Recommendation: Bass Cab Mic

[__tony__renaud]

IME, draping a mic costs you a lot of low end because the amp's driver and the mic element don't have the proper proximity and angle to function properly. It also looks hokey.

I quit messing with cab mics onstage ages ago but the best results I got were with a good ol' SM57 on a small stand or one of those angle iron dealies pictured earlier. In the studio I liked the Sennheiser MD409, MD421 and the e609 which probably would work draped, but they're awfully expensive mics to be treated that way.

[brake]

Audix D6. Thread over.

 

 

 

 

Yes. Thread over. D6's are where it's at. And as for a reason mics couldn't be draped over a bass cab.. bass waves are a whole lot longer than that of a guitar.

[Kindness]

And as for a reason mics couldn't be draped over a bass cab.. bass waves are a whole lot longer than that of a guitar.

 

 

Let's not get into bad physics here.

[Funkee1]

Don't mic it.

Get one of these:

 

[Thunderbroom]

Let's not get into bad physics here.

 

 

Where's the popcorn smiley?

[Thunderbroom]

Don't mic it. Get one of these:

See my first post.

[Reverend179]

Let's not get into bad physics here.

 

 

So physical propogation of wavelength being dependent upon the frequency is bad physics?

[Kindness]

Where's the popcorn smiley?

I'm too tired tonight and you know I just got home from work... I should have said please let's not debate bad physics here.

[Kindness]

So physical propogation of wavelength being dependent upon the frequency is bad physics?

At least spell it right if you are going to try to start {censored}.

[Thunderbroom]

At least spell it right if you are going to try to start {censored}.

Oh hells yeah!

The more I think about it, maybe I should just get a Countryman (or even the Whirlwind that Mark posted).

[Reverend179]

At least spell it right if you are going to try to start {censored}.

My apologies. It's about 12 hours past my regular bedtime. And as we all know, spelling means you know what you're talking about, so I gladly step aside.

[brake]

okay, did I miss something? I offered a possible reason for a micing technique not being popular on bass cabinets and this happens? What exactly did I do to piss you off?

[Kindness]

My apologies. It's about 12 hours past my regular bedtime. And as we all know, spelling means you know what you're talking about, so I gladly step aside.

I'm sorry, I thought your first post was a joke. My fault. You are correct that wavelength is directly related to frequency. What is it you want to know/discuss?

[Reverend179]

I'm sorry, I thought your first post was a joke. My fault. You are correct that wavelength is directly related to frequency. What is it you want to know/discuss?

 

 

As far as I know, you 'technically' would get more of the fundamental frequencies and less proximity effect if the mic were 3-6 feet away from the cabinet, due to the physical length of the wave. I think that was brake's point. But meh, I just went to Audio Engineering school, so I'm no physics expert. I'm merely going from what I was taught in our audio mathematics classes.

[ThudMaker]

Oh hells yeah! The more I think about it, maybe I should just get a Countryman (or even the Whirlwind that Mark posted).

Not to be a wiseguy, but I suggested the countryman to you in the other thread about your tube amp. That would be the best and most consistent way to go night in and night out regardless of the room/stage. Adding another mic on stage just gives more cause for instrument bleed and more potential feedback issues. Sure a mic would be cool, but to add a little to the fire kindness has going, I'm guessing that you can't just drape a mic like a Senn E609 over a bass cab, because the air movement of the bass speakers/rumble of the cab is literally going to cause the mic to bounce around. I could be full of crap, too, so feel free to correct me on that guess.

[Thunderbroom]

Audiences don't care. It's been my experience that entities that stand to be in a position to pay you money sometimes do.

 

 

I have far less experience gigging than you do, so I'll give you this I guess though we've been playing some great gigs and have pulled in some pretty large coin in the process. My guess is that the persons paying my band money care more about beer sells than if I have a duct tape bass or drape my mic on my cabinet.

[Kindness]

okay, did I miss something? I offered a possible reason for a micing technique not being popular on bass cabinets and this happens? What exactly did I do to piss you off?

I'm not pissed off. There is generally no appreciable difference between a mic's ability to pick up bass frequencies when comparing the distance that a hanging mic would be positioned and that of a close mic on a stand. There are proximity effects when using mics, but they are usually cured just being on the other side of the screen on the front of a bass cab, especially one like the NEOX 212T. There are people that will argue that bass frequencies need a greater distance to "develop" due to their wavelength and this is what my comment was directed to. A simple example of how silly that argument is can be found by understanding bass frequencies are able to be developed between headphones and your ears.

