Studio Projects Sucks!

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I started reading this thread because I have an SP tb1 - and was really impressed with it initially - but while I still think it is pretty good value and has done some good work for me - I've had the edge taken of it for me recently -so I was looking for what I thought may be some suggestions as to where the best uses for this mic would be - I then started reading largely for the amusement value-and bewilderment value - though I wasn't sure if recordingpro's joke had worn a bit thin -

Then I discovered Harvey Gerst had put up some mp3's of recordings he'd done of acoustic bass using a Behringer mic , pointed at the floor !! - I had read of this technique from previous posts from Harvey ( usually in the context of " sometimes a cheap mic can really be just the thing" )- and I even considered getting one of these mics and giving it a try - This is a topic of concern to me - as I play and record accoustic bass. SO I was really interested to hear it -

Accoustic bass is difficult to record -and let me say the bass I heard on the mp3 was nicely done - it did the work required of the bass in the musical context of the song being recorded - but I did think that it lacked the character that the double bass can have -it may have been the instrument -or it may have been the behringer mic-I'd be interested to hear comments from others (particularly Harvey ) - I noticed at least a couple of people here asking for some suggestions on double bass recording .

Now - unlike some folks who have not been prepared to be judged - yet insist on doing plenty themselves - I'm putting a link to a soundclick page to a band I play with- This is trad /swing jazz band -some of the guys in this band are in their 70's and the woman who sings and plays cornet is 78

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pageartist.cfm?bandID=509034 So everyone is able to hear my recordings of my bass -this is homerecording (with the exception of one recording ) -the double bass tracks (indeed all musicians ) were all recorded "live in the loungeroom" .

And for the interest of those who are following the sp mics debate - I used the TB1 somewhere on most - not all tracks - So I'm prepared for anyone to post their comments -I'm not going to say at this stage on which tracks the sp mic was used - but if people are interested I'll post the info after some comments -I'm welcome to hear whether the sp mic sucks or my bass sucks ! to use recpro's language !!



http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pageartist.cfm?bandID=509034
 
rossM said:
Then I discovered Harvey Gerst had put up some mp3's of recordings he'd done of acoustic bass using a Behringer mic , pointed at the floor !! - I had read of this technique from previous posts from Harvey ( usually in the context of " sometimes a cheap mic can really be just the thing" )- and I even considered getting one of these mics and giving it a try - This is a topic of concern to me - as I play and record accoustic bass. SO I was really interested to hear it -

Accoustic bass is difficult to record -and let me say the bass I heard on the mp3 was nicely done - it did the work required of the bass in the musical context of the song being recorded - but I did think that it lacked the character that the double bass can have -it may have been the instrument -or it may have been the behringer mic-I'd be interested to hear comments from others (particularly Harvey ) - I noticed at least a couple of people here asking for some suggestions on double bass recording.
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And that's a good point. If I were recording jazz, I would have used a far different mic positioning, and maybe the Behringer wouldn't have been the best mic in the new position. I wasn't looking for a deep, woody-sounding bass in a bluegrass recording. I wanted a lot more string slap.

If I had moved the mic more out front and lower down on the body, it would have been a lot closer to the sound you're looking for. In 1961, I had the honor or recording Wellman Braud (look up his credits on allmusic.com) and any mic woulda worked with him.
 
I found an awesome site dedicated to A/B-ing mics. Tehy have a lot, and I have to say I can hear the "coloring" of the SP mics. Course that's compared to the Neumans. But listening to all of them, I lilke the sound of the behr's (ARGHH!) pretty well for budget mics.


http://www.thelisteningsessions.com/home.htm
 
Harvey - thanks for the reference to Wellman Braud - I now know he was in the bass chair in the Ellington orchestra before Blanton - and I have to say - I had not really looked too much at any bassists before Blanton ( as he is where most people sort of start from today in the lineage of jazz bassists ) - I read up a couple of articles on him - Its great to have a bit of a link to the tradition alive and well through the medium of the HR bulletin board -

The folks who chat on TalkBass would be interested to hear of your experience of recording Wellman Braud - SO if you were to put up a few lines - I'll undertake to copy and relay them to the Talk Bass community- Now lets see -Harvey -you didn't use a Behringer mic on this guy did you !! In fact -in those days there probably wasnt a mic specifically for the bass (or was there ? ) - I still think that some of the absolutely best examples of recorded sound are from those days -the classic Rudy van gelder recordings or on the west coast - the recordings from Contemporary -eg Art Pepper meets the rythmn section (in this case Mile Davis's -Paul Chambers , Philly jo Jones , Red Garland , 1957 )

I'd be really happyto get a fraction of that sort of sound !

And , of course , what you say is right (and shown by those recordings ) context is what counts - its all about making the whole musical performance -well..... -musical .
 
Well, keep in mind that this was recorded live off the Bogen mixer in 1961, using 2 EV664's (I think). No nothing added. I don't even remember having a mic on Wellman, just a vocal mic for Barbara Dane and one for Kenny Whitson on piano.



Also keep in mind that Wellman Braud was 75 years old when this was recorded (he died not too long after these recordings).

And somewhere, I have some old stereo recordings I did of a very young Charlie Haden when he was playing with Bob Dorough (piano), Freddie Gruber (drums), and Ornette Coleman (sax) at a nightclub in El Monte after hours.
 
wellman Braud

Thanks for the link to this recording - It is an absolute joy ! What other gems have you got tucked away there? apart from Charlie Haden ? - I have suggested some of the bass players come over and have a listen - and it really is a great recording - it just has all the flavour and texture of the style and the time -Thanks greatly !
 
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