Sub $500 Mic for Bass Trombone/Contrabass

Post Reply
Liam15vb
Posts: 11
Joined: Fri Oct 26, 2018 12:13 am

Sub $500 Mic for Bass Trombone/Contrabass

Post by Liam15vb »

Hey everyone, I'm looking at getting a mic for multitrack recording of bass trombone and Contrabass trombone. I'm trying to keep it under $500 but the cheaper the better. What would y'all recommend? (I've been looking at the fathead and the R10 so if you have one of those is love to hear what you think)
User avatar
harrisonreed
Posts: 4488
Joined: Fri Aug 17, 2018 12:18 pm
Location: Fort Riley, Kansas
Contact:

Re: Sub $500 Mic for Bass Trombone/Contrabass

Post by harrisonreed »

Save just a bit longer and get a c414 XLS. If you want recordings for anything other than just practice, "the cheaper the worser".

Ribbon mics are cool and seem to be touted as the only mic to use on brass, but for trombone I have found that large condensers with different polar patterns win 100% of the time.
ngrinder
Posts: 234
Joined: Tue Apr 24, 2018 7:30 pm
Location: New York City
Contact:

Re: Sub $500 Mic for Bass Trombone/Contrabass

Post by ngrinder »

LDCs like the 414 are great, but so are ribbons. Most well regarded studios put Royers, AEA/RCAs, or Coles on brass for good reason. The caveat is that they’ve got a polar pattern that pics up behind the mic as well as in front, so you’ve got to be a bit more mindful of room acoustics. Most LDCs have variable pickup patterns, so they’re a little more forgiving if you’ve got noise in your room.

AEA and Royer are offering slightly cheaper options now-I like the AEA Nuvo but am not a huge fan of the Royer r10. You can definitely get something “good enough” for $500, but if this is a major investment and you can save more money, you should do it right the first time. It will be cheaper in the long run :) I went with a well regarded ribbon and absolutely love it. They are popular for a reason!

Good luck!
Fridge
Posts: 118
Joined: Wed Apr 04, 2018 9:33 am

Re: Sub $500 Mic for Bass Trombone/Contrabass

Post by Fridge »

I vote for the Royer. Jerry Hey likes Royer mics for trombone. That’s what he said on a zoom meet was on. Someone asked the question.

Fridge
User avatar
WilliamLang
Posts: 406
Joined: Fri Nov 22, 2019 6:12 pm

Re: Sub $500 Mic for Bass Trombone/Contrabass

Post by WilliamLang »

i have an mxl-r77 mic for trombones that is under $300 and sounds really great.
William Lang
Interim Instructor, the University of Oklahoma
Stephens Horns Artist
Long Island Brass Artist
faculty, the Longy School of Music
founding member of loadbang
www.williamlang.org
Mikebmiller
Posts: 871
Joined: Tue Mar 27, 2018 9:13 am
Location: Spartanburg, SC

Re: Sub $500 Mic for Bass Trombone/Contrabass

Post by Mikebmiller »

I just bought one of these:

https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=625908


$100 and it works great. At least great enough for someone like myself who isn't trying to make any money off recordings.
User avatar
tombone21
Posts: 206
Joined: Tue Nov 13, 2018 11:19 pm

Re: Sub $500 Mic for Bass Trombone/Contrabass

Post by tombone21 »

Mikebmiller wrote: Mon Feb 15, 2021 11:29 am I just bought one of these:

https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=625908


$100 and it works great. At least great enough for someone like myself who isn't trying to make any money off recordings.
Would love a new thread/review of this mic, Mike!
mbtrombone
Posts: 122
Joined: Tue Jan 29, 2019 6:14 pm

Re: Sub $500 Mic for Bass Trombone/Contrabass

Post by mbtrombone »

Not sure about this one yet, I just bought two on the recommendation of some trumpet and trombone friends in LA that use them for home recording for work.

https://www.musiciansfriend.com/pro-aud ... ne&index=1

I plan on comparing them to my 15 year old Sterling Audio small diaphragm condenser mics, and my Studio Project large diaphragm condenser mics. I do really love my large diaphragm condensers, but also have always heard that Ribbons are the best for brass, and have to admit my favorites are the old Royer-121, but they are way out of my price range and I am always worried about blowing them up accidently with phantom power!
mattLockyer
Posts: 10
Joined: Sun Sep 22, 2019 12:21 pm

Re: Sub $500 Mic for Bass Trombone/Contrabass

Post by mattLockyer »

My vote gose to a ribbon mic, even my cheap sub-zero chinese made one dose a really good job. It smooths out the top end and the low stuff is lovley and warm. Using a ribbon I dont have to nearly as much work with the EQ afterwards too. Its almost Magic
User avatar
bassclef
Posts: 199
Joined: Fri Mar 23, 2018 8:30 am
Location: Ohio, USA

Re: Sub $500 Mic for Bass Trombone/Contrabass

Post by bassclef »

Check out the Cascade Fathead: https://www.cascademicrophones.com/ribb ... e-fat-head

It's a ribbon which I picked one up several months ago for my first home recording setup (primarily bass trombone stuff) and I love it. You'll need a pre-amp also. I can also recommend one called a Cloudlifter.

