Mic'ing Acoustic Bass Live Jazz

[Remoteness]

Very cool.
I own a couple of SM7Bs and I never thought to give one of them a try on upright bass.
I must remember to do so one of these days.

Originally Posted by MichaelPatrick

I was reading through this thread and wondered why no one brought up the SM7b. It works great on acoustic bass or in front of a cab. It's naturally smooth and takes EQ beautifully. And, as you say, bleed control is very good.

[waxx]

a mounted mic is best, like the dpa mentioned. If i it can be combined with a pickup it's on it's best in my experience. mics on stands are difficult for the bleed and also because a lot of acoustic bass players move a lot while playing. if they really don't want an 421 on a stand does it also when the bassplayer don't move to much. otherwise it's a nightmare due to inconsistent volume and some phase issues.

for studio it's different, a good neutral to dark ldc or ribbon or an SM7B is here the best choice in my opinion. For live the SM7B is to pointed and those inconsistent volumes and phase issues wil be bigger than with the 421

[ajfarber]

Originally Posted by RobAnderson

Personally I hate the sound of a DI on acoustic bass, but on a loud stage it can sometimes be your only option to get enough bass in the mix. As far as pickups go, the Realist one sounds almost good enough to be useable.

Unfortunately in our amplified times, there are many drummers who no longer control their dynamics and my bass mic as often as not simply becomes another drum mic. Wash from stage monitors and amps can also color the sound in such a way that, to my ear, the mic alone is nearly useless.

It really depends on the situation. I'd rather use the mic, but am often glad I took the DI.

Just curious - has anyone here used a 441 on bass? I'd be curious to know how it worked out.

Amplified times? I was talking about acoustic jazz. Loud music is another story all together.



BTW, The 441 is okay, but the Beyer M88 is better.

[Remoteness]

I've done a fair amount of Jazz recordings and I don't remember the last time I recorded an upright bass that wasn't plugged into a bass amp.

That being said, studio stuff is a completely different story.

Originally Posted by ajfarber

Amplified times? I was talking about acoustic jazz. Loud music is another story all together...

[ajfarber]

Originally Posted by Remoteness

I've done a fair amount of Jazz recordings and I don't remember the last time I recorded an upright bass that wasn't plugged into a bass amp.

That being said, studio stuff is a completely different story.

I guess we run in different circles? The majority of bass players that I play with, do not use amps. As an example, you will never see a bass amp on stage with Wynton Marsalis' band including the big band. The same is true many be-bop and swing type groups.

There is, however, a whole school of bass players that always use an amp as part of their sound. Chip Jackson, Harvey Swartz, Dave Fink, Ron Carter and Eddie Gomez to name but a few.

There is also the acoustic school who don't use amps at all like Ari Roland, Ben Wolfe, Reggie Veal, Neal Cain, Carlos Henriques, Kelly Friesen, etc.

My feeling is, if you can't hear the bass player, the other musicians are playing too loud or the bass player has a wimpy sound.

[GZsound]

Originally Posted by ajfarber

Okay, my taste would be no DI at all.

If the bass sounds big, nice and round, a mic alone will do.

It's nice to have options. I have had bass players in my studio with less than well set up basses that were fairly poor bass players on top of that. Using a pickup run through my LR Baggs unit can be a life saver.

It isn't a perfect world. Options are always nice.

[Jungle Jazz]

I've used the SM7B for recording upright live, but not for live sound reinforcement. I'd put its sound in the pretty good department, but not my favorite. It's in the spirit of an RE20, but with a few more tonal options, and it has a bigger bottom end if my memory serves me correctly. Although, I wasn't crazy about the sound of the drum bleed in it.

[Jungle Jazz]

Oh yeah, there is that mic from AMT that is specifically designed for upright bass. It looks like they have a new mounting system for it. I've never used one myself, but a lot bass players seem to be happy with them.

AMT Upright Bass Microphone Systems (SP25B, S25B) at Gollihur Music - Double Bass, Upright Bass, String Bass Specialists

[Remoteness]

Originally Posted by GZsound

...Using a pickup run through my LR Baggs unit can be a life saver.

It isn't a perfect world. Options are always nice.

We're using a few LR Baggs for the "Caravan of Thieves" live performance we're recording tonight in Fairfield, CT.

It should workout pretty good.