From: muller@world.std.com (James L Muller)
Subject: Re: Miking a string bass
Organization: The World Public Access UNIX, Brookline, MA
Distribution: us
Date: Mon, 9 Nov 1992 04:59:29 GMT

In article <1992Nov6.204647.7151@news.nd.edu> fdeck@dumpster.helios.nd.edu
   (francis deck) writes:
>I am looking for a microphone to use on stage with my string bass.
>I'm typically playing in small jazz combo groups.

If you're playing jazz, you might want to check out the Fishman pickup
instead of trying a mic.  It's fairly bright with good note definition,
and feeds into amps quite well.  It isn't balanced-output, though.

>1. Want balanced output...
>2. I want to be able to turn my amplifier way up before experiencing
>   feedback.  What type of mike would give characteristics like this?

That's not a simple-answer question.  With a bass fiddle, even with a
pickup, the problem isn't always the mic, but rather, the top and back
of the bass.  They'll have a resonance in the range of, oh, perhaps
200-500 Hz, depending on the instrument, and being hugh vibrating
surfaces, will pick up any sound in that frequency range very easily.
The solution is more how you EQ your amp and where you place it with
respect to the bass:  Aim the amp at the bass's side, not the top
or back.  If you have a higher squeal feedback, then perhaps it is
the mic, but even so, feedback is best avoided by not letting any
sound get from amp to mic, which still means placing them carefully.
Any mic will feedback if mis-placed.  Having said all that, you will
want a cardioid, or maybe even a hyper- or super-cardioid.

>3. A big problem is that the bass is the quietest instrument in
>   the group, and all the attempts I've made at miking it
>   resulted in so much pickup of the drum set that it was
>   a big failure.

If the sound from any other source, drum, your own amp, the heating ducts,
or anything, is louder than the sound from the bass when it hits the mic,
then that's what will come over the mic.  The best solution is to place
things carefully; don't stand with the mic right in front of the bass
drum!  Having said that...  A tighter pattern such as on a hyper- or
super-cardioid will not only reject feedback better but will reject other
sounds better too.

>4. Cheap and rugged!
>Can anyone offer me advice?

Yes.  Mic'ing a bass fiddle varies with the instrument and with what kind
of sound (warm, round, punchy, buzzy, etc.) you want.  I'd suggest you
try an E-V N/D-408.  Mount it suspended between the D and A strings, between
the bridge and tailpiece.  It should point upward on perhaps a 30 degree
angle from horizontal, so that it points to a spot about where the bridge
touches the top or maybe a half inch to an inch below there.  The N/D-408
is a super-cardioid (or hyper-cardioid, I forget), is dynamic so it needs
no battery, has a balanced output, isn't too expensive, can be used for
other things (I sing through one), and is extremely rugged.  (I don't
know about now, but E-V used to offer a 2 year warranty against *any*
damage, period.)  If you can borrow one, try it.  Moving it, re-aiming
it, re-EQ'ing you amp, all will affect the sound.  Point it too vertical
will kill the output.

We spent a long time looking for a solution to the bass fiddle problem,
and we tried this after another bassist suggested it (after looking and
experimenting for a long time).  We use this sound for the house sound
(EQ'ed with the top end pulled out, for several reasons), but for stage 
monitors, we drive a 60 watt, 12-in speaker amp with a Fishman pickup.
By the way, different mics will really sound different.  Even the 308
doesn't work as well as the 408 for this application.  You just can't
extrapolate from one mic to another.  Good luck.
-- 
Jim Muller  muller@world.std.com