• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Double Bass Dynamic mics

flatback

flatback

May 6, 2004
2,990
2,667
#1
A while ago Chris F was getting into the SM57 Beta thing and there was a big discussion about it and Bolo dug on a Beyer dynamic and so forth. I have been messing with a Beyer Dynamic and it sounds really good. I don't know a huge amount about mics other then trying a truck load of them, but it seems like the dynamic mic (especially cheap ones) get a sound (thru a AI Focus) that is better then anything else. Why's that?
With the HP filter and a hypercardioid vocal mic it seems like you can dial in the air so much better then with all the other mic's (Mini condensers sound brittle,condensers are really hard to control and pick up everything and the LD studio mics can't be used at all...)
Its like the dynamics have this rich phat puff on the attack that adds alot to the sound. I keep quitting with the other mic's 'cause on the gig they just dont seem to pull enough weight to be worth it.
The Beyer has a much smoother and less harsh sound then the SM57 (but I haven't tried the Beta57)
Has anyone tried the drum mics like Audix D4 or any of the countless other Dynamic HC's? Is this good sound a function of the kind of mic or some other reason?
 
#4
I think the dynamics work because of what is usually perceived as their shortcoming - the proximity effect.

Close to the source they have a big lower end boost and they don't pick up anything from farther away than a foot.

So when you present it with a face-full of bass top, that's all you hear. Its a miracle. :)
 
#5
Jake deVilliers said:
I think the dynamics work because of what is usually perceived as their shortcoming - the proximity effect.

Close to the source they have a big lower end boost and they don't pick up anything from farther away than a foot.

So when you present it with a face-full of bass top, that's all you hear. Its a miracle. :)
Click to expand...

Yes this is so...Is there one that is better? or smaller? What about the dual element mic?
 
#6
larry turned me on to the Beyer M 88.

Like Jake said, that mic does have what some recording types have described as a "whomping" proximity effect. And like Jake indicated, IMO that can be a plus or a minus, depending on how you use the mic (i e. distance from the bass, angle of the head to the table), combined with how thick or thin your bass sounds acoustically, the sound in your head, etc.
 
#8
Chris Fitzgerald said:
I agree about dynamics seeming to be the way to go.
Click to expand...
Me too. Especially when using one through an amp. I've been high on the Sennheiser MD409 for awhile. In an email response to Flatback about this I wrote this.

I've moved my opinion a bit on the MD409. As a single source mic only the MD409 is fantastic. In a blended Mic/Pickup scenario I may choose the 609 or 906 instead.

I think in general when mixing mic/pickup sounds the mic sound is better for the mids and highs with the ass picked up by a bottom heavy pickup like the Full Circle. The MD409 works really well as a single source mic as it sounds very much like my bass. With the Full Circle the signals aren't that far apart and as such somewhat redundant. The highs I got from the 609 are much brighter than the 409. When soloed through a mixing board the 609 sounded like ****. The 409 sounded like my bass. When mixed with the Full Circle through my amp on the gig the 609's brightness was more useful in a lot of ways mixed with the Full Circle than the 409 is. Most of the time these days I'm leaving the 409 in the bag.

Fwiw if you can hang with a single mic the 409 is killer. If your mixing I'd try both the Beta 57 and the Sennheiser 609 or 906.
 
#9
Uncletoad said:
Me too. Especially when using one through an amp. I've been high on the Sennheiser MD409 for awhile. In an email response to Flatback about this I wrote this.

I've moved my opinion a bit on the MD409. As a single source mic only the MD409 is fantastic. In a blended Mic/Pickup scenario I may choose the 609 or 906 instead.

I think in general when mixing mic/pickup sounds the mic sound is better for the mids and highs with the ass picked up by a bottom heavy pickup like the Full Circle. The MD409 works really well as a single source mic as it sounds very much like my bass. With the Full Circle the signals aren't that far apart and as such somewhat redundant. The highs I got from the 609 are much brighter than the 409. When soloed through a mixing board the 609 sounded like ****. The 409 sounded like my bass. When mixed with the Full Circle through my amp on the gig the 609's brightness was more useful in a lot of ways mixed with the Full Circle than the 409 is. Most of the time these days I'm leaving the 409 in the bag.

Fwiw if you can hang with a single mic the 409 is killer. If your mixing I'd try both the Beta 57 and the Sennheiser 609 or 906.
Click to expand...
Thanks Phil,
But which one the 906 says its for guitar cabs but seems to have more isolation (and costs more). Which do you use? What about the 3 way switch?
Thanks,
p
 
#10
flatback said:
Thanks Phil,
But which one the 906 says its for guitar cabs but seems to have more isolation (and costs more). Which do you use? What about the 3 way switch?
Thanks,
p
Click to expand...
Sorry, not so clear. I used a 609 before I got the 409. I've not used the 906.

The 609 sounded pretty good with a pickup and it was cheap. The Beta 57 may have sounded a tad better but i've not been so thrilled with the string mounting thing.

I'd like to audition the 906 as on paper it looks very good.

They are all guitar cab mics by marketing.
 
#11
I've tried the Beta57a and I didn't like it at all. For me it wasn't loud, and it was hard to attach to the bass.

