recording the stand-up bass

[smopo24]

What do you find the best-sounding and most usefull stand-up bass recording technique? would a bowed bass be different than a plucked stand-up technique?

[DreamwaveMusic]

I would always use a large diaphragm tube 1-2 feet away, on axis with the strings. The best sound i ever witnessed was with an elam 251. This was in an ISO booth about 4x6ft with the bass positioned center. Ive gotten some great sounds with fet mics as well. The U47 is nice on the upright. I also really liked the SE electronics z5600

[dagosto]

You know the only time I recorded stand up bass I had no idea how to mic it up. I ended up using a neumann km184 which is a small condenser. I just pointed it straight at the bridge about 2 feet away. It sounded really nice and I would probably go back to that mic if I had the chance. The clarity of a small condenser was there but I still got the nice perccussive boom of the low notes.

[Whoopysnorp]

I have recorded a stand-up bass exactly once, and I got a pretty good sound by pointing a large-diaphragm condenser in the general direction of one of the f-holes. It didn't have the rumble of, say, the bass on a Bad Plus recording, but it came out pretty decent nevertheless, and it was deep enough to provide a good foundation for what was on top of it.

[Whoopysnorp]

I have recorded a stand-up bass exactly once, and I got a pretty good sound by pointing a large-diaphragm condenser in the general direction of one of the f-holes. It didn't have the rumble of, say, the bass on a Bad Plus recording, but it came out pretty decent nevertheless, and it was deep enough to provide a good foundation for what was on top of it.

[Nubus]

I helped out recording Seano's old group a few years back. We put the bass player in the booth with a U87 a couple feet in front and a couple feet above the ground.

I've heard of elevating the bass player on a small stage and bringing him out in front of the other players. That was doing everything in the same room into a stereo mic'ing setup. I tried that once, minus the elevation. I guess the lift would get you closer to the bass as the mics could be off the ground more.

I don't think there would be much done differently for bowing.

[Gareth*]

I play upright and have been recorded by different people a few dozen times as well as recording myself. The best sound I've had uses a large condenser about a foot away from the space between the bridge and the F hole and then also uses the pick up. The other main thing to do is have some sort of wall blocking the bass with in a few feet which bounces the sound back and make everything bigger. Even better if possible; put your bass directly in a corner facing a corner with the end pin as close to the corner as possible. The bass will sound huge.