Help me mic my Chapman Stick amp/cab (audio clip inside)

J

jeak

New member
I've been trying to capture the fullness of a new custom Fargen amp I got for my Chapman Stick. It's a 50W all-tube 1x10 combo with a 1x15 extension cabinet. It fills a room nicely, but I'm having trouble recording it. It has a direct out, but it makes the amp sound thin. (For anyone not familiar with the Stick, it has a huge range. It's like a 5-string bass with a low B, plus a guitar, all in one instrument.)

Last night I was messing around with mics. I used my only two mics: a really old Radio Shack dynamic on the 15" cab and a new EV ND767a vocal mic on the 10" combo speaker. Both close to the grille. I combined them with the direct signal.

It all sounds like this. The performance is improvised, live in the studio, no overdubs, just me and the Stick and a few pedals.

I like the result, but it seems like a lot of technical messing around. Is there an easier way? A better mic or mics? I know it's not common to mic bass cabs, but with this rig, it seems to make sense, especially in combination with the direct line. I don't know how else to capture the 3-D sound of the amp and cab.

My budget is modest. I was thinking about just getting another EV ND mic (like a 367s) or maybe a Sennheiser E609 cab mic. I've read about the Shure SM7 as a nice deep, full mic. It's out of my price range right now, but I'd be willing to save up for one if it would help my Stick rig.

Thanks for any help.
 
One idea I would say would be to use a nice ldc for a room mic. You said the amp fills the room nicely. Many people use just a dynamic mic, but also, a lot of people tend to use some kind of condenser, preferably an ldc, out further in the room. I'd say maybe 3-feet away as a starting point and move it closer or further until you find what you like. Use that in conjuction with maybe just an sm57, and maybe get yourself an AKG D112 or beta 52 to bring out the bassier end in the amp and you should be able to get a nice sound out of it.
 
Ah, nice idea. Thanks. I'll check out the D112 and the Beta 52. I've heard of them but never used them. I should say that my recording room (bedroom) is not the best. The rig seems to sound better in larger spaces like the coffeehouse I normally gig at. Maybe I'll try recording the amp in the living room with the LDC idea. Thanks again.
 
If its bottom end you want maybe a CAD m179 ldc. Cheap and its response goes down to like 10hz. Sounds good on like a jillion other things too! If I was in your position and my only other mic was a pretty nice dynimic like the 767, the m179 would be my next buy. I have a pair and they dont really do anything badly. They are always $199, but can sometimes be found new for as little as $160. Not to seem spammy (but being a good low-freq mic this seems appropriate), I have an ATM25 up on ebay right now for $110 BIN + $10 shipping. The ATM25 is a great bass cab mic in the vein of the beta 52 and the d112. Maybe even a bit more flexible than those too. Do some searches to see what its all about. I just won a beyer m99 and my wife is gonna kill me if I dont put some money back, and they both kinda do the same thing bass wise. Seems like the m99 might be a little more like the re20 in the high end though which is why I'm getting it, although like the sm7 and the re20 its quite a bit more moola. Heres the link if you wanna peek at the atm25:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7404751076&rd=1&sspagename=STRK:MESE:IT&rd=1
 
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