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Double Bass Micing with a bass amp
- Thread starter Mandobassman
- Start date
So I've used the RS Mic now on three gigs successfully so I decided to make a semi permanent mount.
The mounting arm is a "reusable flexible twist tie" from home depot. Its basically a small solid steel wire dipped in rubber. I cut a thin strip of electrical tape to mount the mic to the arm. Then bent everything into place. A small piece of rolled up weather stripping holds the mic in the f-hole and acts as a shock absorber I guess.
I had a 1/4 jack soldered on, then just neatly zip tied everything in place. I used another piece of foam between the tailpiece and jack/battery compartment. I velcro cable tie hold the excess wire in place behind the tailpiece.
The mounting arm is a "reusable flexible twist tie" from home depot. Its basically a small solid steel wire dipped in rubber. I cut a thin strip of electrical tape to mount the mic to the arm. Then bent everything into place. A small piece of rolled up weather stripping holds the mic in the f-hole and acts as a shock absorber I guess.
I had a 1/4 jack soldered on, then just neatly zip tied everything in place. I used another piece of foam between the tailpiece and jack/battery compartment. I velcro cable tie hold the excess wire in place behind the tailpiece.
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Looks great. Surprised that you have it on the low side of the ff as I found my bass sounded best when it was at the top of the ff. But ya know what they say, every bass is different. Congrats on finding a sound reinforcement solution!
I didn't really hear much difference regardless of where I place it in the f-hole. I tried top, middle, then bottom.
I have been playing direct to the PA with it, but I'm going to try to use an amp as a monitor and DI that at the next gig. Running the mic through my AI contra sounded good, and no feedback. Of course this was in my practice room and not on a stage with monitors. We will see.
Nice job with the installation. I know every setup is different, but it have been using the mic with only my amp for two years with spectacular results. Virtually no feedback and awesome sound. I actually tried to run through the PA and didn't like it as much. The sound being directly behind me sound so much stronger and really helps the band hear me better.
Another successful gig with the RS mic. This time I ran it into my AI contra and DI to the mains from the contra.
We were playing in a tight space almost in front of the mains. I was almost on top of my amp. No feedback issues. I'm going to buy a spare.
We were playing in a tight space almost in front of the mains. I was almost on top of my amp. No feedback issues. I'm going to buy a spare.
That's awesome. I just got home from a gig tonight. This is a monthly gig that we do in a local restaurant that we've been playing at for a couple of years now. It's a very tight space. All acoustic and we use a couple of large diaphragm condensers for vocals and one instrument. Nearly in line with the main speakers and my bass amp is about one foot behind my butt while I'm playing. Every month I'm amazed at how full my bass sounds and how much volume I get with not a hint of feedback. We've also done quite a few wedding receptions in large halls and I'm still able to get a ton of volume without feedback. The clip in the mic holder broke a couple of months ago and I was going to fix it but never got around to it. So the mic is just hanging loose inside the f hole. Amazingly, it hasn't change the sound at all.
A couple of times I have thought about blending the mic with a pickup to see how it would sound, then I have another night like tonight where the bass sounds so good that I figure, why bother.
This Radio Shack mic continues to amaze me.
A couple of times I have thought about blending the mic with a pickup to see how it would sound, then I have another night like tonight where the bass sounds so good that I figure, why bother.
This Radio Shack mic continues to amaze me.
Heres a recent gig. Radio Shack direct to recorder. This is my good bass (carved) - the only thing I don't like about the mic inside the bass is that (on a carved bass) you can get a gymnasium effect. Not so noticeable through the amp/speaker but is when direct to the recorder. Don't really have this prob on plys.
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Phantoms of the Opry is one bada$$ honky tonkin' outfit! Thanks for posting your tunes.
Audio technica Atr 3350
you said you tried this lapel mic for double bass... did it work could you post a sound excerpt on soundcloud or youtube.... I was just thinking the same thing and just ordered it, and made a mount that points under the fingerboard... im still waiting on it.... but I also ordered 12 piezo elements to experiment with.... would it make since to make a blend knob to blend the two???
you said you tried this lapel mic for double bass... did it work could you post a sound excerpt on soundcloud or youtube.... I was just thinking the same thing and just ordered it, and made a mount that points under the fingerboard... im still waiting on it.... but I also ordered 12 piezo elements to experiment with.... would it make since to make a blend knob to blend the two???
Sorry I cannot I was actually an upright newb and honestly can provide next to 0 advice though I can say I don't see how it can be any worse than the radio shack one.
i'd order the dpa 4099B and the realist under bridge and blend the two, but that's to pricey for me...
when I record in my makeshift studio I use a large diaphragm condencer and a piezo element blended and use some NY compression... really compress the crap out of it and blend back in the uncompressed signal
when I record in my makeshift studio I use a large diaphragm condencer and a piezo element blended and use some NY compression... really compress the crap out of it and blend back in the uncompressed signal
I don't think you'd want an omnidirectional mic for feedback reasons. Cardioid or hypercardioid would make more sense.
I got to thinking the same thing.... But it's too late now!!! I'll c how it works if I can make a custom wind screen and eq out feed back ... Some low end feed back might just boost lows but highs might make it squeal
Feedback isn't really going to help you. Also, having the microphone mounted where you have it on the bridge may allow vibrations to get to the capsule of the mic and also steal energy from the bridge that should go to the bass's top. Bleed from nearby instruments or stage monitors may become an issue too with an omni microphone. Me thinks you will have some work ahead of you with this setup.
The lavalier mics (including the RS mic) people are using are omni directional. They aren't sensitive to pick up bleed from other stuff on stage. That's part of the beauty of this low tech approach.
Most people stuff them in their f though. In this case, it is outside in the open. Depending on s/n levels, gaining up the mic outside the bass will raise the level of everything else it is picking up. If the bass is quiet the s/n ratio may become an issue. Personally, I wouldn't use an omni mic outside the bass on stage with a loud band as it is just begging for attention in the middle of a song.
