Besides a direct box.....

S

stinkfish

New member
What are some of your favorate methods of recording the bass?

What kind of mics etc...any thoughts would be appreciated.
 
I mostly just plug my bass in direct and record it that way. Mess around with the eq a little bit to tune the sound to your taste. I have miced a bass amp before though and i find that using a AKG D112 gets a good sound. just place the mic about 3" or so away from the speaker and set the mic a lil to the left or right side of the center of the speaker.
 
Scenario 1: DI & Cab
1st ch. Bass --> DI (Countryman/Radial) --> Console/Pre amp
2nd ch. DI --> Amp (Orange) --> Mic --> Console/Pre Amp

So then they are coming down say channel 1 & 2, then i blend the "clean" (di) & "dirty" (amp) to what i feel fits that particular song.

Scenario 2: Cab
1st ch. Bass --> Amp --> Mic (dark mic) --> Compressor --> Console/Pre amp
2nd ch. Bass --> Amp --> Mic (bright mic) --> Compressor --> Console/Pre amp

The idea being that if you balance the low frequencey and high frequeny microphones, you can get a more accurate representation of what the cab sounds like. I have used this technique a couple of times, after i read about it in an interview with Steve Albini.

Some mics i've used on the cab:
AKG D112, ATM 25, EV RE20, Beyer M-88

In addition to this, usually i'll compress at about 3:1/4:1 (3db), soft-knee, unless its slap bass than hard-knee.

Miking Cab Techniques. (Click on "stringed instruments" on the left, than E/gtrs/Bass up top)

Scenario 3: DI
 
Thanks for the ideas guys! And the link....that looks like a very useful site. I will give these a try tonight! :)
 
I will use a Beta 52, D112, 421, 4033, sometimes even a 57 if the bass is way too muddy. I always combine it with a direct signal.
 
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