how do i mic bass?

cliff richard

cliff richard

New member
a friend of mine is going to add some bass to some of my tracks, this will be my first attempt at micing bass so to be honest i have no idea. he has a behringer bx300 amp, so do i mic the amp or not? or do i do both? the mics i have are a rode nt2 condenser, shure sm 57, and an ev n/d767. also i have an RNC, but do i need to add compression?

cheers!!!
 
it depends on the sound your after... if you have two tracks to spare perhaps send the di to one and a mic (i would use the nt2) to the other, then mix to taste... you may want to compress, especially the di channel, the amp might provide a certain level of compression of its own... di woud be the easiest way, and i'm pretty sure those behringer amps have a di recording output
 
I agree with dr.colossus I would use one track for the DI and one with the NT2. I usually use compression on my Bass tracks, of course that depends on the bass player. The bass players I am used to playing with are like slap bassists. They like to get on the bass a bit. That is why compression is good. I would just be careful with the compression on the bass on the way in. You don't want to compress too much. Trust your ears.
 
when you mic it, don't forget to put the mic several inches from the cab (experiment a bit). A bass will lose much of it's low end when you put the mic to the baffle as you would with a guitar amp.(bass sounds have longer waves!)
 
BrettB said:
when you mic it, don't forget to put the mic several inches from the cab (experiment a bit). A bass will lose much of it's low end when you put the mic to the baffle as you would with a guitar amp.(bass sounds have longer waves!)
Click to expand...

Misinformation. Yes, low-frequencies do have longer wavelengths. That has nothing at all to do with how far away the mic should be.
 
I've heard this wavelength point made before though, and I don't dismiss the theory that you should therefore back off the mic a bit to allow low bass energy to 'develop.'

True or not, it sounds like good policy to have the mic backed off a bit for more cabinet resonance; what you lose perhaps in 'immediacy' and punch, you gain in having some dimension to the bass, compared to plain old DI only. Having the two to play with makes for lots of flexibility.
 
I've always had the best result going DI, but if you have the tracks to spare trying a mic track won't hurt anything.

I know about the bass wavelengths being longer and traveling further than high frequency, but I have never heard about backing the mic off to take advantage of this. Are there any experts who can give more info on this?
 
I always used to mic and use the compressor on the amp, but it wan't good. Now that I have a mic preamp I use it as a di and it's all under control. Smooth, so smooth I'm not mic'ing anymore unless it's a harder band sound, but I'd still DI it also if I had the free track.
 
AGCurry said:
Misinformation. Yes, low-frequencies do have longer wavelengths. That has nothing at all to do with how far away the mic should be.
Click to expand...

It is my personal experience that placing the mic a few inches of the cab give way better results on a bass guitar.
 
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