Studio Projects B1/B3 Usage

[buck78]

I am about to embark on my first meaty (ie...something other than myself) recording project. I will be recording a four piece bluegrass band (banjo/2 guitars/electric bass). This is the perfect excuse to buy a few new mics and I am looking at the B1 and B3.

I have a Boss BR-532 and it's limited to recording two tracks at a time. I need to isolate (to a degree) the banjo from the rest of the instruments. So this is what I am thinking.

The bass will be overdubbed after each live take is recorded. I want to have both the guitarists singing and playing into a B3 set to figure 8. So they would basically be facing each other. Then I would set up the banjo player with a B1 to sing and play into. This would be positioned perpendicular to the B3, in what I will assume is the dead spot on figure 8. By throwing a make shift gobo between them, will I have a fair amount of isolation?

Also will the B series of mics be suitable for this application. By this application I mean, acoustic instruments and singing at the same time. I want a flat/neutral mic, and that's what they say the B series is. I have already exchanged emails with Alan and now I thought I would pose the question to the group.

Thanks

buck

 

[buck78]

43 Views so far, but no replies. Does anyone out there own a B1/B3 that I can at least bounce a few questions off of?

buck

 

[Fab4ever]

I have no experience with the B-3 or with figure-8 recording. But I do have a B-1, and I can tell you it's a pretty darn neutral, useable mic for the price.

I tracked a male vocalist with a strong baritone-y voice with a B-1 and my V-67G, which gets a lot of praise around here, and we both preferred the B-1 track. (This was recorded in a spare bedroom with only a couple blankets for sound damping, so YMMV.)

I've also messed around with recording acoustic guitar with the B-1, and while it's not as nice as the MXL 603S, it's not bad at all, clearly better than the V-67, which seems to be tailored to vocal use.

Fab

 

[alanhyatt]

There will be a string of professioanl magazine reviews coming up. In the meantime, there is a TB-1 review Here

 

[freshmattyp]

I have a brand new B3 that I used this weekend for the first time with my band. I set the pattern on omni, set the mic about chest level and the three of us stood at 3, 6and 9 (with 12 o'clock being the audience). We have 2 guitars and stand up bass in the band, and the instruments and vocals came out balanced nicely. We rely alot on 3 part harmony, and the vocals came out sounding clear. I' think your proposed setup will work pretty well.

 

[buck78]

Thanks for the reply. this is exactly what I wanted to hear. Alan did you hear the cash register ring?

 

[zbert]

If it still helps I just did a vocal take with the following 3 mics
AT 3035
MXL 67G
Studio Projects B1
I have a lousy lead voice but the B1 surprised me. I little better than the 67G. I didn't like my voice with the 3035.
I also used the B1 as a tom mic and in front of the kick (about 3 feet in front really) Great results each time. This may be the $79 mic since the SM57.