You can get a Sennheiser MD 421 for around $250 bucks if you know where to look and drive a hard bargain, but they usually sell for around $375. The RE-20 is is a tad bit pricier in the $400 range. I'd get the 421, love the RE-20 too but the 421 is killer, works amazingly well on a variety of sources, and has bullet-proof construction!
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Good microphone for recording bass cab?
- Thread starter Korladis
- Start date
- Dec 23, 2008
- 157
- 0
- Disclosures
- Staff Producer / Audio Engineer: Blue Tower Studio, Denver, CO & Mighty Fine Productions, Denver, CO
if you *need* to get more low end out of your 57, there is a simple mod where you remove the transformer and it opens up the ends of the frequency response curve at the expense of losing a few dB of sensitivity. great mod, imo. i wouldn't do it to my only '57, but if you have a few lying around it's worth having one with this mod.
and just for the record, the '57 doesn't have the high & low end rolloff because it's a cheap/lousy mic, but because it is designed for its application -- a bombproof high-spl live mic with good off-axis rejection and less prone to feeding back. to be sure, bass cab is not in its top 10 applications...
ahh yessss +1 on RE20, another great dynamic for bass cab
and just for the record, the '57 doesn't have the high & low end rolloff because it's a cheap/lousy mic, but because it is designed for its application -- a bombproof high-spl live mic with good off-axis rejection and less prone to feeding back. to be sure, bass cab is not in its top 10 applications...
ahh yessss +1 on RE20, another great dynamic for bass cab
- Dec 23, 2008
- 157
- 0
- Disclosures
- Staff Producer / Audio Engineer: Blue Tower Studio, Denver, CO & Mighty Fine Productions, Denver, CO
Wow. Quite a mixed bag of good advice and well-intentioned misinformation here.
- the SM57 & 58 are far from flat nor should they be. If flat response was all that importan, we'd all be using omnis anyway. They are also indentical save the screen on the 58.
- the freq resp graph of the 57 posted is measured at a distance that most would never consider for bass cab pickup. Used up close, the 57/58 will exhibit a significant bass boost due to proximity effect (as will nearly all directional mics - the EV RE20 & RE27 being notable and germane exceptions). Plenty of sensitivity down to 50ish Hz when close micing.
- if you're blending with a DI, almost any mic can be used. If you rely primarily on the DI, you're just mixing in color and character from the mic. I have my favorites (Beyer M88, Audix D4) that can stand on their own, but I've never had anything unusable turn out recording with even a $30 DI and any available mic. Do some reading on placement techniques and get an ear for what does what and you'll be fine.
- don't worry too much about how extended the LF response is in this situation. The Yamaha Subkick is well accepted among folks for massive low end impact, but just take a look at the published FR graphs. Not much different on paper than many, many vocal mics.
- the SM57 & 58 are far from flat nor should they be. If flat response was all that importan, we'd all be using omnis anyway. They are also indentical save the screen on the 58.
- the freq resp graph of the 57 posted is measured at a distance that most would never consider for bass cab pickup. Used up close, the 57/58 will exhibit a significant bass boost due to proximity effect (as will nearly all directional mics - the EV RE20 & RE27 being notable and germane exceptions). Plenty of sensitivity down to 50ish Hz when close micing.
- if you're blending with a DI, almost any mic can be used. If you rely primarily on the DI, you're just mixing in color and character from the mic. I have my favorites (Beyer M88, Audix D4) that can stand on their own, but I've never had anything unusable turn out recording with even a $30 DI and any available mic. Do some reading on placement techniques and get an ear for what does what and you'll be fine.
- don't worry too much about how extended the LF response is in this situation. The Yamaha Subkick is well accepted among folks for massive low end impact, but just take a look at the published FR graphs. Not much different on paper than many, many vocal mics.
I would be getting some help from a few more experienced friends at first, in terms of microphone placement. So there's that.
Totally out of my price range, sadly.
a 57 is good to have around. it tends to sound alright on just about everything. it sounds amazing.. on.. well.. nothing.
i use a 421. i built my own subkick (great little project) and i have a sennheiser 906 as my personal 57 killer. i always take a DI. i normally turn it off or run it through an amp sim.
personally, i dont care for condensers on bass. too bright and shiny. i like my sound a little more old school.
surprised the sm7 hasnt been brought up. it is on par with the 421 and re20.
anything by heil is a solid choice. ive really been looking into a pr20. i hear great things about the 30, 35 and 40
take my advice... dont cheap out. a good mic will pay for itself. i for my 421 used for under 250. its ugly, but ive used it on every session since.
i use a 421. i built my own subkick (great little project) and i have a sennheiser 906 as my personal 57 killer. i always take a DI. i normally turn it off or run it through an amp sim.
personally, i dont care for condensers on bass. too bright and shiny. i like my sound a little more old school.
surprised the sm7 hasnt been brought up. it is on par with the 421 and re20.
anything by heil is a solid choice. ive really been looking into a pr20. i hear great things about the 30, 35 and 40
take my advice... dont cheap out. a good mic will pay for itself. i for my 421 used for under 250. its ugly, but ive used it on every session since.
I really can't afford anything much more, though. Even $250 is pretty squarely out of my budget for this.
RE20 would be my choice too. It's a great mic for almost everything. Doublebass, voice, basscab...
If you can't afford a good mic, why not use the DI? In 99.9% of all cases this is at least among the best solutions to get your basssound to the PA. And it's cheap.
+1 to Ben Clarke and the fact that the 57 and the 58 without the screen are exactly the same
If you can't afford a good mic, why not use the DI? In 99.9% of all cases this is at least among the best solutions to get your basssound to the PA. And it's cheap.
+1 to Ben Clarke and the fact that the 57 and the 58 without the screen are exactly the same
I'm not talking about use for live.
A clean DI signal is pretty much the opposite of my bass sound. I mean, if a soundman insists live on one, I'll probably reluctantly accept it, but no way am I going to record with only a DI track, when, you know, it's actually up to me.
A clean DI signal is pretty much the opposite of my bass sound. I mean, if a soundman insists live on one, I'll probably reluctantly accept it, but no way am I going to record with only a DI track, when, you know, it's actually up to me.
Anyway, thanks all you guys for the suggestions and advice.
Just a little bummed at the fact that I won't be able to get a better mic soon.
Just a little bummed at the fact that I won't be able to get a better mic soon.
Sartori, you can check out the used market too. Just be careful with mics.
Edit: here's one: [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
Edit: here's one: [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
then dont bother. save money and just DI for now. dont waste your money on something that wont do.
- Dec 23, 2008
- 157
- 0
- Disclosures
- Staff Producer / Audio Engineer: Blue Tower Studio, Denver, CO & Mighty Fine Productions, Denver, CO
you might also consider seeking out your local rental house -- at mine you can rent a 421 for $15/day.
that's a great way to try stuff out & see if it works for you.
that's a great way to try stuff out & see if it works for you.
Like I said, clean DI doesn't get anything even close to the sound I want. If DI is the only option I have, I may as well not bother recording at all.
Save up a couple hundred bucks and watch Craigslist. My RE20 was 200 bucks, so was my AT4033. Both sound fine on a bass amp. You are in the Bay area. Lots of people buying and selling gear there.
