Cheap mic for electric bass guitar?

[paulneedles]

i use a 57(not too close to avoid bass-boosting proximity effect) or similar to get the high mids and highs, rolling off the low mids and lows on the amp (i tend to use guitar amps rather than bass amps for this purpose) and again at the desk, and use an eq-ed, compressed di to get the low mids and lows. this saves you having phase issues, keeps it nice and even and realistic and allows you to control the character of the sound with the faders once it's set up. make sure and move the mic track into line with the DI, or delay the di a few ms if that's more convenient. the ear doesn't perceive much spatial information from low frequencies for a number of reasons, so i prefer to make the low end as even as possible and let the realism come in from the mic from about 800Hz up. the d112 has a weird frequency curve which can cause you problems with the low end on a bass - i only tend to use it on the inside of kick drums as it does the job there.

[macleod]

i swear by the re20 and the 421 for bass recording, both sound great.

K

[scrubs]

I really like the RE20, but you might want to try a small diaphragm omni (or cardioid) condenser. It will give you more clarity and the omni pattern doesn't exhibit proximity effect, giving you a flatter bass response.

[opium89]

MD421, D112 or an Audix D6 would do the trick. I've never tried it but the RE20 keeps coming up over and over again. There are also some condensers out there that might work for you but I would personally be trying the examples above first.

[Norman Lindsey]

RE20 is a great bass cab mic.

[Nu-tra]

I use an RE20. Find it used if it's to expensive. If you want new get a beta 52

[Alexi]

atm 25........great mic for that purpose

[Tommy Fobia]

Thanks for all the replies!

I usually use the DI to control the top end, but after the suggestion of using a small diaphragm condenser, I'm now thinking of dual mic'ing the cab with a SDC and something along the lines of a re20/atm25/d6.

With a DI that should give me plenty of control.

Thanks guys.

Also I like the guitar amp idea... It reminds me when had trouble with one particular bass sound a while back and I pulled out my old 70's Selmer Treble n' Bass head...

If anyone has one collecting dust in a corner, try a (4-string) bass through it. It gave a flat lifeless bass guitar LOADS of depth and warmth, not to mention lovely valve compression.


Thanks again guys.

[mixerguy]

try a re 20 - might work.

[jeff deff]

RE-20 is my favorite. ATM25 is good. Beyerdynamic M88 or M380 work good too.

[drumkideric]

Sm57 actually seems to work on bass for me. It brings out alot of the string attack do to its frequency response, which I like for some types of music.

[Nu-tra]

The RE20 with akg 451 combo kicks ass on bass. The RE 20 gets the low mids and lows and the 451 gets the high mids and definition