Double Bass Full Circle Installation- Element up or Down?

[MT Spaces]

... Kinda of a tangent for this thread ...

Sorry to continue on the tangent that Bolo so kindly contributed to .... but here was some more interesting stuff (at least to me anyway) about the "old school" sound from RCA ribbon mics if you didn't see it:
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=322205
I love the sound of the bass on some of those old recordings.

 

[flatback]

On my 1961 pollmann the threads are down. I actually have to cut the bass with my Clarus/Bergie 112 stack setup. I just completed four days in the recording studio. I used my vintage Shure 330 ribbon for one channel with the Full Circle going through an Avalon U5 on another channel. The engineer said that the FC/Avalon sounded better than any other direct that he has heard. The mixdown will probably be 90% or more mic sound because the ribbon was fantastic. Years ago I was told that the ultimate mic for db is an RCA 44DX ribbon. I can't afford one of those, but the Shure did more than a credible job.

George

Yea I just love the sound of the Avalon U5. The damn beast is so big I keep trying to leave it at home but I just love the sound so much...especially with the FC.

 

[gnergaard]

I think my problems are solved. And my concerns were unecessary.
Played tonight at the Old town school of Folk Music in Chicago.
18 piece latin/ flamenco ensemble. 400 seat concert hall. State of the art sound system. At least 30 live microphones on stage. Two percussionists (one on timbales) right next to me on a VERY tight stage plot.
First words out of the engineer's mouth at sound check were "Wow. Beautiful." He said he ran bass flat and preferred this sound to mics that he's tried. I forgot to mute my upright at least twice while playing electric during the show. The amp was less than a foot away. Absolutely no feedback. That would never have happened with my Realist. Bow was not terrible. Pizz was a little dark, but 'round'. All I really had to focus on was my playing- and not bumping into the players next to me.
Cellist for the band said I was too loud in the second set after the show- I think the sound guy liked the bass tone so much that he cranked it in the house a bit- just because he could.
I can't wait to try a really high volume gig with this thing.
Thanks, everybody, for talking me out of trying a different installation. The high end bump I heard is very useful for projecting live. Doing some recording later this month and I'll be curious to hear what this pickup sounds like blended with a high quality mic. Loud shows and out door performances comming next month. For the first time I can say I'm not that worried about how I'm going to amplify the upright bass.
Yeah!
-Greg