Last time I recorded, i had a Mojave MA-301 straight on the dust cap and an SM7 off center. Hokey smoke, i had no need for a DI and I'm pretty sure the next album will be recorded entirely this way.
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Going to the Studio; Best Mic Combo
- Thread starter SplinteredSkull
- Start date
Awesome! It's killer when you find a combo you like a lot. You almost want to take pictures of it
Link RemovedAwesome! It's killer when you find a combo you like a lot. You almost want to take pictures of it
Here is my favourite combo:
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Neumann and a 421. Most classic rock bass mic setup there is - this is THE tone for me and I see no reason to look for anything else. A quick demo:
First both of them separately:
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and together:
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Neumann and a 421. Most classic rock bass mic setup there is - this is THE tone for me and I see no reason to look for anything else. A quick demo:
First both of them separately:
Link Removed
and together:
Link Removed
Experiment is the key (and thing I like most when recording in a studio), although if you pay for the studio time, it could be a race with the time situation, but still big fun nevertheless. Try various possibilities that the studio offers (if it's a good studio, they should have assorted of good tools including mics to do the job) tools - mics, preamp, etc, cab positioning, mic positioning etc.
I had many good result with various recording techniques & tools. Condenser mic, dynamic mic, neumann, AKG C-12, Shure, AKG D112, speaker act as mic, etc.
But I admit, recently I opt to just plug my P-Bass to a tube mic pre (usually and I like it most is Avalon VT737 SP)...done. Very rarely we have to 're-amp' the bass. With the 'beautiful' technology like ProTools etc today, it makes really easier IMHO.
I know many TBers may not like this way of 'DI recording'. But it's what I think best now,..well even James Jamerson did Direct recording for his Motown legendary hits.
I had many good result with various recording techniques & tools. Condenser mic, dynamic mic, neumann, AKG C-12, Shure, AKG D112, speaker act as mic, etc.
But I admit, recently I opt to just plug my P-Bass to a tube mic pre (usually and I like it most is Avalon VT737 SP)...done. Very rarely we have to 're-amp' the bass. With the 'beautiful' technology like ProTools etc today, it makes really easier IMHO.
I know many TBers may not like this way of 'DI recording'. But it's what I think best now,..well even James Jamerson did Direct recording for his Motown legendary hits.
From my experience of recording hundreds of punk records, get it sounding good from your amp, mic it with an Electro Voice RE20 (or a Sennheiser 421) through a good pre and compressor and call it a day. The DI is a fail safe if you need to re-amp, but I rarely use much or any of it in the mix. Especially if you play with a pick, the DI usually sounds bad (pre or post EQ).
Another totally viable option is a clean (pre eq) DI signal with the Ampeg SVX plugin. It's not quite as good as the real thing, but it sounds surprisingly good.
Hope that helps.
Another totally viable option is a clean (pre eq) DI signal with the Ampeg SVX plugin. It's not quite as good as the real thing, but it sounds surprisingly good.
Hope that helps.
+1. Mic if you can/want but grab a pre-eqd DI signal. It's getting everything good and bad but you can dial much of the bad out. Mics are limited by their response ranges and beyond that you are trying to create sound that was never captured.
The only way I'd DI is post overdrive. Maybe pre eq but post overdrive. My tone is very grindy and metallic and the B3K is an essential part of my sound.
Well, I guess mic'ing is as well!
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#2 is not overkill. the more the merrier. but i would suggest taking the di before the bass goes into the head. i would not use the mics for the low end, use those for the mids and highs. use the di for the low end. a common thing to do is use the di up to 250 hz, cross it over with a 6 or 12 db crossover. then cross over your mics at the same frequency, cutting out the low end. use the phase switch to find a good blend of the two. test it for yourself, try the di, and your favorite mic crossed over at 250hz, and notice the bass quality of each. i bet you go with the di...
wow what studio was that ? every studio i was in took a di from the bass, then a di after my avalon 737 to capture the compression, a mic on the woofers, and a mic on the horns.
Be really careful about a multi-mike set-up on anything. Incorrect placement can create phase issues that will nullify anything you hope to achieve. Besides, one more open mic gives you one more opportunity to pick up stray sounds from other instruments. Particularly be wary of using mikes at an angle, or off-axis. It is pointed at something, whether you want it or not. And the sound will most likely sound muffled, because almost all mikes have some degree of sound rejection in the higher frequencies, even omni mikes. So sound captured at an angle to the head will definitely sound different, but probably not like you would hope.
