Recording Bass direct and with mic

S

sae

New member
Good day all:

I will be recording bass guitar tomorrow night. This is my question...I want to record direct as well as use an ambience mic. Will I run into phase problems by doing this?

I know that if you use two mics you need to follow the 1:3 rule, but I don't know what to do with I am doing direct because there is no distance.

Thanks,

Sae
 
With a di and a mic up close to the amp, the time delay may not even be an issue. It will as you start to back the mic off.
The first few feet out is where the combing seems to hit right in the midrange with large eq effects.
Don't see how 3:1 rule applies here, unless you're talking other instruments in the same area.
Wayne
 
what medium are you recording on?

i find that when i do the "mic and DI" method, there's always a delay between the two tracks. it's usually small 2 or 3ms, but enough to make it an issue at mixdown. this is VERY easy to fix if you're recording to a computer--just slide the track that's "off" forward (or back) a little bit until it syncs up with the other.

as long as you have the ability to adjust/fix/compensate for this delay, i don't see any reason you should have a problem with micing the amp and running it DI.

the 3:1 rule doesn't apply here since you don't have two mics on the same cabinet (source).

i'd be careful with that C2000, though....make sure you've got a pad on that mic if you're gonna be running that amp at a high volume. you could prolly put a 20dB pad on it and prolly get it right up against the grill of the amp.


good luck!
wade
 
Thank you very much

I will be using the -10 dB pad, and I am recording to a PC, so i'll just move the tracks, good call.

Now...

What is the formula to figure out how far to offset it in the software depending on the speed of sound and how far away from the source I am.

Thanks.
 
Are you going for a room effect? If you're out past several feet (out in the room) it may not need alignment either. (Just like a bit of pre-delay on a verb.) Otherwise about 1 ms per foot is in the ball park. (It's 1100 ft/sec I believe.)
Wayne
 
yeah, about 1ms per foot sounds about right. to be honest, none of us will be able to tell you exactly how much to compensate for it without hearing it for ourselves. i always just line mine up by eye--zoom in real close and see where the wav files match up.


wade
 
I may sound like a fool saying this, but I would hafta say leave it alone, and at least lissten to it....having a few ms delay between the direct and mic GIVES the ambient effect. You might like the way it sounds without matching up the wavs.
 
<< ....having a few ms delay between the direct and mic GIVES the ambient effect >>

yes, it does. i've also found that the comb filtering it introduces thins the bass track right out. that's not what i'm usually looking for in my bass tracks. i usually want tightness and punch--ambience usually spoils that.

as usual, YMMV.


cheers,
wade
 
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