Bass Cabinet mic.

B

BroKenSticKs

New member
I'm looking to record a bass cab with a 15 on the bottom and two tens above it. I need to limit it to one mic because of limited tracks. Any mic suggestions?

I'm looking to get a good classic rock sound. Really warm and rumbling but with some punch.
 
BroKenSticKs said:
I'm looking to record a bass cab with a 15 on the bottom and two tens above it. I need to limit it to one mic because of limited tracks. Any mic suggestions?

I'm looking to get a good classic rock sound. Really warm and rumbling but with some punch.
Click to expand...

is it an ampeg? i think we had one of those in a few times this past year.

a 421 is fantastic on bass cabs. when i was 8 track that's what i used most of the time....that or a beyer 834.

the guy i partnered with has a 4047 and that is a great bass mic as well. you can't go wrong with either of em.

now that i'm 24 track i put them both up with a DI and pick later - 90% of the time i've been way digging the 4047...for the really driving stuff the 421 beats it but only by a hair and (you can get the 4047 there with some low end cut)...and if the guy has trouble with chops...i go the DI...and i find the sans amp in SVT mode whups the avalon in that regard.

blab,
Mike
 
I learned a nice little trick that i would not have thought of from a pretty well established producer/engineer once. Try a small diaphragm mic about 12 to 24 inches out from the 10" speaker. Try and track a direct line as well though.
 
ach! i remember you writing that a bit ago here, xstatic...i keep forgetting to try it. i'm writing it down and stickin' it in my wallet!
 
I feel like this is a stupid question, but humor me please... what's the best way to split a signal so you run one direct and another to an amp? A Y-cable? A direct box?

I have a volume pedal with two outs... one is marked "Tuner" (which I assume just bypasses the volume control). I assume this would work, but is it a bad idea for some reason I'm not thinking of?

Thanks!
 
Most DI boxes have a through so you can run a line back to an amp and then of course your balanced "direct" signal from the DI.
 
bigtoe said:
is it an ampeg? i think we had one of those in a few times this past year.

a 421 is fantastic on bass cabs. when i was 8 track that's what i used most of the time....that or a beyer 834.

the guy i partnered with has a 4047 and that is a great bass mic as well. you can't go wrong with either of em.

now that i'm 24 track i put them both up with a DI and pick later - 90% of the time i've been way digging the 4047...for the really driving stuff the 421 beats it but only by a hair and (you can get the 4047 there with some low end cut)...and if the guy has trouble with chops...i go the DI...and i find the sans amp in SVT mode whups the avalon in that regard.

blab,
Mike
Click to expand...
Wht company are these mics? I have a good understanding of recording concepts and stuff but when you mention mics by just the model numbers you lose me. :o

I'm actually the drummer in the band, but i'm going to be renting a whole lot of gear for recording so i will probably be making a few more threads aswell.

I wish i could mic a 10 and the 15 AND run a direct in, but sadly i only have 8 tracks for the whole band and since we're recording it in a live setting i cant use more then one track for the bass. :(
 
BroKenSticKs said:
Wht company are these mics? I have a good understanding of recording concepts and stuff but when you mention mics by just the model numbers you lose me. :o

I'm actually the drummer in the band, but i'm going to be renting a whole lot of gear for recording so i will probably be making a few more threads aswell.

I wish i could mic a 10 and the 15 AND run a direct in, but sadly i only have 8 tracks for the whole band and since we're recording it in a live setting i cant use more then one track for the bass. :(
Click to expand...

Sennheiser MD421
Audio Technica AT4047 (AT 40, 30, or 20 anything is Audio Technica)

But you are working too hard my man. You are using a click track, right? What I often do is put an OH and kick mic on my kit to do the main tracking with the rest of the band and then over dub a more elaboratly mic'd kit, double tracked guitars, triple tracked bass... whatever. The click is the great equalizer in all of this that will allow you to do such things. And really, if you are going for that super live sound (Think the Kinks), more mics will kill that sort of thing and make you too studio sounding anyway. Try just going DI, or better yet get a bass SansAmp. A live recording isn;t the same animal as a studio recording unless you are Yanni. (YIKES!)
 
bubbagump said:
Sennheiser MD421
Audio Technica AT4047 (AT 40, 30, or 20 anything is Audio Technica)

But you are working too hard my man. You are using a click track, right? What I often do is put an OH and kick mic on my kit to do the main tracking with the rest of the band and then over dub a more elaboratly mic'd kit, double tracked guitars, triple tracked bass... whatever. The click is the great equalizer in all of this that will allow you to do such things. And really, if you are going for that super live sound (Think the Kinks), more mics will kill that sort of thing and make you too studio sounding anyway. Try just going DI, or better yet get a bass SansAmp. A live recording isn;t the same animal as a studio recording unless you are Yanni. (YIKES!)
Click to expand...
No click track. I'm a purist. :p

I'm not using very many mics at all.

Drums: 57 on snare, D112 on bass, Two overheads (undecided)

Bass guitar: 1 mic undecided.....hence the thread

Guitar: 1 mic undecided...hence other thread

In addition to that i will be using two room mics to capture the whole band in a stereo image. My goal is to have everything sounding good with just the two room mics...and then use the other mics to tweak everything......i'm hoping it will give me a good live energetic sound. :)
 
YOu may want to forgo the two drum over heads if you are putting up a stereo pair for room ambience. Perhaps a single OH as a spot mic on the drums and let the rooms mics take care of stereo imaging? Otherwise you run the risk of the drum's stereo image being weird if you get carried away with panning and two different stereo pairs. Remember, as you step away from a stereo source, the narrower it will sound. So you could end up with a high hat sounding near center in the room mics and far right in the close OH mics. This makes for a very sloppy and confusing stereo image. The other way to go is a mono room mic set up and let the spot mics make your stereo image when you pan them in mixing.

Your setup sounds so simple... I would keep it that way. You would be surprised what you can do with a few 57s and LDCs or SDCs for overheads/room mics.
 
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