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micing vs. DI

#61
I think I'm the only bass player who will readily admit that my clean tone is crap and that my technique is flawed.

I will do everything in my power to avoid a clean DI. I prefer to mic because I know I'll sound better. What sent me on the journey for a DI that will work for ME was when I played a nice club and the sound guy was super chill. He agreed to mic me but after sound check he asked if I had a bass driver because he wanted to DI as well. I didn't have one but he wanted to do it anyway. The other bands were getting mic'd so I know I could gave avoided it but he was nice so I agreed and asked him to low pass the DI at 5k.

My friends said I sounded fine. I decided that night that I wanted to be able to DI when the sound guy requested it nicely. I always ask to be mic'd though.
 
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#62
JimmyM said:
I recently saw an AKG P2 that only costs $100 and looks like it would be excellent for bass on a budget. Didn't get to hear it, but the frequency response is fairly flat and has a good low end.

But as a former cab mic'er turned DI'er, I can tell you that even if you have a really nice mic, amp and cable for the soundman all ready to go, you are still going to get stick about it from some occasional (incompetent) soundmen. I've had soundmen ask me if they could do a blend and then turn off the mic, and I've even had a soundman sneak a mic cable onto the back of my amp when I went to dinner after soundcheck (worst soundman in the world, BTW...I'm usually pretty nice but I let that dude have it). The whole reason I got a REDDI is because I think other DI's suck, but I had to have a DI that I actually like or I knew I was going to continue to get screwed.

And now the REDDI has performed awesomely for me, and it and I are having a love affair at a level previously reserved for my tube Ampegs ;) Only problem I have with the REDDI is with a distortion pedal that doesn't roll off highs. So now I only use distortion pedals that have a highs rolloff built in like the VT. And maybe one day I'll get a speaker simulator, but it's working fine for me to have it built into the pedals, so I stick with it.
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I have an AKG P2 and I'm quite happy with it. I bring the P2 and a stand to gigs, and when the soundguy hands me the "DI" cable, I simply plug it into the mic. I have yet to have a soundguy pull an attitude with me about it. Even if he did, my head doesn't have an XLR out anyway. I keep a BDI21 in my case just in case I get a jerk for a soundguy someday, but I don't relish the thought of having to use it.
 
#63
bigchiefbc said:
I have an AKG P2 and I'm quite happy with it. I bring the P2 and a stand to gigs, and when the soundguy hands me the "DI" cable, I simply plug it into the mic. I have yet to have a soundguy pull an attitude with me about it. Even if he did, my head doesn't have an XLR out anyway. I keep a BDI21 in my case just in case I get a jerk for a soundguy someday, but I don't relish the thought of having to use it.
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Pretty decent specs on that mic.
 
#64
guy n. cognito said:
They don't seem to have a problem micing guitar cabs, drums, horns and vocals. Since when did micing a bass cabinet become the stuff of "touring quality production?"

Round round we go. ;)
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the overblown expectations of amateur musicians is one of the first things you encounter when doing sound. that's what my comment was referencing, not micing a bass cab in particular.
I'm generalizing here as well, not implying anyone here is an amateur.
since you asked about the difference between micing guitar cabs, drums, horns and vocals, there a massive difference.
they're all high pass filtered and have some low end removed. the kick drum being the exception, you get around that by gating it.
do you want your bass cab HPF'd, do you want it gated?
most bass players I know would say no.
 
#71
taurus1 said:
the overblown expectations of amateur musicians is one of the first things you encounter when doing sound. that's what my comment was referencing, not micing a bass cab in particular.
I'm generalizing here as well, not implying anyone here is an amateur.
since you asked about the difference between micing guitar cabs, drums, horns and vocals, there a massive difference.
they're all high pass filtered and have some low end removed. the kick drum being the exception, you get around that by gating it.
do you want your bass cab HPF'd, do you want it gated?
most bass players I know would say no.
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My bass is HPF'd on my pedalboard at 26hz, thank you very much. ;)

Generalizing here as well, but most sound men don't know enough about their craft to use tools like HPFs and (especially) gates correctly on stringed instruments to be effective anyway. And, whether you use DI or a mic, these questions would still stand, with gating taking on only minor incremental importance with the proper mic.

There is NOT a massive difference. You have to know what frequencies you are reproducing for any particular instrument in your PA, and which you are trying to avoid and limit......and you have to do that with either a mic or a DI.
 
#73
taurus1 said:
sounds like you gig at a very low level if that's the kind of engineers you work with. most I work with blow me away with their knowledge, I respect them.
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A good engineer (you know, the kind at your level ;) ) knows how to work with a mic for a bass cab. Guys at my "low level" tend to have a varying degree of knowledge about their gear and their craft.
 
#74
taurus1 said:
bass players (you know, the kind at your level ;)) usually work with professional engineers. seems odd that you'd run across so many inadequate engineers, you know ;), for someone at your level.;)
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I play local bars and venues. Some are pros, some aren't. Many times, I run my own. The fact is that issues with HPFs and gates arise whether you mic or di, even though they may present differently. Those same issues also arise with any instruments, just at different frequencies. Asking for a mic is not an "unreasonable demand".
 
#76
"Mices" is not a word. It's "Meeces," as in:

3qjudu.jpg
 
#77
guy n. cognito said:
I play local bars and venues. Some are pros, some aren't. Many times, I run my own. The fact is that issues with HPFs and gates arise whether you mic or di, even though they may present differently. Those same issues also arise with any instruments, just at different frequencies. Asking for a mic is not an "unreasonable demand".
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I (we, imo) have already gone overboard with this, I'm going to bow out and let the experts carry on.
you're welcome.
 
#80
thanks for the infos.

My friend is a very good and experienced bass player and he tells me if the sound guy is not willing to mic it, my second best option is to go with the head DI output, post EQ.

he claims it will beat the hell out of every crappy DI I can encounter at venues.

opinions?
 

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