Both of those should come in under your budget.
Liam15vb
Posts: 11
Joined: Fri Oct 26, 2018 12:13 am

Re: Sub $500 Mic for Bass Trombone/Contrabass

Post by Liam15vb »

mbtrombone wrote: Tue Feb 16, 2021 1:31 pm Not sure about this one yet, I just bought two on the recommendation of some trumpet and trombone friends in LA that use them for home recording for work.

https://www.musiciansfriend.com/pro-aud ... ne&index=1

I plan on comparing them to my 15 year old Sterling Audio small diaphragm condenser mics, and my Studio Project large diaphragm condenser mics. I do really love my large diaphragm condensers, but also have always heard that Ribbons are the best for brass, and have to admit my favorites are the old Royer-121, but they are way out of my price range and I am always worried about blowing them up accidently with phantom power!
Please let me know how this mic sounds.
User avatar
Kingfan
Posts: 1132
Joined: Wed Apr 11, 2018 8:32 pm
Location: Cleveland, OH

Re: Sub $500 Mic for Bass Trombone/Contrabass

Post by Kingfan »

I see MXL R144 ribbon mics for around $100. Anybody have any opinion on those?
I'm not a complete idiot, some parts are still missing! :D
Greg Songer
King 606, King 3B-F: DE LT101/LTD/D3
King 4B-F: Bach 5G Megatone gold plated
King 2107 bass: DE MB109/MB J/J8 King
User avatar
jeffalbert
Posts: 3
Joined: Sun Feb 14, 2021 10:06 pm
Location: New Orleans
Contact:

Re: Sub $500 Mic for Bass Trombone/Contrabass

Post by jeffalbert »

I like the Royers on my small (or smallish) tenor. Personally I prefer a large diaphragm condenser on bass (at least for my sound). AKG makes some mics that are essentially a 414 capsule but with fewer patterns and a different body, and they are in the less than $500 category, as aI recall. Mine are old and the model number has changed. I think C214 is the current model. There are also decent condensers by AKG and Audi-Technica and others for less than $200, but I think the next price jump up ($300-500) is worth it. I am less sure that the difference between $500 and $1000 is worth it for home stuff.
User avatar
harrisonreed
Posts: 4488
Joined: Fri Aug 17, 2018 12:18 pm
Location: Fort Riley, Kansas
Contact:

Re: Sub $500 Mic for Bass Trombone/Contrabass

Post by harrisonreed »

Those 214s and 314s are not the same capsule. The two flavors of 414 are their own thing, and they want you to think that the other mics are the same hardware but they aren't. There was universal agreement in the audio engineering forum I asked about this on.
bassbone
Posts: 166
Joined: Fri May 04, 2018 8:40 am
Location: Cincinnati, OH

Re: Sub $500 Mic for Bass Trombone/Contrabass

Post by bassbone »

for LDC I would add sE Electronics X1 S to the list to consider. Almost all of my recording has been for practice, but I've been happy with this. They also make a ribbon mic in this series, but I have not tried that personally.

I believe that some of the videos Ban Van Dijk has posted uses this mic if you'd like to hear some sample recordings on bass using this.
brettmalta
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri Apr 10, 2020 12:16 pm

Re: Sub $500 Mic for Bass Trombone/Contrabass

Post by brettmalta »

It might be pushing the $500 limit, but the Shure KSM32 is my go to. I use it in live and recording situations all the time.

Beyerdynamic M88 is also a good one to check out.
BurckhardtS
Posts: 247
Joined: Sun Mar 25, 2018 6:57 pm

Re: Sub $500 Mic for Bass Trombone/Contrabass

Post by BurckhardtS »

To record in a big space, I use a combination of a Shure Beta 57A (up close) and a KSM 141 (to record the room). I would like to get an R10 in the future but I've been pretty content with these. When doing studio-esque stuff in my apartment, I just use the 57A.
Shires - 7YM, TX, Axial, TW47 - Greg Black NY 1
YSL354 - XT LN106, C+, D3
bbocaner
Posts: 269
Joined: Mon Mar 26, 2018 3:14 pm
Location: Fairfax Station, VA

Re: Sub $500 Mic for Bass Trombone/Contrabass

Post by bbocaner »

