Is Micing a real Bass Cab worth it?

[LunarKitten]

As a lifelong bassist, former pro audio engineer and studio musician, and home studio enthusiast, my advice is to ignore every generalization about room acoustics and proper mics, and mic'ing techniques, etc. and just put a mic in your room and record it along with the DI and decide for yourself which one or, more likely, which blend of the two works best. That's the only way you're going to know if it sounds good or not (and YOU are the judge of that, not random clueless strangers on the internet). I've had my bass amps mic'ed with everything ranging from cheap ass mics in a garage to high end mics in a treated isolation room to live performances on a stage, and everything in between and the best mic'd cabinet sounds I've heard from those recordings were not always from the best/most expensive approach. Sometimes an SM57 in your crappy untreated studio blended in with your DI gives you that added edge and raw tone that keeps your bass from sounding like a sampled one.

I agree, you need to just give it a go to see what is right for you. Since I have no experience with bass amps, I was a bit worried that the vibrations and amplitube might fry/damage my mics and cause things in my recording room to fall over. From what I can hear on youtube I think it is worth for me personally micing real cabs if possible.

[Uncle E]

1. Will I have issues, because my room is not acoustically treated to deal with very low frequencies at high amplitudes?

No, because you'll be close miking.

2. How much do I need to be concerned about the vibrations causing things to fall over? (Will I physically melt in front of a loud bass cab in a smallish room?)

It will be uncomfortably loud if you turn it up all the way. However, it might not be necessary or even advisable to do that. Might sound better when you're not pushing the amp and speaker too hard.

3. How much (in your opinion) is a real miced contributing to a rock production compared to other option like IRs/simulations or direct signals?

Honestly, it's easier to get good tones with bass than with guitar. I actually agree with you that miking guitars is usually better than IR's but I haven't had the same experience with bass. Even DI's can sound great.

Extra question. Can The amplitude of an bass cab possibly damage a microphone?

Yes, absolutely, and the mic you have available should influence your decision, too. If you only have an SM57, use IR's because the mic will choke the bass frequencies (or blend the 57 with IR's or DI, which would sound awesome as long as you are careful about the phase). But if you have a vintage D12, you're in like Flynn.

[LunarKitten]

Thanks Uncle E, for your advise!

But if you have a vintage D12, you're in like Flynn.

I got a number of mics, I just see what works and BobbE is my uncle!

[Uncle E]

Yes, then go for it. And layering mics with IR's or DI's will help a lot, too. Every session I ever worked on had a DI in addition to the amp. When I sat in on a session with Abe Laboriel, he was 100% DI.

[LunarKitten]

Yes, then go for it. And layering mics with IR's or DI's will help a lot, too. Every session I ever worked on had a DI in addition to the amp. When I sat in on a session with Abe Laboriel, he was 100% DI.

You must know your stuff, if you have worked with Abe Laboriel. I'm going to mix my amp signal with the DI signal for sure!

Thanks Uncle EZ

[jamcat]

1. Will I have issues, because my room is not acoustically treated to deal with very low frequencies at high amplitudes?

No, because you'll be close miking.

I gave you a thumbs up just for spelling 'miking' correctly.

And because micing guitar amps at high amplitudes is animal cruelty.

[zerocrossing]

I dare anyone to be able to get this blind test correct.

https://youtu.be/p2v73SMpaW4?feature=shared

I wouldn't have thought of adding a compressor to the miced signal. To be fair when it goes from example A to B the mix loses dimension.

I have watched another video by this youtuber, and the compressor is in the chain just to catch the peaks.

Uh.. OK. Good luck with everything.

[LunarKitten]

Uh.. OK. Good luck with everything.

Thanks!

I gave you a thumbs up just for spelling 'miking' correctly.

And because micing guitar amps at high amplitudes is animal cruelty.

[Uncle E]

Mouse can has brain damage?

[LunarKitten]

See Jamcat, I was spelling it correctly all along. Oh what was that. I think I've heard a mouse. Time for micing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkIpddogl_Y

[kevinsparks]

It's all about what helps you make the best music you can, or at least allows you to make it at all.

I used to mic up my Sovtek amp w/Ampeg SVT 410HLF with the ol SM57 in a less-than-great sounding room. I never regretted doing that since I could never recreate that awesome sound with plugins or impulses.

Of course, doing that requires lots of volume. Nowadays I usually use an AMT bass preamp with an impulse. If I'm feeling lazy I'll use the Bogren SVT plugin.

Any of these methods can get you good results, but plugins and cab sims do take some getting used to.

[LunarKitten]

It's all about what helps you make the best music you can, or at least allows you to make it at all.

I used to mic up my Sovtek amp w/Ampeg SVT 410HLF with the ol SM57 in a less-than-great sounding room. I never regretted doing that since I could never recreate that awesome sound with plugins or impulses.

Of course, doing that requires lots of volume. Nowadays I usually use an AMT bass preamp with an impulse. If I'm feeling lazy I'll use the Bogren SVT plugin.

Any of these methods can get you good results, but plugins and cab sims do take some getting used to.

I agree. I think you can get great results with all kinds of solutions. If you prefer the sound of plugins or think there is no difference to the real thing, you do you.

I personally think sometimes you need to shake things up.

A sovtek amp with an ampeg SVT 410HLF turned up, I am sure adds some excitement.

[Uncle E]

Cranked amps are definitely more fun. No arguments there. And when you’re enjoying it, you usually play more. Nothing keeps you going like badass tone.

Also, I usually don’t dig in as much when the amp is cranked, which leads to more consistent finger picking.

[LunarKitten]

Only uncle E gets me!

[Uncle E]