mics for bass

[behndy]

the 57 + Beta52 sounds like a neat trick. i have both of thems. i've just been using the 52 for bass, but i'm a recording NOOB. i've always just lined in to my computer.

[Gone Fission]

I'll suggest something for 5-string and low-tuners if your mic is doing weird things: omni-directional single-pattern condensor mics. Earthworks or other measurement or pencil types, if you select based on a certain logic. Lots of these mics have flat response down to a few Hz. That means that you don't have roll-offs and frequency bumps to do weird things to deal with. Classical recordists who do remotes recording pipe organs think this way to get the low lows. So make sure the frequency response goes down to 10 Hz or lower and you can go there.

If you want color rather than reproduction, though (with this crowd, very likely), keep looking among dynamic and ribbon mics.

[Ancient Astronaught]

I'll suggest something for 5-string and low-tuners if your mic is doing weird things: omni-directional single-pattern condensor mics. Earthworks or other measurement or pencil types, if you select based on a certain logic. Lots of these mics have flat response down to a few Hz. That means that you don't have roll-offs and frequency bumps to do weird things to deal with. Classical recordists who do remotes recording pipe organs think this way to get the low lows. So make sure the frequency response goes down to 10 Hz or lower and you can go there.

If you want color rather than reproduction, though (with this crowd, very likely), keep looking among dynamic and ribbon mics.

You are correct but to get a condenser that will make this technique worth while you will have to drop quite a bit of loot. If they plan on recording many projects in the future and want to put the money into a good preamp and interface then this is def a suggestion to look into. For the average musician this might be a little out of their league. that is why i suggest the 2 mic method which covers the entire frequency spectrum and allows quite a bit of user control especially when it comes to defining the punch but leaving the lows fat and stuff like that. Also since you can close mic a bass amp much easier than you can a pipe organ, the subkick mic is a great alternative (the wired 6 to 8 inch bass speaker idea mentioned earlier in this post) if you really want to capture the low lows, who needs 10hz frequencies other than horror film and experimental musicians? (for those who don't know 10-12hz cant be "heard" by the human ear but if amplified loud enough it can be "felt" by the human ear causing a confusing effect on the body where it basically confuses the brain because it knows something is there but it can't see or hear it, which horror movie directors use to cause the uneasyness in stressful situations or in places where someone is hiding, i.e. the jaws theme song in the movie theater release had 10hz boosted just to add suspense to the du nuh du nuh.....)

[ural]

I'll suggest something for 5-string and low-tuners if your mic is doing weird things: omni-directional single-pattern condensor mics. Earthworks or other measurement or pencil types, if you select based on a certain logic. Lots of these mics have flat response down to a few Hz. That means that you don't have roll-offs and frequency bumps to do weird things to deal with. Classical recordists who do remotes recording pipe organs think this way to get the low lows. So make sure the frequency response goes down to 10 Hz or lower and you can go there.

If you want color rather than reproduction, though (with this crowd, very likely), keep looking among dynamic and ribbon mics.

Friend of mine is close to Blue Mic company. They made another custom capsule for my Kiwi - more to U47 style. I experimented a bit with this "Kiwi 47" but mostly as room mic. It was OK on bass but nothing spectacular. I think I'll try again.

[ural]

I'll suggest something for 5-string and low-tuners if your mic is doing weird things: omni-directional single-pattern condensor mics. Earthworks or other measurement or pencil types, if you select based on a certain logic. Lots of these mics have flat response down to a few Hz. That means that you don't have roll-offs and frequency bumps to do weird things to deal with. Classical recordists who do remotes recording pipe organs think this way to get the low lows. So make sure the frequency response goes down to 10 Hz or lower and you can go there.

If you want color rather than reproduction, though (with this crowd, very likely), keep looking among dynamic and ribbon mics.

You are correct but to get a condenser that will make this technique worth while you will have to drop quite a bit of loot. If they plan on recording many projects in the future and want to put the money into a good preamp and interface then this is def a suggestion to look into. For the average musician this might be a little out of their league. that is why i suggest the 2 mic method which covers the entire frequency spectrum and allows quite a bit of user control especially when it comes to defining the punch but leaving the lows fat and stuff like that. Also since you can close mic a bass amp much easier than you can a pipe organ, the subkick mic is a great alternative (the wired 6 to 8 inch bass speaker idea mentioned earlier in this post) if you really want to capture the low lows, who needs 10hz frequencies other than horror film and experimental musicians? (for those who don't know 10-12hz cant be "heard" by the human ear but if amplified loud enough it can be "felt" by the human ear causing a confusing effect on the body where it basically confuses the brain because it knows something is there but it can't see or hear it, which horror movie directors use to cause the uneasyness in stressful situations or in places where someone is hiding, i.e. the jaws theme song in the movie theater release had 10hz boosted just to add suspense to the du nuh du nuh.....)

