10.04.13
Mics for a bass amplifier.

The bass amp we use is bi-amped. This means it has two amps (although they're packaged together in the same unit, a Gallien Krueger 800RB). One handles more of the high end and pumps that into the 4 x 10 cabinet. The other amp handles the low end and moves that into the 2 x 15.

HI FREQUENCY CABINET

So, for recording, we mic the two cabinets separately and then blend the two signals together. In the past, we've used an EV RE-20 on the high cabinet and a Josephson e22s on the low end. I've gotten some other mics since then, so we'll compare them against these past choices. First is the high end.

1. A Stedman N90

2. An EV RE-20

On these samples, the low end mic stays the same (it's the e22s) and both mics are run through the stock channels of a Sytek MPX-4Aii preamp. Volume on both is the same. The samples go 1, 2, 1, 2, which is then repeated with drums, a different bassline and again with drums. Makes sense when you listen to it:

Both of these sound pretty good, but there is a difference. The RE-20 has a little bit more of a high end hiss that I normally wouldn't like, but it also includes some hi/mid detail which gives the bass a more aggressive sound. I prefer it to the Stedman, so it'll stay. (The mic also has a LF roll-off switch which cuts some of the bass pickup. Given that I'm trying to capture the high-frequency sounds, I have this switch on.)

LO FREQUENCY CABINET

Same deal now with the 2 x 15 cabinet.

1. A Josephson e22s

2. An AKG D112

Hi end mic on both of these is the RE-20. Both of these mics are run through the Burr Brown channels of that Sytek MPX-4Aii.

I was surprised to hear that the differences between these two seems pretty slight to me. I guess the first one seems a tiny bit less cloudy, meaning that I feel like I can hear a bit more low-end detail. But can I say for sure that it's not just EMI talking? (That's Expensive-Microphone-Itis.) Eh, tough to say.

So I have a small preference for the e22s in this case. But if it turns out that it's better used somewhere else while we're recording everything, I wouldn't mind popping in the D112. It still sounds good.

DECISION TIME

Bass mics remain the same.

- EV RE-20 (HPF on) for the high-frequency cabinet.
- Josephson e22s for the low-frequency cabinet.

Next up: preamps for these mics.

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This is the bass rig. The mics are on both the top and bottom cabinets are the same distance away from the center cone of their target speaker.