I had the opportunity on a studio session when my band was on a label to try out a bunch of different microphones. The sennheiser 421 was my favorite. For a cheaper alternative I actually recommend the regular (not the beta) shure 58.
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Need help picking out Bass Microphone...
- Thread starter Bassworship1
- Start date
Are you using just the mic or blending it with a DI? If just the mic you may want to go with a kick drum mic like a beta 52, telefunken M82 or similar. Will give you a little fuller low end.
421 is pretty much an industry standard. telfunken m80.... Yamaha mz204.... am 57... and decent dynamic mic will work. depends on what you want out of the signal.
Also for those of you into recording the Audio Technica AE2500 makes one heck of a guitar amp mic. Also works great live. (Also, Micing is perfectly acceptable in the pro audio world.)
421 is pretty much an industry standard. telfunken m80.... Yamaha mz204.... am 57... and decent dynamic mic will work. depends on what you want out of the signal.
Also for those of you into recording the Audio Technica AE2500 makes one heck of a guitar amp mic. Also works great live. (Also, Micing is perfectly acceptable in the pro audio world.)
I have experimented with a ton of microphones on bass cabs. IMO
the AKG D112 is a really solid choice.
For one thing, it reproduces lows better than a lot of dynamic mics I’ve tried, such as the sm57. It also handles really high sound pressure levels. It’s nearly impossible to overload it. And overall, i just like the way it sounds on bass, compared to other mics I’ve tried.
57s, ime, aren’t that great for bass guitar on their own, because they don’t really reproduce low bass very well. Which is why they’re great for
guitar. Though they can sound good in combination with a DI and/or other mics on bass. IMO/IME/YMMV and all that.
the AKG D112 is a really solid choice.
For one thing, it reproduces lows better than a lot of dynamic mics I’ve tried, such as the sm57. It also handles really high sound pressure levels. It’s nearly impossible to overload it. And overall, i just like the way it sounds on bass, compared to other mics I’ve tried.
57s, ime, aren’t that great for bass guitar on their own, because they don’t really reproduce low bass very well. Which is why they’re great for
guitar. Though they can sound good in combination with a DI and/or other mics on bass. IMO/IME/YMMV and all that.
Jon Button from The Who and Roger Daltrey has been using a Heil PR30. I have the PR40, and while I think it's killer, I have to back off the grill a couple inches otherwise the low end is crazy. The PR30 tames that low end down a bit...would love to try it.
Ehhh... I wouldn't use a 58 or a 57 to mic a bass cabinet UNLESS there was also a DI to carry some of the 60-80hz stuff that those mic's just don't "hear."
I also wouldn't go for one of these either. Kick mics are good for kick drums, but not so great for bass guitar. They tend to be pretty scooped, EQ wise. Check out the Beta 52s freq. response chart and you'll see it's not great at picking up 200-1khz. There's a ton of stuff bass guitar needs in those frequencies. That being said, the AKG D112 isn't too shabby for bass guitar. It's definitely scooped, but not as aggressively as most kick drum mics
If you've got a little bit of cash to spend, the Heil PR40 is really great.
This is my recommendation too if your sold on using a mic. As a lot of people suggest a direct out from your amp or a DI box is an easier solution and should work just fine.
do you just mean you've never had to run your bass rig through the PA before or do you specifically mean you've never tried an actual mic on a speaker?
if the former, don't worry about all that, just run the DI out, it'll sound great.
if the latter, what kind of cabs are you using and do they have treble horns? 'cause if they have horns and the sound you prefer has the horns as part of it, mic'ing the speaker will fail to get the treble from the horn into the signal. bass cab mic'ing usually happens with tweeterless cabs and a more lo-fi rock tone overall.
most folks recommend more of a "floor tom mic", something that handles the SPL and has the low end but isn't heavily pre-scooped like most actual kick mics. 421, audix D4, that kind of thing.
(and i also tend to write "mic'ing", seems more grammatically correct since it's short for "microphone")
Gotta agree with Reed. Go direct. Recording? Now that’s a whole ‘nother baby. I haven’t heard much good sounding live bass lately and it seems like the more focused sound you can give the sound guy the better. All that said, buy an re20 and experiment. Everyone has 57s, 58s and D112. You can borrow those. The ev can be used for voice overs, kick drums and recording.
CB: unless I missed it, you didn't mention your budget. If you are looking for the absolute best (IMO) for miking a bass cab, I recommend the Heil PR-40 (the one JimmyM mentioned). It is, IMO, hands down the best mic for that application. The EV RE20 is a close second, IMO.
If your budget is tight, you can go with some of the choices mentioned by other TB'ers in this thread.
But whatever you do, do *NOT* go with a mic that is specifically designed for a kick drum. If you do your research, you will discover why that is. (Google is your friend!)
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I have a Shure 57 that does a good job with my old Fender Bassman. When I'm using the Mesa/Epifani rig it sounds better if I just go direct.
I really like my Audix D4. A little boost overall in the frequencies, but it is a Hypercardiod. It's going to reject a bunch of noise on stage. It captures the sound of your cab really well.
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