Recording bass with ART pre and (shudder) Alesis compressor

monty

monty

Banned
Yes, I bought a used Alesis 3630 before I knew about Behringer or RNC, but anyway I tried to record a bass track on my Fostex 8 track last night and had nothing but trouble. First of all the ART tube pre amp is noisy. This is a new unit and each channel has the same amount of hiss so I'm assuming that's just how it is. Then the 3630...there is a clicking sound when I hit the first note of a riff. It seemed like the only setting where it would go away was without any compression. That unit also has hiss. I plugged the bass into the ART and the ART into the Fostex, to begin with. Then I tried any other combination possible. Between the tape hiss, the ART hiss, and the 3630 hiss and clicking, the recording was probably the worst I've ever done. I should add that I'm in the habit of leaving my guitar and bass pickups at full volume. Maybe that has something to do with the clicking? I'm open to any advice and if none is forthcoming I am thinking about throwing everything in the trash or maybe sitting it all in front of my car and...well, you get the picture.

[This message has been edited by monty (edited 05-01-2000).]
 
Hold up there Monty, no need to trash your set-up. I have both the ART Pre and the Alesis 3630. I am not getting any hiss. The clicking sounds like the gate opening and closing. That is one unforgiving gate. I tried to use the gate and no matter how I set it the results were a disaster. Turn the threshold on the gate all the way counterclockwise for starters. What kind of cabling are you using and how are you connecting everything (series, balanced or unbalanced, etc)? What settings are you using for each device?
 
Hey Lambo...I won't really trash anything. Sell maybe. I dunno, I tried every setting and it just seemed like the 3630 would only stop clicking when there was no compression indicated by the level LED's. Maybe there was compression but it just didn't indicate it. And the dual mp is not too noisy when I set each knob at 12:00, but any more than that and I can hear a hiss. It's almost like I need a pre amp for the dual mp. I'm using cheap cable and pluging the bass into the High Z inputs on the dual mp and from there to the input on the rear of the 3630 and then from the output to the deck. Does your ART make any hiss when you turn it up? Mine does and I didn't think it would be as noticable as it is. Maybe it's normal but I've never had one to compare it with. When all the hiss is added up it seems really noticeable. I should mention that I'm monitoring it through a little Mackie with the treble all the way up. I do it that way just so I can hear everything clearly, which of course makes the hiss more prevalent. I guess I'm not really expecting anyone to be able to help me much as I believe I just need to spend more time tweaking everything and getting better cables. The hiss and noise doesn't really depend on the cables being hooked up though. Each unit sounds the same no matter what the cables or next unit is doing. I wish you could be right here and give a look and a listen, but that's not how it works. I'll give it another try and keep better track of everything so I can be more specific in my description. Thanks for responding.

Monty
 
Well, I had better luck tonight. Last night was the first time I had tried that particular combination of stuff and I think my expectations were just too high. It's just plain more difficult than I thought it would be. It used to be easy when we put together a couple of reel to reel's and an old Tapco mixer. It actually sounded pretty good without much effort. But with all this specialized gear and all the possible combinations of settings and hook-ups, it's actually more difficult. Anyway thanks Lambo. It's good to know who your real friends are. As for everyone who didn't rush to my assistance, "You all suck". :D :D :D
 
Glad to hear you're having better luck! I hear ya about the simplicity of things before we got so high tech. With exception of the poor cabling which will make a difference,(I stepped up to Monster Performer 500) what you have will do the job. To conquer the infamous hiss, tweaking is the key. For starters, try the following: Alesis 3630: Threshold (0db)2:00, Compression =(2:1) 10:00, Attack at (40ms)11:00 release (500ms) 12:00, Output (+3db) 1:00
Softknee and stereo. The ART is a little more tricky. Pushing the output renders better results than cranking up the input. Control the level on the board using the fader and not the gain knob. Good Luck!
 
Just two quick comments Monty--

Are you using single coil pickups? If so, sometimes the possition and proximity of the guitar or bass to preamp and/or compressor can cause substantial hiss. It is truly amazing what moving around a little can do.

Do you record late at night with no shoes on? Now this may sound stupid, but I find I need to have shoes on when recording. If not, I cause some form of ground loop interference. Not real loud, but, with the headphones on, real obvious.

Just some dumb thoughts that might help.

Peace, Jim
 
The guy I'm working on a project with now has a Gibson archtop with an aftermarket sealed pickup of some kind. I don't know why, but that sucker hisses like crazy unless we run a wire from the sheath of the pickup and attach it directly to him or to the tailpiece of the guitar.

Man, I ripped out about half my wiring and spent big bucks on power conditioners before finally realizing it wasn't my gear.

BillS
 
Ya...thanks Jim & bsutton. I know what you mean about bare feet and positions of body, cables, types of pickups, etc. I think most of my hiss is coming from lack of experience at making proper settings, because it's there with no cables attached. I'm getting the hang of it now. I also had a dirty or corroded patch bay connection that wasn't very apparent. Also I may give up trying to record to tape first and then transferring to Cakewalk as I now have the tube mp to 'warm' it up. Have to try it first when I get some time. Thanks though for all the help. monty
 
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