Bass Through the Interface?

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hnia6

hnia6

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Anyone record bass directly throught the interface without the amp? How does it sound? My interface is the M-Audio Fastrack Pro. What do you think? Try it or just go through the amp?
 
I've heard that the interface has a built in D/I box but I haven't been able to confirm this. Also I would recommend using a D/I box you can get them as cheap as 40$, but if your FT Pro basically has a built in interface then why not? But using a D/I box is a pretty standard practice, unless you got a pedal board that you run through. In this case just unplug the board from the amp and plug it in to the D/I box.
 
Yup, if your interface has an instrument DI jack then just plug right in. The bass on all my songs is always DI, I don't own a bass amp.
 
How's the sound quality when plugging directly into the interface? Does it have a very processed sound?
 
AXB6 said:
How's the sound quality when plugging directly into the interface? Does it have a very processed sound?
Click to expand...

Not sure if I can answer that, it's very subjective ya know. Be your own judge and listen: Here

I go through a Focusrite mic pre which has the DI jack, then through my interface. In Cubase, I use the UAD Fairchild compressor plug and eq it a little to work together with the kick drum. That's it.

Oh, I usually have all the knobs on the bass turned up. :D

hth,
 
I always go from the direct out on my bass amp into the interface. Then i put an amp sim on it in logic. I usually have great results.
 
My interface has a 1/4 inch DI (if that means direct input). So, I can plug directly in (out of town now) which I'll try when I get home. I was worried 'cause I used a mic on my guitar and it was very clean even though I had gain and reverb throught the amp. Therefore, I was concerned the bass might sound very processed. As it turned out, I picked up a Acoustic B100. Pretty entry level, but for home recording, it actually sounds really nice and has enough power for what I'm doing; which does not quite include live gigs quite yet.
 
Straight in will work fine for you. I did do that for a while but now use a Behringer BDI21 which is a bit of a sand amp bass clone. Lots of variety for tone & drive etc as well as a very good DI signal. Sturdy & cheap too. Don't dismiss it until you try one & for the cost there's no loss if you don't like it.
I often use the preamp in my Yamaha MT100 4 track cassette portastudio as it does a nice job too.
BEST option split the signal DI & mic'd cab!!!!!!!
 
I've been plugging in my Jazz Bass into a Fast Track Pro for a couple of years now. I use the inserts for a dbx compressor, but other than that, it's straight in.
It's sounds good. Not the way to do it if you want snap, growl, and whatever adjective you use to describe an aggressive bass tone. But for basic, clean bass tones, it's fine. Sometimes I'll add a Sans Amp if I want that growl.
 
AXB6 said:
How's the sound quality when plugging directly into the interface?
Click to expand...
Pure. Direct is the way most electric basses on most recordings have been done since forever. Using a microphone on an amp in a studio is a pain in the neck at best due to the unruly characteristics of bass frequencies in an enclosed space.

If you have a choice, go with a passive bass. If you're stuck with an active, be extremely careful about your levels.
Does it have a very processed sound?
Click to expand...
Not until you process the track somehow in the mix.

Other alternatives:

Record the output of a modeler or DI box...

Record from your amp's XLR out...
 
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