Audio Technica ATM35 for upright bass: Any tips?

[AjD]

Just got a nice ATM35 off eBay (with the little gooseneck clip). Any tips on using these for upright bass - placement, wrap it in foam, etc.? I've been doing the foam-wrapped 421 under the bridge trick, but wanted to try something a bit different.

FYI, I'm recording indie-folk, country, jazz, alt-country, that sort of thing - all-in-one-room (old school style w/baffles, etc.) and full-kit drums. Looking to get a bit more isolation with the ATM35 (anyone try putting it in the f-hole with any success?).

Best,
Adam

[Subsonic]

I happen to play upright bass, and I have an ATM35, so I guess that makes me qualified to answer this question!

The ATM 35 was actually my very first mic I ever bought, with the thought of using it in live situations to mix with my pickup signal. To be honest, I never really got the sound I was looking for live, but I think it could work well in certain situations. I bought it because I learned that Ray Brown, the great jazz bassist, used it on a few live records, so I figured it was a good place to start.

I would suggest you try one of two things: Either clamping it to the g-string side f-hole, and miking there, or clamping it on the edge of the tailpiece closest to the bridge, and positioning the mic directly over the bridge between the middle two strings. I have always had to use the low cut on the mic as well or it is way too boomy. You don't normally listen to the upright bass two inches from the instrument, so an additional mic a foot or two away might help solidify the sound. I would, however, avoid clamping the mic directly on the bridge, as this could reduce the sound transfer from the bridge to the body by muting the bridge.

Of course this all depends on the instrument and the player. My bass is a 175 year old carved german bass, so it has a real thick warm sound. Actually a little too bassy and not enough definition for many recording applications. If you're miking a plywood bass, like most rockabilly and bluegrass basses, they might be naturally thinner sounding, in which case everything I just said is probably the reverse of what you would want to do.

I think the bottom line is you need to experiment a bit to get this sounding right, as the upright bass sound varies significantly from instrument to instrument. Good luck...

[AjD]

Thanks Subsonic... that's helpful. I, too, view micing upright bass (especially in a live recording context) as a constantly changing experience - depends on the player, the bass, the context of other instruments in the room, and so forth. I'm pretty much resigned to the fact that it will always be a challenge!

I usually also throw a 4033 out front, 18 inches or so. Helps with the body. Then of course I use room omnis to capture the whole band sound - upright and everything else. At least I don't have to worry about the room changing - I'm always recording in the same location (my studio's live room). But other than that, it might as well be a remote recording.

I'd love to find a way to get just a bit more isolation on my close mic - I'm hoping the ATM35's polar pattern will help.

Adam

[bongo]

I've used it extensively until I built an addition on my studio which allowed me to put the bass player in their own room. I still use it for live gigs as well. I attach it to the bridge and put it under the strings as was mentioned in the earlier post.

Several bass players that came through the studio ended up buying one for their own use.

There is a thread on this forum called "Recording an upright bass still a PITA". There are two samples of two different live recordings that I did with the ATM 35 the bass.

[AjD]

Bongo, thanks for the reply... I was part of that earlier "PITA" thread. Your ATM35 praise (and clips) helped sell me on getting one.

I'm guessing it will also be a useful general purpose mic (fiddle perhaps).

Adam

[Jungle Jazz]

I recently got an ATM35 for use on upright bass myself and am curious about how others using this mic on bass place it. Also, do you use it with the foam windscreen in place, or do you take that off? I've found that it is a clearer signal without the windscreen, but that you have to find some other way of attaching the capsule to the clamp, like using rubber bands, which might not be ideal. I'm curious to try one of those DPA string mounts with the ATM35 capsule to see if it would work.

Bongo, when you say you put it under the strings, how exactly do you do that? How did you place it for that Keith Jarrett/Gary Peacock recording? (Any pix?)

Also, does anyone know of any kind of mini-xlr to regular-xlr adapter that could work with this mic? I don't want to have to use the powerpack if I'm going to use phantom power anyway. Thanks.

[bongo]

Originally Posted by Jungle Jazz

Bongo, when you say you put it under the strings, how exactly do you do that? How did you place it for that Keith Jarrett/Gary Peacock recording? (Any pix?)

I just clamped on the side of the bridge and positioned the gooseneck until it faced the bass. The windscreen was on. I was figuring it was acting as a shockmount.

[Jungle Jazz]

Thanks, Bongo. I've tried to mount the mic on the side of the bridge, but it isn't working for me. The bridge is too thick for the clamp at that point. I can get it just to the left of the G string (player's perspective) but not really on the side of the bridge. I'll keep working with it and see what I come up with.