Recording Bass Guitar

T

TylerDrums109

New member
What are some options in doing so?....I know micing the amp is one of them but i dont have any proper mics to record bass with...if i line out of the amplifier what are some things i should be aware of?...if i line out from the amp...its going to go into a multimix alesis usb mixer...then into the computer through a usb....any suggestions? tips? ect...maybe a DI box to put between the amp and mixer would be a good idea?...thanks for any and all help
 
Sometimes amp heads will have direct out switch options -one typically called 'Line' that sends after all the tone and input gain settings on the amp, or 'Direct which is closer to the guitar input, perhaps a split off the input much the same as a direct box or just after the first gain stage.
Tone and control options there.
 
I plug my bass into my soundcard, and hit record:) with pretty good results. Later i clone the bass track ane run that through an ampsim and some compression. and mixt to taste:)
 
Try the preamps on your mixer, see if you like them or not. If not, a decent di is pretty affordable.
 
Find a DI and stick your bass into it, then plug it into the USB mixer. No need to stick it through the amp first - unless it either has effects or you want to monitor that way.
 
I've got a cheap ass little Behringer mixer and I've found that I can just plug my bass straight into the mixer, then into the soundcard. Plugging it straight into the soundcard for me is too much hum.

So like one of the posters above, I'd recommend plugging it in through the mixer before you purchase anything, and see if you can get the sound you want with some tweaking.
 
For what it's worth (probably not much), but I find I get great results by just plugging my active bass straight into my mixer , too.
 
TylerDrums109 said:
What are some options in doing so?....I know micing the amp is one of them but i dont have any proper mics to record bass with...if i line out of the amplifier what are some things i should be aware of?...if i line out from the amp...its going to go into a multimix alesis usb mixer...then into the computer through a usb....any suggestions? tips? ect...maybe a DI box to put between the amp and mixer would be a good idea?...thanks for any and all help
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You should probably be fine with a line out from your amp. Just watch your levels - set the mixer level all the way down, then start playing, and gradually bring up the level on the mixer until you're peaking out at -6 to -10 db or so, maybe a little lower (as unless your bass amp has built in compression, a bass guitar is capable of HUGE dynamic swings).

Dude, you've posted a ton of "how do I record this instrument" threads lately - mind if I ask what the project you're working on is? I'm wondering if maybe it'd be easier to address that directly, than answering questions peicemeal like this.

What's your band like - influences? What's your instrumentation? What gear are you working with? Thanks!
 
Line out from the bass amp works really well. A bass POD isn't too expensive, and they sound real good. I've also gotten satisfactory results plugging my bass into a preamp used primarily for vox, I imagine straight into the board would work fine too. You can do bass a lot of different ways and get it to sound good,
 
And just to throw one more option at you: try micing the amp too. There's both an edge and a natural compression that comes off the speaker of a decent sounding amp.

In fact my favorite approach is to split it, go DI with one and send the other to the amp and record it with a decent mic.

In my mix those are usually just about even in level--and it's almost always(depending on the song) a sound I like better than either of them by themselves.
 
TylerDrums109 said:
What are some options in doing so?....I know micing the amp is one of them but i dont have any proper mics to record bass with...if i line out of the amplifier what are some things i should be aware of?...if i line out from the amp...its going to go into a multimix alesis usb mixer...then into the computer through a usb....any suggestions? tips? ect...maybe a DI box to put between the amp and mixer would be a good idea?...thanks for any and all help
Click to expand...

i have had several recording rigs over the last few years. i started out using a DI and a mic a few inches off the grill of my cab. later it got a little more complex with a DI right off the bass so i had a track of i ever wanted to reamp my recording without having to replay my tracks. then i had a DI after my preamp and effects. that was used for a full sound while keeping the notes defined. after that i would run two mics for my cab. the first mic i set about an inch or two off the grill of the cab. the second mic i would set a few feet away from the cab. it takes bass a little more that four feet to fully develop its wave form. this mic will take a little bit to get set to the right distance because it will run the possibility of phase canceling the other signals out. i used this setup for several years while recording to tape and digital recording systems and was always pleased with its sound. however back then i was less concerned with the amount of gear that i brought to the studio. more recently i have been experimenting with guitar rig 3 and have been very pleased with its results. it is a very nice setup because i have more options for amps, cabs and effects in a very portable setup. also because it is a computer program the tone will always be consistent on a day to day basis and if i have to ever do a track a song again i can just recall my setting for that song which is very important in the studio. well i hope that this helps you out a little and gives you some ideas for future recording. if you have any question about recording bass or gear please feel free to ask.

