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Double Bass Yet another PU comparison (FC, Realist, Ehrlund, Schatten & mics)

#41
Hey I got half right, not too bad. I'd love to get a chance to compare the Ehrlund to the AKG C411 sometime on couple of basses.
Chris Fitzgerald said:
I did a few comparisons like this a few years back. In hindsight, if I had it to do all over again, I'd run each source through an amp (assuming the comparison was for backline purposes) and simply normalize all tracks to the same volume. Most pickups sound unnatural into the board, and only shine when there's some air involved.
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That's true. In fact I've noticed that piezo pickups often sound better with less "accurate" amps and speakers. Perfect reproduction of tone is usually not what I want in the mid-range with piezos.
 
#42
The Ehrlund contact microphone is awesome, but IMO it sounds best with the preamp as well. If you are getting the contact mic, I definitely suggest getting the preamp. One major difference I notice with the preamp is how it completely eliminates feedback that you would get from drums, etc.
 
#43
Chris Fitzgerald said:
I did a few comparisons like this a few years back. In hindsight, if I had it to do all over again, I'd run each source through an amp (assuming the comparison was for backline purposes) and simply normalize all tracks to the same volume. Most pickups sound unnatural into the board, and only shine when there's some air involved.
Click to expand...

I agree too. My FC sounds a lot better through an amp than direct. Yes the mics probably sound more natural through an amp (or even FOH) but none of the piezos I've used--be it my FC or the Realist on my school's Juzek-- sounded "sterile" through any amp I've used those basses with.
 
#44
That's also my "impression". At first, I thought that most of the sound clips I've heard over the Internet sounded bad because they where recorded direct and had impedance mismatch. When I recorded mine, through my 5 MOhms Headway, I was surprised to hear it wasn't necessarily better. I feel like it sounds way better through my amp! So I tried to reamp my recording to hear the difference, and no matter what I did but can't get it right. I'm no studio engineer but it make sense: I don't know any amps that could make a bad source sound good.

My theory is that when I play my FC through my amp (headway is also first on the chain), I don't hear the source directly but more the room acoustic. Placing a speaker on a pole, lined with the listener's ears, would yield more accurate results as for evaluating sound quality of PU IMO.
 
#45
Adagio said:
That's also my "impression". At first, I thought that most of the sound clips I've heard over the Internet sounded bad because they where recorded direct and had impedance mismatch. When I recorded mine, through my 5 MOhms Headway, I was surprised to hear it wasn't necessarily better. I feel like it sounds way better through my amp! So I tried to reamp my recording to hear the difference, and no matter what I did but can't get it right. I'm no studio engineer but it make sense: I don't know any amps that could make a bad source sound good.

My theory is that when I play my FC through my amp (headway is also first on the chain), I don't hear the source directly but more the room acoustic. Placing a speaker on a pole, lined with the listener's ears, would yield more accurate results as for evaluating sound quality of PU IMO.
Click to expand...

I've had surprisingly useful results running the signal of my FC into my recording interface into Garageband and then using the amp simulators and tone shaping tools in Garageband. The p/u just gives a strong, clean signal, but somewhat honky sounding, that then needs to be molded to sound acceptable. (Similar in concept to solid body guitars that sound bland and boring direct into a hi-fi monitor type system, but sound great through a low-fi , sound altering, guitar tube-amp-combo.)


I'll take points for me in your tests ;). The only one I thought was acceptable recording wise was #1, which is your preferred setup, meaning the one you tweaked enough to make it acceptable. Each of the others ones could sound better, but to do that, you can't treat them all the same.
 

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