In any case, a mid-distance mic or a room mic can often present a different response when dealing with a ported cabinet (as it is more likely to pick up the pressure waves' influence) as well as being able to pick up a blend of any other drivers in the cabinet beyond the one close miced. But generally speaking this would be a poor solution for what Jeff needs a mic for and that isn't what I thought you were suggesting.

[Thunderbroom]

Not to be a wiseguy, but I suggested the countryman to you in the other thread about your tube amp. That would be the best and most consistent way to go night in and night out regardless of the room/stage. Adding another mic on stage just gives more cause for instrument bleed and more potential feedback issues. Sure a mic would be cool, but to add a little to the fire kindness has going, I'm guessing that you can't just drape a mic like a Senn E609 over a bass cab, because the air movement of the bass speakers is literally going to cause the mic to bounce around. I could be full of crap, too, so feel free to correct me on that guess.

Good thing I didn't purchase a mic yet, huh?


I realize that the Countryman is the standard, but will the Whirlwind that Mark posted do the trick as well. To capture my tube head's sound I'd want a DI that I can place between the amp and cab. My EWI box doesn't appear to allow for that.

[Kindness]

Sure a mic would be cool, but to add a little to the fire kindness has going, I'm guessing that you can't just drape a mic like a Senn E609 over a bass cab, because the air movement of the bass speakers/rumble of the cab is literally going to cause the mic to bounce around.

 

 

You gotta be pushing some serious air to bounce a mic unless your cabinet is resonating. I know Jeff isn't that loud because I've seen him a number of times. But definitely that is one of the reasons to avoid hanging a mic.

[Reverend179]

A simple example of how silly that argument is can be found by understanding bass frequencies are able to be developed between headphones and your ears.

Okay, now you're delving into psychoacoustics and the brain's ability to recreate a fundamental frequency based solely upon the existing harmonics of said frequency. Do you honestly think a 1" driver in a set of earbuds, or even a 3" driver in a pair of cans can produce a 30hz tone?

[Kindness]

As far as I know, you 'technically' would get more of the fundamental frequencies and less proximity effect if the mic were 3-6 feet away from the cabinet, due to the physical length of the wave. I think that was brake's point. But meh, I just went to Audio Engineering school, so I'm no physics expert. I'm merely going from what I was taught in our audio mathematics classes.

 

 

You are right, but no one mics a bass cabinet at 3-6 feet in a live setting. I'm talking about the difference between 0"-4" (a hanging mic and a mic on a stand).

 

I've seen lots of bad physics passed along in Audio Engineering schools, but you are dead on for this topic.

[ThudMaker]

Good thing I didn't purchase a mic yet, huh? I realize that the Countryman is the standard, but will the Whirlwind that Mark posted do the trick as well. To capture my tube head's sound I'd want a DI that I can place between the amp and cab. My EWI box doesn't appear to allow for that.

I don't see why the whirlwind wouldn't if it's rated for it (which it appears to be). I have some cheap ART pdb DI's, one of which I use on our guitarist's Princeton at speaker level. I noticed that the speaker level wasn't mentioned in Audiopile's description of those EWI units. I'm surprised they don't. Have you contacted Mark to verify that you can't use those DI's like that? Inquiring minds want to know.

[Reverend179]

You are right, but no one mics a bass cabinet at 3-6 feet in a live setting. I'm talking about the difference between 0"-4" (a hanging mic and a mic on a stand). I've seen lots of bad physics passed along in Audio Engineering schools, but you are dead on for this topic.

 

 

Well, of course. That doesn't make any sense. The only thing I can think of is the fact that you're going to get some resonance in the clip (being attatched to a vibrating body would transfer those vibrations to a mic clipped to the cab, right?).

[Kindness]

Okay, now you're delving into psychoacoustics and the brain's ability to recreate a fundamental frequency based solely upon the existing harmonics of said frequency. Do you honestly think a 1" driver in a set of earbuds, or even a 3" driver in a pair of cans can produce a 30hz tone?

 

 

Dude, a 4kHz wave is over three inches long. You don't think your cans are reproducing a 4kHz signal? Seriously?

[__tony__renaud]

I have far less experience gigging than you do, so I'll give you this I guess though we've been playing some great gigs and have pulled in some pretty large coin in the process. My guess is that the persons paying my band money care more about beer sells than if I have a duct tape bass or drape my mic on my cabinet.

 

 

I dig, point taken. I've been hollered at for draping a mic on a cab. When this music thing is your only source of income, you do what you're told. I apologize for sharing my opinions and experience. In some circles, they're valued, believe it or not.