• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Mic vs DI

#21
One thing that doesn't seem to be covered yet is the case of effects use... ime, if the player uses any type of fuzz/ overdrive/ distortion it is much easier to quickly get a workable sound that the player intended on using a microphone; it buffers the highs which can be brutal running direct. Also in the case extreme use of effects, the cab itself can have such a dramatic effect on the blend and tone compared to a direct signal that it can be two different worlds. Ideally, I like to use both.
 
  • Like
Reactions: samniner
#22
D.A.R.K. said:
One thing that doesn't seem to be covered yet is the case of effects use... ime, if the player uses any type of fuzz/ overdrive/ distortion it is much easier to quickly get a workable sound that the player intended on using a microphone; it buffers the highs which can be brutal running direct. Also in the case extreme use of effects, the cab itself can have such a dramatic effect on the blend and tone compared to a direct signal that it can be two different worlds. Ideally, I like to use both.
Click to expand...

Just to be clear, its the SPEAKERS that filter of the extreme highs, and that filtered signal is what the mic picks up. Otherwise, if your mic only picks up sound up to around 4-5K, its a pretty crap mic :)

And as a fuzzoholic, I agree.
 
#25
FretNoMore said:
You can also simulate that filtering by using a cab sim or EQ on your pedalboard, to cut the top off the distortion before sending to the PA.
Click to expand...

Right, except that (for me anyway) a moderate wattage tube amp pushed into grind IS my base sound. So I mic. I do own a couple DIs and amp/speaker emulators, but if ALL the amps are being miced anyway, IMO there is no compelling reason NOT to mic the bass amp as well, especially when I bring my own mic :)
 
#27
Ender_rpm said:
Right, except that (for me anyway) a moderate wattage tube amp pushed into grind IS my base sound. So I mic. I do own a couple DIs and amp/speaker emulators, but if ALL the amps are being miced anyway, IMO there is no compelling reason NOT to mic the bass amp as well, especially when I bring my own mic :)
Click to expand...

No, the right thing to do is make the guitar players use amp and speaker emulators too and take away their mics! :)
 
#28
hows this for an idea...if you are using FX or whatever why not get "your tone" set for DI use, and then set "your tone" on your amp accordingly...tell the sound guy you want it mic'd but if he's insistent on using a DI then say sure! either way you get what you want and same with the sound guy...

genius i know! :P
 
#30
-Asdfgh- said:
No, the right thing to do is make the guitar players use amp and speaker emulators too and take away their mics! :)
Click to expand...

Already happening with a lot of acts. Makes setup/teardown faster and easier, and the feed coming off a DI with cab emulation is much more predictable night in and night out. Some love, some hate...different strokes. I personally use cabinet emulation and have zero complaints with it on stage (via my full range speakers) or at the FOH PA system.
 
#31
ShoeManiac said:
It's not a clear, cut and dry scenario with DI versus a mic'd cabinet. I think it's very much situational as to which will be the best method for getting your bass's sound to the mixing desk. Factors like the skills of your sound man, availability of good microphones, bleed from other instruments and the confines of the stage all have the potential to impact the delivery of your signal to the FOH mix. Having the option to do one, the other or both is probably the best route for your own band.
Click to expand...

This is the best answer that I have heard. . . plus it's very true in my opinion which I derive from my own experience. It's always different in each place and for each gig.

So we do the best we can with what we have to work with - sometimes that's a lot. . . .and sometimes it's just a thump we can get to the audience.

I think bass players have it worse than everyone else.
 
#32
if I want the venue to mic my rig, I bring a mic, usually a dynamic thing, and my own stand. When the soundguy/tech asks for my direct line, I tell him/her I got my own mic and I'd like to use that, they are usually cool with it.
If they insist on DI as well, I will give them the Tonehammer and ask to blend the two. They are usually cool about it and do it for me, and people say I got the mojo workin.
 
#33
jimfist said:
Already happening with a lot of acts. Makes setup/teardown faster and easier, and the feed coming off a DI with cab emulation is much more predictable night in and night out. Some love, some hate...different strokes. I personally use cabinet emulation and have zero complaints with it on stage (via my full range speakers) or at the FOH PA system.
Click to expand...

I think I remember the first crop of consumer grade amps with speaker emulated line outs coming to market in the mid-late 90s or thereabouts? It always seemed a sensible option to me having been the person putting the mics out at times, and trying to find where, on a cramped stage, the could be placed without being knocked over.
 
#34
bigswifty1 said:
I think we've been down this topic many times before, and one of the main takeaways is that there are DI's and there are DI's. A few (Jimmy would say one) sound pretty good and a lot sound pretty "meh".
Click to expand...

And many cheap passives sound hideous with passive basses, (especially those with single-coil pickups) by backloading those pickups with an impedance that actually generates/imposes a honky/nasal mid-heavy eq-curve on the output they produce.

This seems to be too-frequently overlooked.
 
#36
-Asdfgh- said:
I think I remember the first crop of consumer grade amps with speaker emulated line outs coming to market in the mid-late 90s or thereabouts? It always seemed a sensible option to me having been the person putting the mics out at times, and trying to find where, on a cramped stage, the could be placed without being knocked over.
Click to expand...

again, the mega thread I referenced earlier gets into some if the current available products, what they do, and how to implement them. It's a lot if posts to wade through, but that thread completely covers this issue...to death...

New products continue to surface that include speaker emulation. It is much more popular in the guitar modeling world, but beginning to get more attention amongst bassists now, too. Slow going, for sure.
 
#37
jimfist said:
New products continue to surface that include speaker emulation. It is much more popular in the guitar modeling world, but beginning to get more attention amongst bassists now, too. Slow going, for sure.
Click to expand...

I just made the assumption that bassists got there first, but maybe that is just because I became keen on the idea as soon as I heard Geddy Lee used it...
 
#40
For those of you who's band mostly run their own sound. What do your EQ settings look like at the FOH board? I have been experimenting with different ideas and nothing is working. I would not say that I'm picky about my bass tone, but I do want it to sound good in the FOH.
My rig is a Ampeg SVT III with a 1x15 Bag End cab, and a Zoom B3 FX pedal that has amp/cab modeling , I usually run direct out of the B3 to the board. My Amp set up sounds good to great on stage depending on the room, and at home when running the B3 into my computer it sounds good.
I use a Mackie Pro FX board with my band and I find that the EQ on this board is very limited for the bass, the fixed FQ are 12k, 2.5k and 80. For the sound that I am looking for, perhaps a Motown sound with a little more hi-mid definition, these FQ dance around what I want. If I keep the EQ flat the sound is honkey with border line mud ,to boominess in the lows. If I cut the 80 FQ the bass in lost, If I boost it is boomy, with the 2.5 K cut the bass is lost or becomes mud, If sometimes boost a little get some definition but at the expense of increasing the honkey sound.
We have hired sound man to run our board a few times, however most of the guys come from the hard rock genre and love to bury the bass and boost the high Mids, so the bass is really close to the guitar in the mix while it does work for some songs, most of our repertoire benefits from a more separated sound, we play mostly pop and dance music.
My feeling about this is the before we can really talk about the bass tone we need to establish what kind of mix are we looking for, then we have a starting point of how the bass is going to fit in the mix?
I have a few more ideas I would like to experiment with, I am going to try and mic my cab this weekend and see how that works, I am also considering put a tube mic pre-amp ( I have one laying around ) before the board, I am also wonder if I can put an outboard EQ on that channel, If I remember correctly, inserts are designed more for time based FX, but I could be wrong.
$800.00 dollars for a DI box, I don't know. if I was certain this problem would go away, it could be worth it.

thoughts?
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back