Members alekke Posted September 19, 2008 Members Share Posted September 19, 2008 Hey everybody! I'm looking for a microphone to suit my bass players needs on live applications! We play extreme metal with downtuned distorted 5 string active bass guitar. I've heard about a lot of suggestions on Electro Voice RE20, Heil Sound PR40, Sennheiser MD421 ... all too serious and expensive. But is there any cheaper and easier solution for what we need? It doesn't have to be professional solution. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members trevcda Posted September 19, 2008 Members Share Posted September 19, 2008 I have had decent success with this mic from Equation Audio: http://www.equationaudio.com/Alpha/dmi104.htm Not part of my primary arsenal, I bought as part of a drum mic kit to have on hand for the unexpected/back up mics and have used it on five string bass through a cab. Inexpensive and worth a shot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members alekke Posted September 19, 2008 Author Members Share Posted September 19, 2008 How is it for distorted metal bass? Can it be compared to AKG D 11? I'm not much into microphones and stuff. I need something cheep and simple that could reproduce main specter definition of raw, bassy, punchy growl of distorted active 5 string better than Shure SM58 for live applications. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members flanc Posted September 19, 2008 Members Share Posted September 19, 2008 How is it for distorted metal bass? I need something cheep and simple that could reproduce main specter definition of raw, bassy, punchy growl of distorted active 5 string better than Shure SM58 for live applications. Does you bass amp have a post-effects DI? That would be the most simple and effective solution. If not, cheap and simple are easy as putting a cheap mic in front of the cabinet...the issue will be effective. Try some mics that you have onhand and see if they get what you want. An SM57 will work in a pinch but not give you those low detuned notes. You'll need a bass/kick mic for that and likely a decent one. I've heard D112's, D6, and D4's are decent for bass applications. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Telestrastic Posted September 19, 2008 Members Share Posted September 19, 2008 I'm not a fan of micing bass with one mic. Mainly because bass rigs have so many different speakers. The bassist in my band has 2 12's, 4 10's and 2 horns there is no way to mic that and get a good sound. Usually I'll put a Beta 52 on one of the 12's, a 57 on a 10 and run the DI out to give me the high end definition the is lost without micing the horn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members alekke Posted September 19, 2008 Author Members Share Posted September 19, 2008 DI is not an option cause we tried it and it doesn't turn OK because of the large amount of distortion, and it lacks low end. He uses Behringer Bass V-amp pro which is another why the DI in not a good idea. Main speaker is 15" full range which we put mic on in studio for best results. For the first hand can use shure sm58. But later, could some AKG come handy better?I cant find D6 or D4, onli this http://www.akg.com/site/powerslave,id,2,nodeid,2,pcategory,12,_language,EN.html D11 maybe? Could it support the bite and growl of a distorted bass, not only low end? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Sojourner7 Posted September 19, 2008 Members Share Posted September 19, 2008 You keep mentioning "low end" and an sm58. Quite simply, the sm58 does not have the frequency response to pick up that low end you are looking for. I would be all over the bass forum asking about D.I.'s you can use that will still give you distortion. Other than that, for mic'ing the cab, you need to look a a mic made for low end. I would suggest trying a Beta52. Yeah, mics are going to get more expensive when you start asking for more out of them but otherwise you are going to keep getting the same poor results. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted September 19, 2008 Members Share Posted September 19, 2008 So you want cheap, for drop tuned, heavy, loud, distorted bass. Why not just ask for it to be free and finish off the list? IMO, with that kind of bass, and with no mention of the PA's capabilities, it won't much matter what you use so you might as well find the cheapest appropriate mic out there and give 'er a try. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members flanc Posted September 19, 2008 Members Share Posted September 19, 2008 I believe the vamp pro has a built-in DI for a direct feed to the FOH (front of house) mixer. I'm guessing you tried that with bad results? The D4 and D6 are Audix mic's. http://www.zzounds.com/item--AUDD6http://www.zzounds.com/item--AUDD4http://www.zzounds.com/item--AKGD112 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members scredly Posted September 19, 2008 Members Share Posted September 19, 2008 Look at the specs for a Heil PR-22 and Audix i5. They may offer a wider response than a 58. The i5 is only $99. PR-22 @ $150. