's configuration, it sounds light years better than any pickup.
I would not rule it out for live recording - If you are multitracking something and need isolation, this mic could be a great choice.
I'm holding off buying one right now until the DB mounting version comes on the market. In the meantime, two thoughts:- The violin mounting seems quite viable if the clamp is held between the underside of the bridge and the 'heart' - about 20mm. Is this possible? That way the mic can be trained on the table north of the bridge and at the point where the fingerboard finishes. Interestingly DPA mention this in their literature as their preferred sweet spot.
On the subject of brittle cables, I can appreciate why a violinist would want to keep the weight to a minimum but this is not such an issue with the DB. So why not remake the connection to the microdot and shorten the cable so that the XLR adaptor finishes towards the bottom of the tailpiece and the balanced cable to the desk/amp goes away from there?
Thoughts anyone?
On the subject of brittle cables, I can appreciate why a violinist would want to keep the weight to a minimum but this is not such an issue with the DB. So why not remake the connection to the microdot and shorten the cable so that the XLR adaptor finishes towards the bottom of the tailpiece and the balanced cable to the desk/amp goes away from there?
Thoughts anyone?
I've had a little time to compare the DPA to The AMT. Just at home mind you and I'm definitely not a mic expert. The thing I like about the DPA is small footprint and the level you can set the mic before it feeds back. I still love the AMT, but part of that is because their Tailpiece Mount is very easy to set up and gets to almost any where on the bass. The DPA is designed to be a "universal mic" that uses a variety of mounts for different instruments. I think if the Double Bass Mount is well designed then it will work for a lot of players. If I were designing a mount, I would put it in a gooseneck long enough to reach the spots where most of us use one, and mount the XLR similar to the way Schertler dose with the DYN B. Then all you would need is enough cable from the mic to connect to the back of the adaptor.
Ric
Also, maybe the engineers at DPA can consult with a good luthier and make sure they take into consideration any dampening effects on the bass. Find a way to do it without hurting the acoustic sound.
To be fair though, the DPA mic is light and the effect is minimal.
ive just bought the DPA, sold my DYN-B to part fund it.
it came with the HP built in, been listening to the clips you posted and i really prefer the Flat version. but am wondering in a live situation whether it would work, ive got a Headway preamp with high pass etc on it and wonder if a flat version would be the way forward?...
it came with the HP built in, been listening to the clips you posted and i really prefer the Flat version. but am wondering in a live situation whether it would work, ive got a Headway preamp with high pass etc on it and wonder if a flat version would be the way forward?...
Wow, that's a tough one. On balance I preferred the flat sound and I think that's what I would use live, possibly with a bit of HPF on the Clarus. If the live sound is going to be mixed with a pickup to give some bottom then the HPF version may be the way to go. But this mic brings out the bass and strings sound so well I really don't think it's going to be an issue.
I wonder what the progress on the bass mount is.
I tired the mic with both adapters in live. Unfortunately very hard to avoid the feedback with the flat adapter in bigger stages, but if you got the Headway preamp, I think you can go with the flat adapter, and apply HP if needed ( why DPA could not build a switch in the adapter?
) Having both of the adapter is also a possibility ( i just borrowed the flat one ), but the adapter is costly, approx $100! A technician can easily cancel the HP in the stock adapter.
Agreed. This is very interesting, and a tough call to make, albeit one where either choice is likely to sound pretty damn good.