I adore the Royer R-121 and especially the active R-122 but those don't fit your sub-$500 criteria. Someone actually posted a comparison video here recently between the R-121 and a SE VR-1 which sells for $419 and it was amazing to me how similar they were. You'll need a nice clean preamp with plenty of gain, but ribbons do work wonders on trombone.
bbocaner
Posts: 269
Joined: Mon Mar 26, 2018 3:14 pm
Location: Fairfax Station, VA

Re: Sub $500 Mic for Bass Trombone/Contrabass

Post by bbocaner »

Here's the thread with the comparison video I mentioned:

https://trombonechat.com/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=20063
AlexMcMahon
Posts: 34
Joined: Fri Mar 23, 2018 4:39 am

Re: Sub $500 Mic for Bass Trombone/Contrabass

Post by AlexMcMahon »

I just settled on two sE T2 large diaphragm condensers that I purchased for $400/ea in ‘mint/open box’ condition. I went with these because I wanted something like the AKG 414C XLS II, but didn’t have the budget for two (or even one) of them. I rented a pair of AKGs to use as a stereo pair for our graduation band recording/livestream and really loved the sound.

The sE4400a was the most directly comparable to the features of the AKG, having multiple polar pattern switches and different high pass and attenuation switch options. The T2 is in a similar housing with the same controls, with the only difference being the capsule- which is the same titanium coated capsule as their Titan (T1) mic, and a different color finish (silver vs matte black). Both seem to retail for $500-530 at different stores online, so when I found the T2 in open box condition- I decided to give it a try. The reviews are slim for the T2, but there are many that directly compare the 4400a to the AKG 414. I will report back with experiences in a week or so.
User avatar
harrisonreed
Posts: 4488
Joined: Fri Aug 17, 2018 12:18 pm
Location: Fort Riley, Kansas
Contact:

Re: Sub $500 Mic for Bass Trombone/Contrabass

Post by harrisonreed »

AlexMcMahon wrote: Sat Jul 17, 2021 5:48 am I just settled on two sE T2 large diaphragm condensers that I purchased for $400/ea in ‘mint/open box’ condition. I went with these because I wanted something like the AKG 414C XLS II, but didn’t have the budget for two (or even one) of them. I rented a pair of AKGs to use as a stereo pair for our graduation band recording/livestream and really loved the sound.

The sE4400a was the most directly comparable to the features of the AKG, having multiple polar pattern switches and different high pass and attenuation switch options. The T2 is in a similar housing with the same controls, with the only difference being the capsule- which is the same titanium coated capsule as their Titan (T1) mic, and a different color finish (silver vs matte black). Both seem to retail for $500-530 at different stores online, so when I found the T2 in open box condition- I decided to give it a try. The reviews are slim for the T2, but there are many that directly compare the 4400a to the AKG 414. I will report back with experiences in a week or so.
Can you put them in an omni pattern?
AlexMcMahon
Posts: 34
Joined: Fri Mar 23, 2018 4:39 am

Re: Sub $500 Mic for Bass Trombone/Contrabass

Post by AlexMcMahon »

harrisonreed wrote: Sat Jul 17, 2021 8:23 am
AlexMcMahon wrote: Sat Jul 17, 2021 5:48 am I just settled on two sE T2 large diaphragm condensers that I purchased for $400/ea in ‘mint/open box’ condition. I went with these because I wanted something like the AKG 414C XLS II, but didn’t have the budget for two (or even one) of them. I rented a pair of AKGs to use as a stereo pair for our graduation band recording/livestream and really loved the sound.

The sE4400a was the most directly comparable to the features of the AKG, having multiple polar pattern switches and different high pass and attenuation switch options. The T2 is in a similar housing with the same controls, with the only difference being the capsule- which is the same titanium coated capsule as their Titan (T1) mic, and a different color finish (silver vs matte black). Both seem to retail for $500-530 at different stores online, so when I found the T2 in open box condition- I decided to give it a try. The reviews are slim for the T2, but there are many that directly compare the 4400a to the AKG 414. I will report back with experiences in a week or so.
Can you put them in an omni pattern?
Yes. It has Omni, Figure 8, Cardiod and SuperCardiod. That is slightly fewer than the AKG 414 that offers an ‘in between’ patter on all of those, so it is a little less full-featured but not super important to me. I plan to use these as day-to-day rehearsal recording mics, concert/student audition recordings and livestreams that will not be edited after the recording. I will leave them in Cardoid most of the time.
Fridge
Posts: 118
Joined: Wed Apr 04, 2018 9:33 am

Re: Sub $500 Mic for Bass Trombone/Contrabass

Post by Fridge »

Warm Audio makes a copy of an 87 condenser mic. Different patterns available. They had a sale on a few weeks ago. WA87 r2. Right at $500. Great mic. Did a session from home on this about two weeks ago.

Fridge
Post Reply

Return to “Technology”