Active/Passive?

[Amped]

Is there an advantge/disadvantage using an active bass over a passive bass for live studio recording? Our bass player uses a Peavey active bas in my studio and it sounds like ass when recorded and played back, way too droney to the point where the notes seem to run together. I have a Hartke 3500 with a 4/10 bottom that hes playing through. The room is very well treated and I dont have really any problems except this one. HELP!!!

 

[Outlaws]

Is there an advantge/disadvantage using an active bass over a passive bass for live studio recording? Our bass player uses a Peavey active bas in my studio and it sounds like ass when recorded and played back, way too droney to the point where the notes seem to run together. I have a Hartke 3500 with a 4/10 bottom that hes playing through. The room is very well treated and I dont have really any problems except this one. HELP!!!

Most people these days DI the bass guitar. Mic'ing a bass is so 40 years ago. (*as I do a limp wrist impersonation*)

 

[Amped]

Most people these days DI the bass guitar. Mic'ing a bass is so 40 years ago. (*as I do a limp wrist impersonation*)

So how does that address the question of active/passive? This is a full band recorded live using two ambient mics.

 

[ez_willis]

So how does that address the question of active/passive? This is a full band recorded live using two ambient mics.

It addresses the bass sounding like ass part of the equation.

Run the same bass through a di, if it no longer sounds like ass then it's not the bass.

Active pickups give you a consistently higher output signal.

 

[Dani Pace]

If he is turning the volume up high (on the guitar) he may be overdriving the signal. This can cause the sound to slur together and loose the distinct sound of each note. Overdriven bass can easily muddy up the whole recording, especially when recording live or all at once. Try having him back off his volume a little and maybe bring up the presence a little. You mentioned that you were using 2 mics, you might try placeing them higher off the floor or hanging them from the celing and turn the bass amp so it is not pointing straight at either of them. Recording a live band is a balancing act, start by adjusting volumes (a little lower than you would for normal play) so everything sounds right and blends together well (to your ears.) Listen carefully from various places in your room to find the "sweet spots" then experiment with mic placement in and around those sweet spots. Recording in a situation like yours means it has to sound right to start with. Live recording doesn't allow you much room for error.

 

[Amped]

It addresses the bass sounding like ass part of the equation.

Run the same bass through a di, if it no longer sounds like ass then it's not the bass.

Active pickups give you a consistently higher output signal.

Youre saying to run the bass through a DI then into the amp? What exactly will that accomplish?
Dani, you pretty much nailed it, the notes do in fact run together and are almost indistinguishable. The mics are sdc's and are about seven feet off the floor, Ive found this location to give the best balanced sound except for the bass problem.
Thanks for the help!

 

[ez_willis]

Youre saying to run the bass through a DI then into the amp? What exactly will that accomplish?

No dude, eliminate the amp all together when recording, or record the di on one track and the mic'ed amp on another, blend if you want or use one or the other.

The problem may not be the bass, it might be the amp, the mic, the room, the engineer, or a combination of all of them.

Have you tried recording a passive bass with the rest of the chain exactly the same and got good results?

 

[2lim]

If you are trying o get a good bass sound out of two SDC's with a whole band playing, and it sounds drony, then maybe you should try tweaking the actual sound coming out of the amp. Also, the way the bass is being played could be the cause.

I really doubt it has anything to do with active or passive pickups... cause no matter what kind of pickups you use, it is the sound coming out of the amp that is gonna make the difference.


Simon

 

[Amped]

Ive run a cheap Rogue through the Hartke using the ambient mics while recording the band live and it did sound better, not perfect mind you but better. I think he might be using the active knob as a volume control and overdriving the amp. Hes a guitar player turned bass player so he has limited experience with bass tone. I have in the past recorded him using the onboard DI in the Hartke head into Protools and it sounded great! Its the live recording thats the problem. Right now Im trying pre-record eq with minimum success so far while recordng the band live with the two ambient mics. Whats the real purpose for having active circuitry in a bass guitar?

 

[DrJones]

No dude, eliminate the amp all together when recording, or record the di on one track and the mic'ed amp on another, blend if you want or use one or the other.

The problem may not be the bass, it might be the amp, the mic, the room, the engineer, or a combination of all of them.

Have you tried recording a passive bass with the rest of the chain exactly the same and got good results?

I agree totaly. Recording live (overhead) bass is not an optimal way. The overheads will give a decent guitar and drum mix but, bass and vox are different. Individual control of bass and vox are essential. I have noticed when I record my bass (1999 Fender J Marcus miller SM) that the active pickups sound like poop compared to the passive. That may just be the pickups. Experiment! That is the only way to find out. Hope this helps.

Good Luck!

 

[DrJones]

No dude, eliminate the amp all together when recording, or record the di on one track and the mic'ed amp on another, blend if you want or use one or the other.

The problem may not be the bass, it might be the amp, the mic, the room, the engineer, or a combination of all of them.

Have you tried recording a passive bass with the rest of the chain exactly the same and got good results?

I agree totaly. Recording live (overhead) bass is not an optimal way. The overheads will give a decent guitar and drum mix but, bass and vox are different. Individual control of bass and vox are essential. I have noticed when I record my bass (1999 Fender J Marcus miller SM) that the active pickups sound like poop compared to the passive. That may just be the pickups. Experiment! That is the only way to find out. Hope this helps.

Good Luck!

 

[DrJones]

No dude, eliminate the amp all together when recording, or record the di on one track and the mic'ed amp on another, blend if you want or use one or the other.

The problem may not be the bass, it might be the amp, the mic, the room, the engineer, or a combination of all of them.

Have you tried recording a passive bass with the rest of the chain exactly the same and got good results?

I agree totaly. Recording live (overhead) bass is not an optimal way. The overheads will give a decent guitar and drum mix but, bass and vox are different. Individual control of bass and vox are essential. I have noticed when I record my bass (1999 Fender J Marcus miller SM) that the active pickups sound like poop compared to the passive. That may just be the pickups. Experiment! That is the only way to find out. Hope this helps.

Good Luck!

 

[DrJones]

sorry about the multiple copies!