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted September 19, 2008 Members Share Posted September 19, 2008 Mic freq resp specs are less than useless. Experience with the mics, for the application you intend to use them on is really the only way to make a choice... unless it really doesn't matter of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members scredly Posted September 19, 2008 Members Share Posted September 19, 2008 As inaccurate and manipulated by the marketing department as they are, there is a kernel of truth in there and it's a place to start when you don't have a wide selection of mics to audition personally. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mogwix Posted September 19, 2008 Members Share Posted September 19, 2008 Audix D4 or D6, Shure Beta 52. I mic my cab with an Audio-Technica AE3000, and this is blended with a Radial JDI at FOH. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bryan316 Posted September 19, 2008 Members Share Posted September 19, 2008 Just listened to your music on the Myspace. I'm a bassist, playing quite the heavy end of metal, with 5 string basses. BASS DOES NOT NEED TO BE DISTORTED. I'm gonna come off harsh here, and I won't apologize for it. Cuz I've yet to hear a bassist with a distorted tone that didn't suck ass. The only reason to overdrive a bass, is for a good Cliff Burton solo here and there. If your bassist is just blasting through OD'ed all the time, then what's the point of having guitars? Bass should rumble. Not distort. If you get a little snarl and bite in there, great. But having it on 11's the whole time? No. Not the point of bass. Time for your bassist to invest in a quality amp, instead of that V-amp. Sorry to come off sounding like a dick, but it's a Behringer. There isn't a single Behringer bass product I've tried that sounded like a bass. I'm no bass snob, but even I can tell the difference between quality tone and the gear providing it. It's gonna be difficult trying to convince your bassist to change his ways. I know this, we're all stubborn bastards. But there are excellent bass amps out there for decent money, that will give you a real bass tone with a DI that's appropriately designed for it. And for crap's sake, DON'T use a vocal mic for a bass rig! An SM58 is the worst thing you could shove in front of it. You'll get no BASS, and all muddy nasally crap that will drown out your guitar tone. Heck, the sound pressure alone will ruin any sound you try to capture with that mic. Even a cheapo kick drum mic like the CAD KBM412 or the Audix F12 for $50 will do a better job. Your songs on the Myspace page sound tight and fast. The guitars are quite well recorded for speedy thrash metal drop-tuned. But the bassist shouldn't be trying to sound like an overdriven guitar, he should sound like the rumble of an earthquake. Friends don't let friends use Behringer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BigMac5 Posted September 19, 2008 Members Share Posted September 19, 2008 Friends don't let friends use Behringer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Spacehog26 Posted September 19, 2008 Members Share Posted September 19, 2008 The Bass V-Amp Pro isn't actually all that horrid a preamp, and does some bass sounds very well (but more of the clean and snappy, funky sounds than the OD'd ones). But I'd certainly agree that heavy distortion on bass is just a mess. A little bit of grit can work wonders, but the key phrase here is "little bit". A decent bass-specific DI (SansAmp Bass Driver and Radial Bassbone are two that spring to mind, or if you're on a real budget the Hartke Bass Attack) will work better than any mic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kevinnem Posted September 19, 2008 Members Share Posted September 19, 2008 I have a few comments. 1) .. what speaker/ sub / amps are you useing for your PA - dispite the fact that the SM58 is the wrong mic to use, .. it may very well (inadvertinaly) saved you from blowing up your gear, as it acts as a low pass filter. I am guessing form what you have said so far, that you don't ahve a great PA system. MAYBE some subs, but if you do they are lower end ones that cost a few hundread each. IF you use a mic with some real low end in it, be prepared to suport that with the rest of the system. Sub, amps , and for gods sake some good crossover settings! I really don't want to be talking to you in 2 weeks with a "why did this blow up" question. 2) if you want a "full feed" from teh base, I sugest the Radial JDI - it has about 40 Db of pad onboard so you can feed it DIRECTLY FROM THE SPEAKER OUTPUTS- however DO NOT DO THIS WITH OTHER DI's (unless they have the pads as well), cause it is a lot of volt to send to the mixer. Do not turn the pads off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members zax2000 Posted September 19, 2008 Members Share Posted September 19, 2008 Mainly because bass rigs have so many different speakers. The bassist in my band has 2 12's, 4 10's and 2 horns there is no way to mic that and get a good sound. Most bass rigs are just 4 10s and horn or the local fav ampeg is typ a 6 10s and horn, my primary is 2 15s w/horn. For starters, I wouldn't even bother micing or using the homemade cab ... my bet is a couple guitar cab speakers (12" is not common for bass guitar cabs) and likely a different impedence from the 4 10 cab. Most 4-10 cabs will be plenty so long as it's piped