I use to play lot of drone stuff. So I'm interested to get lot of different layers in tracking process to recreate live sound of my 3 full stacks . Idea to try condensers is worth attention.

[Gone Fission]

The point wasn't just condensors but the specific variety of condensor.. Omni pattern on a multi-pattern mic generally has some of the weakest bass of the available patterns. Dedicated omni condensors (the pressure sensitive ones, not pressure-gradient) tend to have flatter and deeper low end response.

[Ancient Astronaught]

The point wasn't just condensors but the specific variety of condensor.. Omni pattern on a multi-pattern mic generally has some of the weakest bass of the available patterns. Dedicated omni condensors (the pressure sensitive ones, not pressure-gradient) tend to have flatter and deeper low end response.

+1 although i was actually surprised by the low end on the cad m179 which is a cheaper end multi pattern condensor with a omni option.

I use to play lot of drone stuff. So I'm interested to get lot of different layers in tracking process to recreate live sound of my 3 full stacks . Idea to try condensers is worth attention.

A stereo pair of omni directional condensors like gone fission mentioned would def help, but the biggest part is going to be the recording space. If you want alot of natural reverb your going to need a bigger space and set the mics further away. Layering that into a mix isn't the easiest task sometimes it's easier to close mic, double the track and apply reverb 100% wet then blend them together, you have alot more control over the tone and ambience this way along with not having to pay alot of money to rent out a huge space to record in. I've also had success with close micing and using a stereo pair of condensors as room mics and doing the double and apply reverb trick to the room mics you can get some massive sounds out of it and if done right can sound very "live" as if you were in a huge stadium, a medieval church, sumerian cave, or just a small club depending on how you voice the reverb and blend. My goal is usually to use the leat amount of mics that will give me the most amount of options. I also do completely digital recordings these techniques are quite a bit harder to pull off if your doing full analog.

[veteransdaypoppy]

I used an Audix D6 with a SM58.. Close-Miked.. sounded pretty groovy, a bit boomy for my taste. Looking forward to pairing the 58 with a Sub-Kick. Just for gits and shiggles. DI tends to sound awesome but I'm trying to move away from plug-ins and more towards the Geoff Emerick approach. He put Paul's bass in the middle of the room and miked it about 6 feet away for a lot of his bass tones on Pepper. Just a thought.

[Chumley]

I've tried a bunch of combinations, and I don't really have a go-to setup. Really depends on what the bass is doing in the mix.
Pencil condenser+57's a cool sound; I use a Mojave MA-101, which has really crisp, present highs, and great low-end depth. On its own on bass it's too clinical and boring, though, and the 57's more detailed mids combine with it really well.
Kick mic, we have a 52, and a ribbon, in this case a 121, is a weird sound, but it worked great a couple times. Lotta thump, huge amounts of body, could bring it right up in the mix without it overwhelming things. Was WAY too muddy in busier mixes, though.

In general I try to avoid going DI with bass, unless you're doing it through a crunchy pre or somesuch. I dunno why, it just never seems to mix as easily as a mic'd amp.

[Baxandall]

I usually mix a direct signal with a mic'd bass signal. I have found that that CAD Equitek E-100 is awesome at capturing the amplified bass guitar.

[RR Bigman]

I love the sound of DI+mic, but I've noticed that I tend to get a lot of phase cancellation on the low end if I don't pay attention. Not really a problem, just something to watch out for. (though maybe I just play with the polarity switch too much )

[Baxandall]

I'll watch for that. I've never had that problem yet. It's good to get that kind of stuff sorted during placement and testing.

[ural]

I love the sound of DI+mic, but I've noticed that I tend to get a lot of phase cancellation on the low end if I don't pay attention. Not really a problem, just something to watch out for. (though maybe I just play with the polarity switch too much )

then Little Labs IPB should be your friend

[Gone Fission]

I love the sound of DI+mic, but I've noticed that I tend to get a lot of phase cancellation on the low end if I don't pay attention. Not really a problem, just something to watch out for. (though maybe I just play with the polarity switch too much )

then Little Labs IPB should be your friend

Original IPB, not the Jr., and you've also got a great active DI. I think there's a UAD plugin version, too, if you've got that system and a DI.

[bigchiefbc]

I'm bumping this because now that I'm finally rocking a tube head, I'm gonna need a good mic (no more DI for me, FUCK YEAH).

I've looked up the Beta 52 and the AKG D112, and a bunch of the other kickdrum mics, and the problem is that they all have a really big mid scoop, which is definitely not for me. So I'm trying to see if anyone knows of a mic that have relatively flat mids, but also doesn't roll off the lows. Any ideas?