Originally Posted by BluegrassDan  I tend to approach miking an upright bass (plucked) like the old timers did. Get down on your hands and knees and LISTEN WITH YOUR EAR.
An upright bass will have different notes that will sound louder than others. It is important to find a miking location where the volume and tone of each individual note is consistent.
A good place to start listening is out in front of the bridge. Listen with one ear, above, below, and to the sides of the bridge area. Find a place where it sounds like what you would like the finished product to sound. A louder bass may sound better farther out in front - say, 12" in front of the bridge, a quieter one maybe closer to 4". It all depends on where the sound seems to fully develop.
The f-holes are USUALLY to be avoided. There is a lot of air moving in front of the f-hole that will likely over-modulate the mic capsule. It may sound muddy, undefined, uneven, and distorted. Beware the f-hole (USUALLY).
I do not like miking the fingerboard. Blending two mics will only create phase issues and may cause problems during mixing. And I understand the fingerboard "attack sound" of hearing the fingers plucking the strings that many engineers desire. However, in order to hear this attack the levels need to be brought up close to the levels of other instruments - which may fight for space. The resulting finished sound is like standing in a room full of the musicians and singers, with your ear next to the bass players fingers. It never sounds "real" to me. One mic - around the bridge - will give you TONS of transient punch, thump, attack, and tone of the upright bass - and hopefully sound more "REAL" than using multiple mics.
I love to use a figure-8 pattern, large diaphragm tube condenser, on a bass. Here's why...
1. There's a lot of unwanted "muddiness" resonating from the body of the bass - usually from the f-holes, the lower part of the body, reflections from the floor, etc. Use the off-axis of the figure-8 to reject this muddiness.
For example: Position the mic where the sound is best (let’s just assume that it is 10” in front of the bridge). Point one side of the figure-8 towards the bridge and angle it a few degrees slightly upward to get some string "attack" from the right hand. The other side of the figure-8 will be facing outward and slightly downward.
The off-axis of the figure-8 pattern can now be used to help reject those “nasty”, “muddy” unusable lows emitting from the f-holes, and especially the lower part of the bass body and floor reflections! This can help clean up your mix, greatly alleviate your EQing nightmare!
2. Figure-8 patterns boost proximity effect - fattening the low end frequencies.
A GREAT tool for making the bass sound punchy, full, and just totally awesome in your mix.
I have had great success with the Rode K2 multi-pattern tube mic set to figure-8. (You’ll want to trade out the stock Russian tube to something better, like a NOS Mullard or Siemens).
The above technique usually works great in most cases. However, all basses and players are different. I remember one particular instance where the best place to mic was at the upper-right bout (opposite of the player), facing inwards and aimed to a point underneath the fingerboard. Nowhere near the bridge and totally against “textbook” rules of bass miking! Another time using two pencil condensers in phase, wrapped in foam, and stuffed between the tailpiece and body was the prescription.
It is difficult to “fix” an upright bass after the fact. You need to get it from the source. Take as much time as you need to make it sound like music!
This “longwinded” explanation is all my humblest opinion. Good luck and try some stuff! |