Check out the JimLill YouTube video about JimLill microphone comparison and breakdown microphones, it might help you to choose where the value comes from
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Double Bass Mic options : decisions, decisions!
- Thread starter alexbrownebass
- Start date
If you’re asking what a gobo is, it’s also called a baffle. There are a variety of shapes and sizes, here’s some common examples, and I’d imagine he’s referring to the kind you see on the far left/right.
They get wheeled around the room to create some isolation on the mics so they best pick up the instrument they’re meant to record, with minimal bleed from sound coming from the other instruments in the room. All while allowing the band to have visibility with each other and to hear each other, ideally w/out having to use headphones. Always a balancing act.
I apologize if this is too off-topic, but can you share your recording technique using the MK4? I also have an MK4, and I’ve been having trouble getting a great recording of my bass. It’s connected to a Mac with a Motu M2 audio interface. When I place the mic 2-3 feet in front of the bass to try to capture the full sound of the instrument, I have to turn up the gain very high, which adds a lot of noise to the recording. To get the gain down to a reasonable level (though it’s still higher than I’d like), I have to place the mic just inches from the bass, which gives a rather bass-heavy sound that loses the harmonics and richness of the tone.
What could be wrong with my setup or technique?
@HaltheAerialist Place the mic 8-12” in front of the bridge, set the gain to peak at -6 or -8 dB on your loudest notes, and Bob’s yer uncle.
a double bass? i've never recorded one. my EB goes direct in as do my electric guitars (fwiw I use a ART dual tube pre). also I should note that I record as a writer not a performer.
I bought the mk4 ~10 years ago as a general purpose LDC for acoustic guitar, mandolin, and voice.
at the time I demo'd a few other similar models, even watching ABs against neumanns the mk4 still stands out as remarkably uncolored to my ear, at first I thought it was a bit cold but after trying and listening to other options I think of the mk4 more like 'winter daylight' I don't hear a lot of shadow out of the mic. I know i'm using pretty qualitative terms but I think it's helpful to at least grope for descriptors.
looking around a bit at others' suggestions I agree with @Chris Fitzgerald that 12"-18" off the bridge is a great starting point. another idea i'm seeing is to position the mic off of the treble f-hole but focus the capsule back on the bridge. one more idea for one-mic is to go high up over the shoulder so the mic hears what your ear normally hears as you play.
a lot of db recording technique seems to employ two mics and blend the fingerboard and string noise with the bassier tones, that makes sense but watch out for phase issues. personally I don't even bother with a shockmount as again I'm doing writing assemblage and not really making records but if I were i'd use the shock mount.
would love to hear your observations as you explore, good luck!
I’ll give that another try. Last time, I couldn’t seem to get a strong enough signal without turning the gain up very high, which added a lot of noise.
There’s an interesting concept put forward in Mixing With Your Mind regarding recording generally. Stav talks about rating microphones and pre amps on a softness to hardness factor from 1-10.. ie really nice large diaphragm mic may be closer to a 1 and a crusty rehearsal studio sm58 might be closer to a ten… then do the same with pre amps and make the sum of mic and pre as close to ten as you can… I used to use this technique a bit when I was working in studios.. even just with mics, one good mic mixed with one crappy mic on the same instrument can really add something.. anyway just an idea.. at the end of the day I believe mic placement and performance is the key to a great sound.
The sensitivity of the Mk4 does not appear to be particularly low. IMHO the problem is most likely that upright bass is a fairly quiet instrument, which is compounded by the desire to place the mic at a distance of 2-3 feet.
FYI direct sound drops off at a rate of 6dB per doubling of distance. The decibel difference from placing the mic at 8" vs 36" is 20Log(8/36) = -13dB, which is quite significant.
I don't have experience with them, but perhaps an inline preamp like the FetHead Phantom, which provides +18dB of boost, would be useful if the desired tone requires 3' placement of the mic. FYI, the regular FetHead and similar Cloudlifter block phantom.
Here is the product page if you are interested: FetHead Phantom - Triton Audio
I just realized I never updated this thread on what I ended up getting! I had quite a bit of unexpected work fall in my lap the first part of this year so I had some extra budget to play with. I ended up getting an Austrian Audio OC818 and Nordic Audio Labs NU-24K to have a few different options, and I snagged a used pair of Austrian Audio CC8’s for a great price the other day. With a little experimentation I’ve found the best results to be one of the LDC’s 6-8” in front of the bridge and slightly off axis on the g string side and one of the CC8’s 18” or so above the LDC pointed down at the “12th fret” harmonic.
As for NU-24k vs the OC818, both sound fantastic but on my bass in my room I ever so slightly prefer the 818. It gives more of a complete sonic picture and pairs very nicely with the CC8. The NU-24k is still a very nice option but sounds a little darker, though I would probably pick this one for a straight-ahead jazz session. Also it’s nice to have both if I start engineering sessions for singers or other instrumentalists.
I’m all tapped out on my studio budget for a while but I may look at getting some sort of ribbon mic like the Coles 4038 down the road to round out my mic locker. Thank you all so much for your help!
As for NU-24k vs the OC818, both sound fantastic but on my bass in my room I ever so slightly prefer the 818. It gives more of a complete sonic picture and pairs very nicely with the CC8. The NU-24k is still a very nice option but sounds a little darker, though I would probably pick this one for a straight-ahead jazz session. Also it’s nice to have both if I start engineering sessions for singers or other instrumentalists.
I’m all tapped out on my studio budget for a while but I may look at getting some sort of ribbon mic like the Coles 4038 down the road to round out my mic locker. Thank you all so much for your help!
Have you ever used Polar Designer? An Austrian Audio is still on my wish list.…
I’ve messed around with it but nothing too serious yet. I’m working with a singer soon and it’ll be the perfect opportunity to use it for real!Have you ever used Polar Designer? An Austrian Audio is still on my wish list.…
