Mic suggestions for acoustic bass, jazz specifically

[Tinfly]

Hey everyone,

I'm looking for a a mic to record acoustic bass
and would like to spend between $900-$1100.
This is for acoustic jazz (modern stuff, not trying to recreate
RVG's bluenote stuff).

Thanks - just wondering about other people's
experience, good and bad. Any info is helpful.

[avare]

You are going to gets tons of opinions. An industry standard, as much as there can be any, is the Electro-voice RE20. About $400 US. Try before you buy. It all about opinion.

Andre

[DavidKakon]

i had a lot of success with an ocatav lomo m3 mic

[rebuskyle]

KM84 is my first choice (of my mics that is). As has been mentioned the RE20 is a good choice as well.

I worked with John Patitucci a few years ago and at that point he traveled with a KM84. He did say that he used a Schoeps (can't remember which model) when he played with Chick Corea and that it was his favorite mic...but that he couldn't afford one.

-Kyle

[Tinfly]

Also (without opening a bigger issue of comparing the two),
has anyone used a M930 or TLM 103 for this specific
application?

[lowfreq33]

I was at a friends session the other day, and he had a Royer 121 on the upright, it sounded reeeeeeeally good.

[stevep]

414 on the neck, U87 on the F hole

you could probably get by with 2 414s under1k$



Im recording a jazz trio next month and i might try a couple qtc40s )

or maybe a r84 on the top and the Pearlman tm1 on the f hole




.

[Kim Bjäle]

+1 for the km84.
I`ve tried the TLM-103 on a jazz/alt country recording four month ago and I liked it (BUT, there are better mics for the application) but I had no choice cause it was a gig outside the studio. My favourite setting is one on the neck and one in the areas of the f-hole. Try a contact mic on the body, that could be fun!

[Grizzly]

I've had good results with an M-300 wrapped in a piece of cloth directly positionned into the bridge, facing upwards, in addition to a condenser facing the neck and a ribbon towards the bottom...

Olivier.

[1979]

m88 wrapped in cloth, bubble wrap, and stuck in the bridge.

[vernier]

Altec 639B Vintage Ribbon Cardioid Microphone Re-ribbon - (eBay item 110201960626 end time Dec-10-07 07:42:33 PST)

[klaukholm]

I would stretch a little and get a schoeps CMC5/6, mk4.
Great for pizz bass.

[doorknocker]

Originally Posted by rebuskyle

KM84 is my first choice (of my mics that is). As has been mentioned the RE20 is a good choice as well.

I worked with John Patitucci a few years ago and at that point he traveled with a KM84. He did say that he used a Schoeps (can't remember which model) when he played with Chick Corea and that it was his favorite mic...but that he couldn't afford one.

-Kyle

Interesting. I don't record upright bass that often and the last time I did it was an electric player that also plays a bit of upright and not a jazz titan......but after a few unsucessful tries with a 414, M-160 and a few other mics I tried a KM 84 not too close to the bass and it worked great. I also added a tad of 60Hz and 10k with a Siemens 295b and went thru an LA-3A as well.

I definitely prefer the one-mic approach for situation like this where I'm not too experienced with a certain instrument. BTW, the Km 84 also worked very well on harpsichord recently, another first for me.....

[Tinfly]

Hmmmmm. I like where this is going. Great suggestions.

Can anyone tell me how different the Km84 and Km184 are?

[syra]

Originally Posted by Tinfly

Hmmmmm. I like where this is going. Great suggestions.

Can anyone tell me how different the Km84 and Km184 are?

Very. KM184 less mids and meat and more upper highs. KM84 warmer, less hyped with an overall more "expensive" sound.

[doorknocker]

Originally Posted by syra

Very. KM184 less mids and meat and more upper highs. KM84 warmer, less hyped with an overall more "expensive" sound.

Yes, there's a low-mid 'smear' to the 184 that I found hard to deal with. The 84 is much more defined and takes EQ very well, the -10db Pad is also very useful.

[Jungle Jazz]

There's been several upright bass threads with lots of good suggestions, especially over in the Remote Possibilities forum. You might want to check there if you haven't already done so.

In my own experience, I like the AT4047, the Shure KSM44, or the Beyer MC930 on upright. The Beyer MC930 is supposed to sound a lot like a KM84, but I've never done any comparisons myself so can't confirm.

[springer]

If you are in studio atmosphere and have seperation I would concur with just about any good cardioid Small Diaphragm Condensor (4011, km84, C480, m300, etc...) about 12"-18" out in front of the strings in between the bridge and the end of the neck.
If live and you have a drummer reigning cymbals down all over it, some figure 8's will give you good side rejection and a little proximity boost in the lower freq's. All in all I think ribbons are great for this as the have an almost dynamic mic rejection quality to them in live situations.
Good Luck.

[Dan]

mmm Royer, or Coles 4038 for more low end.


No beating the U47 for the all rounder though. (oops, I guess that's out of the price range.)

[PlugHead]

IME,

I tend to prefer SD mics on bass: a KM84/184 are OK, but proximity effect can be a problem if you choose to get in close.

My pref. lately is omni's if the spill is manageable. Good success with the Chameleon Labs TS-1 (w omni cap). Others include the EW TC30k, and highly underrated is the DPA 4060 (w string mount) - it's very good, and non-obtrusive for a bass player and their movement...

Being a ribbon nut, I've also tried Coles 4038 and Royer R-121's, SF-1's on upright - so far batting 50/50 with ribbons on bass. Often too 'tubby' bottom and not enough articulation up top. Regardless of ribbon's innate ability to take EQ, I prefer to track without extreme tonal shaping.

regards,

[Benjy King]

Kent Heckman told me years ago that an AT4033 worked 'really' well on acoustic bass.

[GungaDin]

I've got a question about the KM140. Would they be characterized as similar to the KM84 or KM184?

I've had some good results with the KM140 on upright, but not always as warm as I'd like.

thanks,
andy