
Slackmaster2K
Gone
A DI box will do exactly that. There are several options here. First, the POD from Line6 is the favorite with just about everyone for guitar DI and supposedly works great for bass too. From what I hear, there is also a Bass POD as well. The POD runs around $300 though, so might be a little expensive.
I don't have a bass cabinet so I use the SansAmp Bass Driver DI box from Tech21. It's a pretty nice unit...not stunning or anything but it gets the job done and sounds real. Kinda tubey. It'll run around $120. Look for a used one. Oh, and it'll accept phantom power from your mixer or preamp which is a nice feature.
Other that that, you could always use any old preamp. Does the bass rig have a Line Out? Does your mixer have line-level inputs? (line vs. microphone that is) If so you can run a line from the bass amp to the mixer no problem...just watch your levels, start low. You might also look into getting a more versitile preamp like the ART Tube MP which will work for DI, and is a great preamp for microphones and a variety of applications. The only problem with using a preamp only is that it will have no cabinet emulation which is an integral part of a DI box. Without a DI box, the bass will sound dry and lifeless...kinda fake. With a DI box, it'll sound more like a mic'ed cabinet which is what you want. Don't rule out using just a preamp however, as a bass won't sound as bad as an electric guitar using this method.
And one final option would be active pickups which will push more than passive pickups...therefore you would be able to plug the bass right into the mixer and you'd get adequate levels.
Slackmaster 2000
I don't have a bass cabinet so I use the SansAmp Bass Driver DI box from Tech21. It's a pretty nice unit...not stunning or anything but it gets the job done and sounds real. Kinda tubey. It'll run around $120. Look for a used one. Oh, and it'll accept phantom power from your mixer or preamp which is a nice feature.
Other that that, you could always use any old preamp. Does the bass rig have a Line Out? Does your mixer have line-level inputs? (line vs. microphone that is) If so you can run a line from the bass amp to the mixer no problem...just watch your levels, start low. You might also look into getting a more versitile preamp like the ART Tube MP which will work for DI, and is a great preamp for microphones and a variety of applications. The only problem with using a preamp only is that it will have no cabinet emulation which is an integral part of a DI box. Without a DI box, the bass will sound dry and lifeless...kinda fake. With a DI box, it'll sound more like a mic'ed cabinet which is what you want. Don't rule out using just a preamp however, as a bass won't sound as bad as an electric guitar using this method.
And one final option would be active pickups which will push more than passive pickups...therefore you would be able to plug the bass right into the mixer and you'd get adequate levels.
Slackmaster 2000