through the PA. If you're not getting a good sound out of the DI, try running the bass directly into the amp and see how the bass from the cab and the DI sound. Often times I see bass players especially get too much rack gear (guilty myself long ago) and not get it hooked up right and it ends up sounding worse than no rack gear at all. If the DI still doesn't sound good, instead of spending even more $$$ on more mics, why not invest in an actual bass amp that does sound good and more importantly, lose the crate guitar amp thing (spa-200). The reason you're probably not getting low end is b/c most guitar preamps and guitar processors aren't designed for bass and you're running the signal from the bass to a bass pre-amp, 2(?) guitar pre-amps, a stereo EQ (lemme guess - all low faders are maxxed?) then finally a crate power amp? My advice, get rid of everything then instead of another mic get a good quality bass amp and you're done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BigMac5 Posted September 19, 2008 Members Share Posted September 19, 2008 2) if you want a "full feed" from teh base, I sugest the Radial JDI - it has about 40 Db of pad onboard so you can feed it DIRECTLY FROM THE SPEAKER OUTPUTS I thought the Radial JDI has a -15 db pad only? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Gary in NJ Posted September 19, 2008 Members Share Posted September 19, 2008 We play extreme metal with downtuned distorted 5 string active bass guitar. Would you describe the style Death Funeral Metal. (ya have to back in time for that one) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Spacehog26 Posted September 19, 2008 Members Share Posted September 19, 2008 Most bass rigs are just 4 10s and horn or the local fav ampeg is typ a 6 10s and horn, my primary is 2 15s w/horn. For starters, I wouldn't even bother micing or using the homemade cab ... my bet is a couple guitar cab speakers (12" is not common for bass guitar cabs) and likely a different impedence from the 4 10 cab. Most 4-10 cabs will be plenty so long as it's piped through the PA. If you're not getting a good sound out of the DI, try running the bass directly into the amp and see how the bass from the cab and the DI sound. Often times I see bass players especially get too much rack gear (guilty myself long ago) and not get it hooked up right and it ends up sounding worse than no rack gear at all. If the DI still doesn't sound good, instead of spending even more $$$ on more mics, why not invest in an actual bass amp that does sound good and more importantly, lose the crate guitar amp thing (spa-200). The reason you're probably not getting low end is b/c most guitar preamps and guitar processors aren't designed for bass and you're running the signal from the bass to a bass pre-amp, 2(?) guitar pre-amps, a stereo EQ (lemme guess - all low faders are maxxed?) then finally a crate power amp? My advice, get rid of everything then instead of another mic get a good quality bass amp and you're done. You're reading the specs of the OP's guitar rig. He isn't the bassist in the band, so it's not his rig that the thread's talking about... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members zax2000 Posted September 19, 2008 Members Share Posted September 19, 2008 You're reading the specs of the OP's guitar rig. He isn't the bassist in the band, so it's not his rig that the thread's talking about... Ahh ... was about to run out the door this morning and wasn't paying much attention ....... in that case, it's a Behringer - get a good amp and distorted bass? - never heard any that sounds good, usually an ex-guitar player that had to give it up cause there weren't any bass players around but they want to keep their distortion pedals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DBR Posted September 19, 2008 Members Share Posted September 19, 2008 I'm not a fan of micing any bass. A bass player myself, I have never been mic'd. I have always plugged into a DI box. It's the best way to get the signal to the board and if you have an efx unit, the that can be used for the distortion through the pa. I always liked the sound of the "Fuzz" effect. It's also nice to have that clean tone option.DBR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mogwix Posted September 19, 2008 Members Share Posted September 19, 2008 I'm not a fan of micing any bass. A bass player myself, I have never been mic'd. In my rig, most of my tone is direct out of my stingray through a Radial JDI, but as I said there's an Audio-Technica AE3000 that catches the grind of my SWR 610 when it gets pushed. I get techs that bitch and moan saying that bass cab mics never sound good, that the mic and DI will be out of phase, that the mic will feed back, blah blah blah. If all I'm hearing is "click click clack" of my bass direct in my in-ears, I'm not happy. That cab mic really helps to smooth out the sound and add some pleasing grind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members MainEventSound Posted September 20, 2008 Members Share Posted September 20, 2008 You could use:Audix D6AKG D112Shure Beta 52Shure Beta 98 w/ clip (Dave Rat used this on Flea's Bass) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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