Which bass for recording that modern deep tone all rockers use today? (Nickelback...)

[StarSyn]

I need a great, but CHEAP(!), bass for di (direct-in, no amp) recording!

I NEED the tone to be professional and modern, and above all; HUGE! Like the bass tone on Nickelback - This is how you remind me, or 3 doors down - Here without you (i do NOT like the guitarsound on those two so let's not get into a discussion about that ) (Especially 3 doors down has a very horrible digital radio-tone to guitars and vocals, that i do NOT care for.)

If you have not heard those songs, then the best way to describe what i want is that i want a bass that is somewhat "too huge", somewhat "too deep", and i dont want the bass to really be an instrument you can dial into with your ears and hear which notes it is playing... i more want the bass sound to be "invisible" and just FELT.

I want my bass to cover the entire mix as a warm blanket, but NOT KILL ANY of the other sounds.

If you are not into modern rock and don't care for that tone maybe you should not answer this thread(?) Beacuse I do not want an "old" type of sound at all. (Where the bass is more "distinguished", but has much less low bottom)

Anyone who knows "exactly" or has an idea of a bass that is able to produce a tone as close to it as possible to what i described above?

It would be cool if the bass was more versetile than that, but it's not a real big issue as regardless of my recording project being hiphop, agressive rock or pop i WILL want that bass tone and none other 9 out of 10 times.

I plan to record my tones through a TL Audio FAT1 - I hope this will work well, (It is a tube driven compressor with instrument di's!)
But if anyone has objections to this please tell me!

I am a COMPLETE bass newbie so PLEASE do reccomend me specific, cheap basses that are avalible on the market today (be it 2nd hand or new).

Pricerange: $300-$500

[alexforcefive]

Oh my goodness, I just typed up a long reply and I wasn't logged in

Anyway, basically I think I know what you're looking for, although it's not something I listen to so sorry if I'm way off the mark. I went on nickelback's website and:

Mike
Power Amps: Crest 5200 power amps
Power Amps: Peavey GPS 2600 power amps
Head: Peavey Pro Bass 500 heads
Head: Peavey Triple XXX heads
Speaker Cab: Peavey guitar and bass cabs
DI: Avalon DI's
DI: Tech 21
Switcher: Coleman Audio Switcher
Bass: Spector Basses
Bass: Lakland Basses

Although I'd bet the actual models he uses are way out of your price range, Spector do a budget range called Performer, which I guess is a pretty good starting point.

Personally I play (and love) a Yamaha RBX 460, although you might find it's not as 'punchy' as you're looking for.

I have a friend who plays an amazing Musicman bass; I didn't know the model so I googled it, and the first site I came across had a range called SUB on sale for $645. Could be worth checking out if you can extend your budget.

Schecter basses might be worth looking into too.

And of course, you can never go wrong with a Fender Jazz bass.


Recording-wise, I've never heard the DI you plan to use, but if it's a newer valve based prosumer thingy, it might sound a little too 'warm' for you. You'll be wanting a super clean sound, so be careful not to overdo it. I'd turn off the compression if you can, and use something a bit cleaner later on.

Good, modern bass sounds are all about mids and low-mids, so don't be so quick to boost the sub-bass levels This article has some handy hints, as well as some good EQ frequencies to get you started about halfway down the page.

Hope this helped a little bit. I was doing rough conversations from british pounds, so sorry if my suggestions weren't helpful. From what I hear you get all your stuff cheaper than us anyway

[capnkid]

An OLP and a Bass V-amp. Total ($349.99)

You said cheap.

[metalhead28]

You seem to be wanting the "ultimate" bass yet you are clearly setting your price range a little on the lower end side. I wouldn't say too low to get a great sounding bass though. I can't tell you what bass would be best for that sound but I am willing to bet it is 95% studio trickery and maybe 5% due the quality of the bass that was used when creating those recordings. I don't think you will achieve anything drastically different from one bass to another, especially if you are limiting your gear otherwise to a single DI unit and nothing else. I think you'll have better luck with some experimentation with recording and mixing rather than looking for the answer in a specific instrument.

[lbanks]

P-bass
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/PBassSTRBLK/

[Zaphod B]

A couple of months ago I bought an Ibanez SRX300 bass for recording at home. I was just looking for something functional, but the thing has tone! Big, deep bottom end.

$299.00 at Guitar Center - hell of a lot of bass for the money.

[beebe]

I agree with metalhead. Try boosting 120 Hz. Also maybe try the tech 21 sans amp...i hear good things...though haven't uesd it myself. Oh yeah...i also agree with Ibanks. A p bass should provide a pretty blank pallet when recorded DI.

[Myriad_Rocker]

If you want to record direct and you want a specific sound, you might think about going the modeling route....however, for that price range, you aren't going to get much. You might get a Bass POD and a good start on paying for a decent bass. I would suggest a Music Man or Warwick for a modern bass sound. You might even be able to get one of those Sub Music Man's...that's the budget music man. Or you could get a Mexi Fender Jazz.

[guitar junkie]

are you thinking like 4 or 5 string here? i like the sound of Ibanez basses well enough for what you are wanting. although myself i am hoping to one day have a nice J Bass with flat wound strings on it

[Outlaws]

use a synth

[ahuimanu]

Like others have said, realize that most of what you want comes from how the bass was recorded, mixed and mastered and not entirely the bass itself. It is unlikely, unfortunatly, that any shortcut to that sound exists. It is said that you "feel" bass mostly at the 80 Hz and below.

[Myriad_Rocker]

Or you could go with something like Trilogy.

[KKM1]

Originally Posted by ahuimanu

Like others have said, realize that most of what you want comes from how the bass was recorded, mixed and mastered and not entirely the bass itself. It is unlikely, unfortunatly, that any shortcut to that sound exists. It is said that you "feel" bass mostly at the 80 Hz and below.

ahuimanu is correct. i huge part of the bass sounding so good is how it sits in the mix in relation to the other instruments. if the guitar sound (which you apparently dont care for) was different the bass would probably sound a lot different on the recording too.