Michael
 
sparianzo said:
.. the second mic i would set a few feet away from the cab. it takes bass a little more that four feet to fully develop its wave form. ..
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Distance to develop or different perspective? (+ & - some room contributions. ;)
A close mic on the cone should couple quite nicely.
 
Muyukiguki said:
Get a SamsAmp. Use a compression plug in. I always get great results with that.
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I wish i could afford a sansamp but sadly i am a teenager with no job...the equipment i have right now to record guitar and bass are as follows

Amps:
Guitar = Flextone II (love it)
Bass = Behringer Ultrabass combo (hate it)

Mics:
Sm57 (=])
Pg57 (=])
No kick mic yet (=/)

Software:
Acid Pro 6.0 W/lots of freeware plugins ive tried and downloaded
Gearbox

Other:
Alesis Multimix USB mixer
Line 6 Toneport UX2
 
Buy a Behri Bass DI 21 (it's almost as good as the sansamp) - it's VERY cheap & possibly the most robust Behri pedal.
Use it to go straight inot your mixer. Easy & quite good.
Alternately split the signal use the BDI AND mic the amp. You can then blend both together in the box. You'll get nifty results.
 
I normally record direct sometimes adding another channel for effects or amp sims. On a rare occasion I might set up an amp and mic it but with the quality sims out there why bother.
 
mixsit said:
Distance to develop or different perspective? (+ & - some room contributions. ;)
A close mic on the cone should couple quite nicely.
Click to expand...

the distant mic was for the low frequency to form completely. from what i was told it is suppose to take lower frequencies longer to be recreated more accurately. in theory it is suppose to add more low end to your tone.

also as far as gear, i do recommend the sansamp. i have had both the bass DI foot pedal which sounds great and the programable sansamp. i currently use the programable one because i change tones between some of my songs. it is also very useful for recording vocals.

other di's that i have used are the Eclair Engineering Evil Twin. that was the best DI i have used so far. i should have picked it up when i had the chance. the other one i like is manley stereo tube DI. also a good choice but you cant tweak the tone as much.

as far as mics go a good do all mic is a SM57. you cant go wrong with that if your on a tight budget.

or amps and cabs i have gone through a lot of changes
i started out with a mesa 400+ with a ampeg 2x15
i like the tone once it was set for the day but the tone would change the second it was turned off.
then i went to 2 eden world tour 800's with 2 eden 4x10 and 2 eden 1x15 cabs
that was a very cool tone but i had over heating issues with the heads
after that rig i went to 2x ampeg svt 4 heads and 2 ampeg 8x10 cabs and sometimes a ampeg 2x15
that was the most reliable rig out of them all with very cool tone and plenty of power to spare.
i have also toyed with 1980's svt classics and a few of the new one. they have great warm tones and would highly recommend one.
also from what i read the older svt 2's a very similar in to to the classic.

hopefully that answers the mic question and gives you all a few more ideas for gear.
 
WhiteStrat said:
And just to throw one more option at you: try micing the amp too. There's both an edge and a natural compression that comes off the speaker of a decent sounding amp.

In fact my favorite approach is to split it, go DI with one and send the other to the amp and record it with a decent mic.

In my mix those are usually just about even in level--and it's almost always(depending on the song) a sound I like better than either of them by themselves.
Click to expand...

this is very good advice. you can always dump one or the other in the final mix depending on the song. also it is always good to use a DI if you ever want or need to reamp for a different tone incase you didn't like the original tone from the amp that was originally tracked.
 
sparianzo said:
the distant mic was for the low frequency to form completely. from what i was told it is suppose to take lower frequencies longer to be recreated more accurately. in theory it is suppose to add more low end to your tone.
Click to expand...
My understanding is low freq happens right from the source, but the waves are doing and having all sorst of different room/space effects, (one of which might also likely be less relative mid/high at distance').
Calling Ethan Winer...:D
 
mixsit said:
My understanding is low freq happens right from the source, but the waves are doing and having all sorst of different room/space effects, (one of which might also likely be less relative mid/high at distance').
Calling Ethan Winer...:D
Click to expand...
that could be the case. i also think that some other reasons that they did this was they were micing a 15" speaker and they used a old rca ribbon mic.
 
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