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Double Bass Going mic...What would you choose???
- Thread starter Michael Drost
- Start date
I would want a different mic for live, compared to studio work.
For live, it has to be durable, tough, easy to setup and take down, simple to integrate on stage and FOH, not too expensive and easily replaced if something bad happens (accident, theft). It has to resist feedback and resist the pickup of sounds that are not wanted for the purpose at hand. The sound quality just has to be better than a piezo pickup, it does not have to be "amazing".
Let us know how you like the RS mic hot rod.
For live, it has to be durable, tough, easy to setup and take down, simple to integrate on stage and FOH, not too expensive and easily replaced if something bad happens (accident, theft). It has to resist feedback and resist the pickup of sounds that are not wanted for the purpose at hand. The sound quality just has to be better than a piezo pickup, it does not have to be "amazing".
Let us know how you like the RS mic hot rod.
The results seem to vary widely on different basses. The sound is wonderful on my bass and have had no feedback issues. However, several have reported feedback problems. Good news is that it is a cheap experiment.
I know the DPA mount usually places the mic near the soundboard between the bridge posts but I really don't think that will work very well for the Radio Shack mic. This mic has very low sensitivity and needs to be very close to the sound source. That's why it seems to work best in the f hole. That's also why it seems to be so feedback resistant. It's only going to pick up what is directly in front of it. If it's inside the f hole then it's much less likely to pick up other nearby instruments. If it's not in the f hole, you will most likely need to bring the volume up more which can more easily introduce feedback. It's also a little weak on the deepest bass response, which actually keeps it from being too boomy.
BTW, the D112 was one of the other mics I used for a while. Loved the sound from that but mounting it was a PIA. Plus, I wasn't using it into a bass amp. I don't know how that would work out.
Mando,
I liked Stick Players setup, so I am trying to mirror it. I understand the mic and it's level of response. I will definitely be experimenting. I find that recording direct to protools give me an accurate idea of what the mics true sound is. It will give me an idea of where I need to go with the amp. Like a magnifying glass of sorts.
Thanks for the advice...in the end I will probably do a mount like yours in the f hole. But, I have to do some experimenting myself first.
Thanks!
I liked Stick Players setup, so I am trying to mirror it. I understand the mic and it's level of response. I will definitely be experimenting. I find that recording direct to protools give me an accurate idea of what the mics true sound is. It will give me an idea of where I need to go with the amp. Like a magnifying glass of sorts.
Thanks for the advice...in the end I will probably do a mount like yours in the f hole. But, I have to do some experimenting myself first.
Thanks!
and what do you think about using a cheaper small diaphgram cardiod instead of Shoeps and DPA? Oktawa? Ovid System CC100? Others?...
Vunz, where do you put the Shoeps? Mackie? JBL? QSC?...
I haven't used any of the mice you mentioned, but what I notice about my amplified sound is that there is both more clarity and more fullness to the sound. Apart from reducing feedback, there is no need to use eq at all. The sound is just there. Speaking of eq: the mic signal responds so well to eq: it is extremely easy to control the sound.
I point the mic the the G-string side of the bridge, like this:
As a preamp I use a Glockenklang Bass Art Classic, that is modified and now sports a mic input. This preamp is plugged into a Seeburg 12"+1" active monitor (Seeburg is a small German company that manufactures PA gear).
Cheers,
Vincent
I tried an Oktava MC-012 through the underlengths. Sound was OK, could be a little bit better. But with an amp I got feedback early.
I didn't had the time to modify the Oktava with a better capacitor and higher impedance loading resistor. It might sound a bit better after the modification.
The old Audio Technica ATM 35 (with the DPA mount) sounds less good than the Oktava, but feedback rejection is much better.
I didn't had the time to modify the Oktava with a better capacitor and higher impedance loading resistor. It might sound a bit better after the modification.
The old Audio Technica ATM 35 (with the DPA mount) sounds less good than the Oktava, but feedback rejection is much better.
One of the things to remember about this Radio Shack mic is that it's sensitivity is VERY low. I honestly don't know how thing works as a tie clip mic for speech. You seriously have to right on top of it to hear anything. That actually works to our advantage for bass because you stick the thing right into the sound hole and it picks up nothing but what is directly in front of it, which is the air coming out of the F hole. By putting it there, the only time I have had any feedback is when I turned around like a dope and faced the mic directly in front of the amp. Otherwise, it has been feedback-free. There are certainly somewhat better sounding and much more expensive mics such as the DPA4099 and the ATM 350, but those mics are much hotter and have a wider frequency range and are much more prone to feedback. If I were only going to the mixing board for FOH sound, then I would probably go for one of those, but for going into a amp that is directly behind you, those mics would be a big headache for feedback problems, not to mention their sensitivity to picking up other nearby instruments. Obviously, the room acoustics have an effect and I have had better results in some rooms than others but the reproduced sound has always been better than the pickup.
The only modification I have made is to the mounting clip. In the mics normal position on a tie, the mic would point upward and I wanted the mic to point into the bass when I mounted the clip to the F hole. The little clip unscrews from the tie bar and I super glued it on its' side to accommodate that. It was a little more difficult than I expected because there is a little nub on the side that I had to file down so it would lay flat. There are photos of my entire setup later in that thread. I cut the wires to the 1/8"output jack and soldered them to a 1/4" female output jack and connected it to the string after lengths. Tucked the excess wiring under the tailpiece and used black electrical tape the mount it to the front of the tailpiece, being sure to leave the battery compartment accessible.
If you read through the thread, you find many people converted to this mic and love it. Others weren't so successful. But, it's so cheap that it's worth it to try. Hope it works for you. It has been wonderful for me.
I agree a Senheiser 421 has a large diaphragm and catch better the low frequencies, I have use it for Brass, Floor Tom, Kick, Percussions, Vocal, the good thing it is a dynamic mic and if you are recording it will not get to much bleeding from other instruments. First things first, are you trying to make a professional recording? or just a reference from live gigs?
In any case if you use and amp you can mic the amp and the upright, so you can have to tracks if you are the studio for live situations you can mic the amp or if you have an XLR Direct Output from your amp you can take the signal to whatever Audio Digital recording device you have. So if you give us more information we will be able to help you more.
Javi
Well, I received the rs mic, the ATM gooseneck clip, and the dpa mic mount. I have found between the dpa mount and the adjuster on my bridge I can get the mic to any position including the f hole. I have to do a bit of work on the 1/8 inch connection. Once I do that I plan on doing some direct recording experimentation. I did a bit of experimentation with the headphones. Results were positive.
I also use the RS mic - it works very well a lower volumes, but it gets boomy when I try to go to high sound pressure. I also have a K&K BassMax piezo which works really well at high volume, but I don't get the bloom that I like with the mic.
Either way, I run them through a K&K Sound Pure Preamp (but I would like to try blending them with a K&K Dual Pro).
Either way, I run them through a K&K Sound Pure Preamp (but I would like to try blending them with a K&K Dual Pro).
Go basic before spending big $$.
I have recently gone back to an SM 58 straight into the board.
Running the 58 through an ART Project Series Tube pre gives you a good reproduction of your bass too.
Then audition the expensive (over $300 stuff) and see if the extra cost is worth it.
I have recently gone back to an SM 58 straight into the board.
Running the 58 through an ART Project Series Tube pre gives you a good reproduction of your bass too.
Then audition the expensive (over $300 stuff) and see if the extra cost is worth it.
I recently took the plunge and bought a DPA after messing around with other stuff. Bit expensive but I did get a good deal and am happy I did it.
