recording upright bass

[BrettB]

hi all,

I'm going to record an upright bass for a Tom Waits kinda song.

Any ideas on micing it? Share your experiences, and I will share mine afterwards

 

[Han]

The best results I've had was with a Neumann M149 at some 1' from the bridge. Avoid the F-hole.

Second best was with a MXL V77 and lately I've had very decent results with a SP B1.

If you want more 'slap', put a second mic near the fingerboard and blend to taste.

 

[starch]

The areas han pointed out are a great starting point. Have the performer play the piece to be recorded and move around the instrument and find the spots where the instrument sounds best to you. Then stick a mic there, probabl a large diaphram condenser, and move around until it's what you want.

Good Luck!