A small question

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ZoSo58LP

ZoSo58LP

rock guy
okay so..ive been recording since about 2001 and i can admit my recordings have gotten much better..but my bass tone still won't cut it..i would mic my amps, run straight through, use guitar rig, even my zoom pedal...but recently i bought a gallien krueger backline 600 head...sounds amazing wiht my sunn cab and all, but mic'ing that still gives a not so pleasant tone..so i run straight through wtih the provided XLR direct out...sounds DECENT, but it still doesn't cut it in the mix...i use my G&L L2000 bass and when i slap, it really SPIKES and pops, so i always have to use an auto-pop eliminator in adobe...and my tone just isnt fat, even when i use only the bridge humbucker, ala musicman style..i love flea's tone on bloodsugarsexmagik, and i know he uses a Wal Mach II bass with 2 humbuckers as well...but his tone is SO FAT and amazing, and I can't find any information on how Rick mixed it, or if he ran it straight through or mic'ed a cab..after watching funky monks, the dvd making of bssm, ive come to think that he records straight through..if this is the case, how the hell is his tone so fat and growls so well? any input on recording bass and getting great tone would definitly be appreciated..thanks!
 
ARe you using any kind of compression? You could compress the shit out of it and make your tone as fat as you please. A comp/limiter would also help with those slappin spikes. I record my guild through a pre and a RNC, that's it, when I need it really fat. Although, I have to say the RNC is not the comp to get if it's just for bass, the thing works waaaaaayyyyyy better on vox, accoustic, even guitar cab. BTW, can anyone reccomend a (<300) compressor that is better suited to bass than the RNC?
 
hmm i never EVER tried compression...idk ill have to look into it..any other suggestions?

edit:
heres an example of what i mean...heres the basstone i love of flea's from BSSM


and now here's what my G&L sounds like with both hums..


here it is with the bridge hum



mine sounds so..blah and shitty and direct! this head sounds awesome though through the cab and all..any ideas? i know people hate when guys come in asking how to get other peoples tones, beleive me i do too, but im just so curious as to what he did with some similar equiptment, and hopefully i can find answers as to get my tone 10x better!
 
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Well i dont know if youve tried this but when my friend and record bass we run it through, but into a m-audio delta 44, so i dont know if your running a modded soundcard into your mix, or just a stock ? if it is stock i definetly recomend getting a better soundcard.

hope this helps

- Lou
 
well, for my recordings, i go direct in from my head to a fostex mr-8, then transfer the files to my pc..
 
I agree, you have to compress the hell out of bass to not lose it in the mix.

Are you eqing it at all? Remember to leave in tons of mids.
 
yes, i've tried compression, i've tried everything said here already...im eq'ing like crazy, raising mids, raising lows, takin out the highs, trying a bit of gain...nothings working, my tone still sounds too flat i think.
 
Try plugging the bass sound you have at the moment back through the bass amp, and see if that fattens it a little.

Nobody has mentioned or asked what mic you're using? I would have thought that's the first step to getting a good tone (after making your bass sound right in the room of course)
 
Turn down your recording or preamp level so there aren't ANY pops. Pops are bad and mean you are recording too hot. Try recording the bass direct off the GK and micing the cab to two seperate tracks. Then compress the hell out of the mic track and blend the two together.
 
good thinking....my mics arent too great for bass anyway, i have a sm57 and some nady mic..but im not sure howto mic a bass with them, ya kno? like the sm57, i kinda understand the different positions for mic'ing distorted guitar..but on a bass, moving it next tot he cone, or 6 inches away, or to the side don't sound all too different..and it sucks because it's hard to mic right on the cone for my cabinet because the inside is V shaped, and the speakers all face eachother at an angle, isntead of shooting straight out towards you. i did mix a sm57 track and a direct in track once, but it still wasn't as fat as i had hoped..hmm guess ill just work with eq'ing and all
 
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