Double Bass I'm ready to check out a mic.

[Marcus Johnson]

+infinity

and then some more even. 1 zillion %

 

[gscroggin]

I recently picked up a used ATM35 (not the 350, older I believe), and I'm enjoying the results for the money (@$100), certainly more than other standard vocal/instrument live mics that I've tried.

I'm going into an AI Focus 2 S3, blending with an Upton Revolution, into older EA VL cabs. For live jazz/ska/blues, it's perfectly fine and I'm happy for the money. I have no illusions that I sound like Ray Brown or anything...but then again, I can't play like him either I also realize it's likely not possible to sound as good as the AMT I once tried, and certainly not a DPA. I wouldn't plan on recording with it either. For live though, I'm happy with the performance. I use a bow as well, and it sounds OK, but I'm also mediocre at best with a bow.

 

[Ric Vice]

Alright, it turns out I have a graduation gift for undergrad coming my way. I recently bought the Headway EDB-1 and I'm really starting to like the way it rounds out my sound with just the signal from the Realist. I briefly tried my professors AMT mic, both blended with the Realist through the Headway and by itself through my iAmp800/Wizzy 12 MLine. I liked the tone of mic, but I couldn't get enough volume before feedback to convince me I could gig with this model.

My question is, what are you opinions on DPA 4099b vs. Schertler Dyn-B. Are they similar or not really in the same ballpark as one another?

Again, I have very little experience with mics, more so second-hand. The only experience I have with the Schertler is that my professor uses one, and his friend Jeffrey Eckels (Bs. Prof. at U of Nebraska, who'se tone I was in love with!).

So, DPA 4099b or Schertler Dyn-B?

I can't comment on the Dyn-B because I never took the plunge. The DPA 4099 is a great FOH mic however I've never had much success using through an amplifier. I would suggest (I keep bring this up) that you take a look at the Ehrlund pickup and pre amp since it sounds like a mic and the whole setup with the pre amp is around $400.00 and some change. There are some tricks to mounting it but once you find the sweet spot using it is plug and play.

Ric

 

[bolo]

Dig. Thanks Ric, and gscroggin.

Yeah Bob G. has the Ehrlund now. And the DPA (for $40 less than everyone else).

They all make a good sound. What fun.

 

[Eric Hochberg]

I recently picked up a used ATM35 (not the 350, older I believe). I wouldn't plan on recording with it....

I've used mine in the studio many times and it does very well as a usable sound source blended with other mic signals. One studio here bought one after their experience with mine.

 

[gscroggin]

No kidding? Perhaps I'll have to try it with some different pre's. My statement was merely comparing it with typical higher $$$ studio mic's into high end pre's. I haven't used the ATM35 with anything other than my AI amp, so I'll have to give it more of a chance in the studio before dismissing it I guess

 

[martinc]

Everything Steve says is totally true. The reason I gave up using a mic through an amp was ease. So many of the places I/we play are less than ideal acoustically and I felt like the mic was more monkeying around than I wanted to do for what felt like minimal gain for me. I tried it for several years with a variety of mics with varying degrees of success.

Like I said though I use a mic whenever there is a PA. I have a steady where the singer has a pretty nice PA and I go mic only into his PA and totally love it. I did a show in a 1000 seat theatre not long ago that had great acoustics, a Mason and Hamlin concert grand on stage, tasty drummer, mic only. Heaven.

I'll also go pickup to amp and mic to FOH whenever that's available for louder stuff.

Bottom line... it is fun to mess with and might make it's way into you regular setup. Go for it.

fingers:

Roughly... how much mic and how much pickup when you blend?
50-50? 60% pickup and 40 % mic?
I have a two channel pre-amp (with an XLR mic input) and plan on going straight into the board ....but don't have a lot of time during set-up to experiment.
All acoustic instruments. No drums.
Thanks.