Now i'm using the Sennheiser e906. It's expensive (around twice the cost of the Shure), but sounds much better, is louder and doesn't feed back as easily. I use 4 rubber bands to attach it to the bridge in between the feet.
 

Attachments

  • Sennheiser 906 1.jpg
    Sennheiser 906 1.jpg
    30.9 KB · Views: 200
#12
Peck_Time said:
I've tried the Beta57a and I didn't like it at all. For me it wasn't loud, and it was hard to attach to the bass.

Now i'm using the Sennheiser e906. It's expensive (around twice the cost of the Shure), but sounds much better, is louder and doesn't feed back as easily. I use 4 rubber bands to attach it to the bridge in between the feet.
Click to expand...
That looks familiar.

Have you tried the cheaper 609 and compared the two? I haven't done that yet.
 
#13
I'm mic stupid, so forgive my question, but has anyone tried the Sennheiser e602II? I was looking at some of their mics after reading this thread and saw it listed. I was curious only because it is listed as a mic tailored to bass frequencies. It seems as though the extended frequency response on the low end would not be that much of an advantage for double bass.
 
#14
Peck_Time said:
I've tried the Beta57a and I didn't like it at all. For me it wasn't loud, and it was hard to attach to the bass.

Now i'm using the Sennheiser e906. It's expensive (around twice the cost of the Shure), but sounds much better, is louder and doesn't feed back as easily. I use 4 rubber bands to attach it to the bridge in between the feet.
Click to expand...

can you characterize the dif between the 906 and beta 57? (I feel a guitar center trip coming on)
Which switch setting?
Thanks
 
#15
Uncletoad said:
That looks familiar.

Have you tried the cheaper 609 and compared the two? I haven't done that yet.
Click to expand...

I haven't tried the 609. I seem to recall a disparaging thread about them. Also I have the bad habit of buying the most expensive gear that I can (just) afford!

flatback said:
can you characterize the dif between the 906 and beta 57? (I feel a guitar center trip coming on)
Which switch setting?
Thanks
Click to expand...

I didn't try the beta 57 for long. I remember it as being a pain to get on the bass (even with Chris Fitzgerald's helpful threads), and the sound being thin. I didn't try it on a gig or blended with a pickup.

The 906 is easy to put on the bass and sounds pretty much like my bass. I go through an iAmp 500 and Whizzy 12 and roll off some low end. I like the 'boom' I get, and how there's no 'piezo'-ness.

I haven't tried the switch. it has high boost, flat and high roll-off.

I like an old-school sound so YMMV. I have unwound guts on G&D. I gig without an amp when I can.
 
#16
jimclark68 said:
I'm mic stupid, so forgive my question, but has anyone tried the Sennheiser e602II?
Click to expand...

I've been using the e602 lately since a local pro-audio shop recommended it to me. I've been getting pretty good results slapping it on a stand and going into the PA. Unfortunately I don't have a way to plug it into my own amp so I haven't been able to really evaluate the tone in a quiet room--it seems to sound nice live though. Also, I don't have another mic to compare it to. You're right that the extended bass response goes lower than we as bass players need, so I imagine there might be something less expensive that might give equal or better results.

I used it last Saturday. Shoved it maybe 8-10 inches from the front of the bass and stuck it through the PA with flat EQ. It was a packed room with a ton of loud conversation. I was crammed between a large guitar amp and the drummer. Still, it seemed to amplify me without any problems--everyone said they could hear me clearly. And I got the advantage of using a mic--to me, it always seems more like playing an unamped bass but louder when I use a mic, whereas a bass running through a pickup usually seems to feel different for some reason. But, unfortunately, I couldn't hear quite how good the tone through the speakers was in that environment. It sounded good as far as I could hear.

N.B. I've been told the only difference between the e602 and the e602 II is that the II has a lighter casing, so the sound should be the same with the II.
 
#17
I found a stupid cheap deal on a vintage Sennheiser MD421-U-5 a while back (75 cents at an unclaimed freight sale!) and have found that it sounds wonderful on every single thing I've tried to record with it...URB, bass rig cabs, acoustic guitar, vocals, kick drum...you name it. It just sounded so dang natural.

It sounded so good, in fact, that a friend who owns a project studio kept borrowing it and finally browbeat me into selling it to him. I see them regularly on Ebay for $200 - $250...newer ones for even less.
 
#20
mchildree said:
I found a stupid cheap deal on a vintage Sennheiser MD421-U-5 a while back (75 cents at an unclaimed freight sale!) and have found that it sounds wonderful on every single thing I've tried to record with it...URB, bass rig cabs, acoustic guitar, vocals, kick drum...you name it. It just sounded so dang natural.
Click to expand...
If I could only have one kind of mic in my PA rig, the 421 would be it. They can handle massive volume, have a tight supercardiod response, extended low end (with adjustable rolloff), clean extended highs, and they seem to last forever no matter how beat up they look.
Only downside is they're so big & bulky, but it's because they have some clever tuning ports inside the case. The Sennheiser 441 is even nicer if you can find one - I bought a dead one real cheap and got a new capsule installed for not too much $$$.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back