Mic Suspension for Upright Bass

Recording every instrument comes with its own set of challenges, but this one, it can be a real beast. For a classic sound, something like this might be a favorite. For something a little punchier, maybe something like this.

Placed somewhere around here-ish. Some of the challenge comes from the fact the instrument’s really, really big. It’s also not that loud.

And if you put a mic right here, the bass player is almost certainly moving around. There’s all this good sound up here. It’s tricky.

And while I’m happy to grab the sound off of the pickup as a backup, or maybe for a little reinforcement, I’m going to veto it. Because in almost every application, I love the acoustic sound of the instrument. And so here’s how I like to do it.

Small diaphragm condenser. I’m going with something cardioid. Because in this case, proximity effect is a feature, not a bug.

We’re going to suspend the mic right here. And no, I’m not going to put a lot of foam around it. That dampens the whole instrument.

Instead, we’re going to build a shock mount out of a couple rubber bands. Hold the mic in place, loop the rubber band around the bridge. Do it on the other side.

It’s super important you hold on to it. If you don’t, it’s likely to flip around and slingshot out. The mic cable is what’s going to keep it in place.

Obviously, you’re going to need the bass player’s blessing to do this. And we secure it just like that. The mic points up at the strings.

The microphone always stays in place. It’s about as close to the instrument as you’re going to get it. And you’ve got the proximity effect working in your favor.

Give it a try. If somebody who belongs in a Beat Kitchen class, share this post.