 

[Ric Vice]

fingers:

Roughly... how much mic and how much pickup when you blend?
50-50? 60% pickup and 40 % mic?
I have a two channel pre-amp (with an XLR mic input) and plan on going straight into the board ....but don't have a lot of time during set-up to experiment.
All acoustic instruments. No drums.
Thanks.

Martinc,
I'm fairly certain that I did this bass ackwards, but I'd get the mic to a reasonable volume and then start adding the pickup into the blend until the blend started to sound like the pickup and less like the mic. Then I backed of the pickup until I could hear the qualities of the mic again. Unfortunately, that only works in concert settings. If I could get buy with just the mic then I usually just turned the pickup off.

Ric

 

[Jaromir]

I recently picked up a used ATM35 (not the 350, older I believe), and I'm enjoying the results for the money (@$100), certainly more than other standard vocal/instrument live mics that I've tried.

I'm going into an AI Focus 2 S3, blending with an Upton Revolution, into older EA VL cabs. For live jazz/ska/blues, it's perfectly fine and I'm happy for the money. I have no illusions that I sound like Ray Brown or anything...but then again, I can't play like him either I also realize it's likely not possible to sound as good as the AMT I once tried, and certainly not a DPA. I wouldn't plan on recording with it either. For live though, I'm happy with the performance. I use a bow as well, and it sounds OK, but I'm also mediocre at best with a bow.

Scott Coley is using (or was using 2 years ago when I spoke with him) ATM35 and prefers it over AMT for overall better sound AND better rejection.

 

[Marc Piane]

fingers:

Roughly... how much mic and how much pickup when you blend?
50-50? 60% pickup and 40 % mic?
I have a two channel pre-amp (with an XLR mic input) and plan on going straight into the board ....but don't have a lot of time during set-up to experiment.
All acoustic instruments. No drums.
Thanks.

Depends on how loud it gets. When using both through the amp I start with all mic then add pickup if needed. The ratio changes as things get louder though. Eventually, when you get to the stoopid loud threshold, you might as well pack up the mic and go all pickup.

With no drums and a FOH setup you prolly can do 100% mic. That's what I do.

 

[martinc]

Fingers and Ric:

Thanks for your replies.
I have been using pickups for many years (BassMax and now a Schatten RB-1) but I now have a dual channel pre-amp.
I used an Audix D-2 directly in to the PA (big system) this past weekend at an indoor concert and it seemed to work OK. So the next show we do I want to blend it with the Schatten to see how it sounds...or if it is even noticeable.
I won't have much time during set up to be experimenting so I was wondering which approach to take...mic then pickup or the other way around...to save time. If I have a rough idea about the settings it would be easier.
I tried doing it through my amp but I am not getting a useable sound....I need to use a real PA.
I hope I can get away with just the mic but if blending sounds a lot better I will go with that. The three-part harmony vocals are done with a single mic so feedback has not been a problem.

 

[Marc Piane]

Either works. Personally, in the situation you describe, I'd start with all mic then blend in a little pickup for taste.

My experience with the D2 is it has a very tight pattern pretty pronounced proximity effect. Having the mic as close to the source (the bass) as possible yielded the best sound for me. I used it with an h-clamp and put a wind screen on it (to protect the bass) and had it practically touching the top of the bass about an inch in from the ff hole and just north of the bridge foot. Every bass is different though so experiment.

 

[theduke1]

A Shure SM57 is still the best mic for the money to mic a cab!

 

[Marc Piane]

A Shure SM57 is still the best mic for the money to mic a cab!

too bad we're talking about micing a double bass!!! Though the SM-57 is pretty good for that too.

 

[martinc]

Either works. Personally, in the situation you describe, I'd start with all mic then blend in a little pickup for taste.

My experience with the D2 is it has a very tight pattern pretty pronounced proximity effect. Having the mic as close to the source (the bass) as possible yielded the best sound for me. I used it with an h-clamp and put a wind screen on it (to protect the bass) and had it practically touching the top of the bass about an inch in from the ff hole and just north of the bridge foot. Every bass is different though so experiment.

fingers:

Thanks a million for the comments. Very helpful.