Recording Barefaced BB2 Cab.

I've always mic'd the BB2, Fearless, fEarFul, etc. multi-driver cabs by placing the mic exactly in the middle of the cab, roughly a foot in front of the grill. More distance increases room noise. Less distance might accentuate the woofer or tweeter. Actual distances will vary depending on type of microphone, room acoustics, etc.

You can use whatever mic you prefer. My favorite is the Peluso 22 251 large diaphragm condenser. I've also used a stereo configuration of Telefunken M60 small diaphragm condensers, and others. If you do a "multi-mic" session, be sure to position the capsules about the same distance from the grill to maintain phase alignments.

Finally, after lots of experimentation, it's still a heck of a lot easier to use a good DI! The main people who care about micing BB2 are its owners and potential owners!

 

I would use a ribbon mic. I've got a shiny box 46mxc that sounds great and super realistic in front of a bass cab. I agree with Ukiah, about a foot in front of the cab is likely to he your happy spot.

 

Just an FYI, but when setting mics up XY (like you have with your Telefunkens), you want to get the mic capsules aligned vertically so they're as close to on top of each other as possible. The way you have them set up isn't bad, but it could be improved. Here's more info: XY Stereo

 

Both techniques are valid. After all that experimenting, I liked the Telefunken M60s in stereo the best. With cabs like this one, players often comment how they sound "3D" -- and stereo is the best way to inject that depth of field into the sound.

 

The way you have it set up can create phase issues. Also it's not clear what you mean by "stereo" because the XY technique is a stereo configuration. By all means do what sounds best to you, I just wanted to share some information.

 

Don't underestimate the effect of positioning in the room, as well. Experiment not only with where the cab sounds best to your ear in the room, but also where it sounds best on the recording. They might not be the same spot.

A lot of the "3D" or stereo effect is impacted by reverberant sounds. With close mic'ing a cab this effect is diminished, but it's not entirely eliminated.

 

Positioning is good advice. Geoff Emerick of engineering fame at Abbey Road Studios tells in his biography of recording the Beatles of moving McCartney's bass speaker cabinet out into the middle of the studio and micing it there. The position and environment added a distinct "tubbyness" to the tone. They recorded it in the middle of the night when everyone else was gone and there was dead silence.