Nadine and DPA microphones for double bass COMPARED! 

Very informative and entertaining video - thank you for your superb playing!

This video is just what I needed! Thank you!!

The DPA position change at the end tells the tale for pizzicato. Less proximity effect makes it sound more natural… and very much like the Nadine. But for arco, the DPA still seems to have an artificial ‘bump’ in the low end. If I were to choose, it would be Nadine. It sounds like the instrument.😊

nice work as usual thank you sir!

I’ve always favoured the DPA but in this comparison I am really digging Nadine! Thanks for your great work!

That’s some amazing playing

My Lord, they all sound great! I love the Nadine for adding weight and clarity while walking, but the DPA solo over the bridge reminds me of Ray Brown's tone!! Clarity of harmonics hands down goes to the DPA, and grit and meat definitely is the Nadine! I JUST had serial #199 Yamahiko single element pickup installed. Imagining being able to blend those 3 together?!? The ultimate piezo/mic shootout at the OK Corral! Y/DPA belly, Y/DPA bridge, Y/Nadine belly !!! You would have every bassist/marriage in financial ruin! 😂😂😂

Great Video. For my taste: with pizz i could live with both. I i have to choose i´m prefering the dpa maybe. But when you play arco, for me the DPA is the clear winner. Thanks for doing that stuff!

Nadine!!!😍

Thank for the test !

Thank you Hervé for the comparison. DPA for me sounds better. More detailed and natural sound. And with the actual price would be better choice for me.

Thank you !!!

Both sounds great! But I loved de Nadine's sound.

I think the DPA is the clear winner, but it could benefit from some additional shock mounting when used over the bridge. This particular DPA seems a *little* low-frequency limited for contrabass, but the deficiency was more evident with the competitor. Were I to choose, personally, I would opt for the DPA. Thanks for a very nice and revealing demonstration.

The DPA has a lot of clarity and high range which certainly is very useful to cut through in a live mix. The Nadine sounds "rounder" on its own, but would rather be a studio option for me, if I didn't have the space for a bigger microphone on a stand.

The DPA above the bridge is clearly the best option and better than the Nadine. The playback bleed seems greater than with the DPA close to the table, under the bridge, but it's not the same playback (piano and cymbals vs guitar alone). It's a shame because that's precisely the point I'm interested in. How best to manage the bleeding of other acoustic instruments (drums and piano) during a live recording with a DPA or another microphone that's correct for the double bass... What do you recommend? Anyway, well done for your always interesting videos.

I play with nadine and I find it the best mic ever. Some time I play with nadine + remic live mic with grat results too but the only nadine is alright. Going to test the planet wing ( 2 piezos) + nadine. Thanx Gio

Hi Herve! DPA sounds more natural for me. I feel Nadine like have a pre EQ, a bit nasal with raised mids and lower treble, maybe this is no problem if you used gut or gut like strings but if you use steel strings, this could emphasises the nasal sound and then need to correct with more EQ (in case you don't like that sound) gettin a too much processed sound. I prefer a sound as plain as possible.

I know Cristian McBride uses the Nadine, and I really love the organic warmth on it. Has anyone used it in a gig setting and/or in a bigband setting?

Thanks for making the video! Just wondering do you feel like condenser microphones naturally have a louder sound compared to dynamic microphones (like SM57)? I was trying SM57 mounted with an H-Clamp (as you did in one of your videos) on live gigs, and feel like I need to keep turn up the gain to have a large enough sound. Not sure if that's a problem specifically for dynamic mics or is it the same for both dynamic and condenser mics (which means it's hard to get loud anyway with a mic)?

I switched to Nadine from DPA because it seemed like a more sturdy option to be kept on the bass (my DPA died on me after 5 years of heavy usage). Also Nadine has lifetime warranty which seemed nice. Havent gigged it that much yet to know for sure whats best to combined with a contact mic. Curious about your choice of ANS ballsereit though, is it the passive or active option you use and why did you choose that? Im considering about this or something like the Schertler stuff. Thanks som much for doing this, you are saving us all for bunch of time❤

Thanks for this awesome video! May I ask what strings you are using? They're lovely and warm!

This was a great test. I gig a lot. I use the DPA, but for the high register and for arco, pickup is better for me for pizz down low. Tighter and punchier! In larger settings when I have a sound engineer they tend to use more DPA than pickup. Sometimes no pickup at all. It is all so dependent on the gig!

For me, the DPA under the bridge is a little bit brighter than Nadine. Over the strings is very similar. The DPA could be better if blended with a pick-up, that gives some bass frequencies to the mixed sound. The feed from other instruments is for me the the same with the two mics. Maybe greater with the DPA over the strings. If I have to play, or better recording, alone maybe I prefer the Nadine. In a live set with other instruments including drums maybe DPA is better (and this is what actually do in most of my gigs). What do you think?

I prefer the warm sound of the Nadine, ….

for me the DPA gives a better sound

Thank you! Exactly what I was looking for! One question though, I have been using a audio-technica mic on my DB (and also tried a DPA) but I have lots of feedback issues when playing on stage with monitors, big band, etc. Have you encoutered any feedback issues with either of them? any workarounds?

I’m all Nadine. More frequencies, more air. DPA sound compressed and unclear.

I've recorded with both, in my studio. One huge advantage of the Nadine--if you are recording in the same room as a piano, for instance--is the huge difference in leakage from nearby sound sources of the Nadine when compared to the DPA: the Nadine admits MUCH less of outside sound when compared to the DPA. For that reason, I'm selling my DPA!

DPA sound better, Nadine sound great but the position is very limited

Le DPA est bien plus riche en harmoniques.