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eskkes
New member
hi,
what is the best way to record a bass guitar?
any mic recommendations?
regards,
dave
what is the best way to record a bass guitar?
any mic recommendations?
regards,
dave
reshp1
New member
Unless the amp is an integral part of your sound, DI'ing the bass directly is probably best and easiest IMHO. Then again, I'm not a bassist, so I tend to just get the bass down and not obsess over it.
mshilarious
Banned
I am a bassist, and most bassists don't obsess over the amp/cabinet sound to anywhere near the degree guitarists do. I just go direct through an ART MP.
sile2001
_|_
That's nice......but a little more about how the U5 specifically is great in recording bass would be nice.Cuzme said:
"I love lamp......I love carpet.....I love chair...."
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EVT
New member
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AlexW
New member
I'm a fan of recording direct and mic'ing the cabinet. Essentially any mic good for kick drum will work well with bass (ATM25, Beta 52, D112, etc.). Even an SM57 can work ok. Placing the mic a foot or two off the cabinet can capture the sound better.
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chessrock
Banned
mshilarious said:
That's a great statement. Very true. Bassists are creatures of convenience. We like to play bass simply because ... well, first off there are fewer strings to worry about. We don't need to actually learn any chords, either. That's pretty nice. Oh, and when we travel, we don't need to lug huge, heavy shit around. That's beautiful. Doesn't really matter -- we'll pretty much plug in to anything that looks remotely like a quarter-inch jack as long as we can hear ourselves.
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oh_the_blood
New member
i recorded with a studio projects b1 pointing at the 10" speaker about 6 inches away.
the song is spring symphony, the first one.
it has a lot of bass in it.
www.myspace.com/turdfergusonhxc
the song is spring symphony, the first one.
it has a lot of bass in it.
www.myspace.com/turdfergusonhxc
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guinsu
Member
Wow, I have the opposite approach, I play bass and obsess over my tone worse than any guitarist. Hence why I NEVER borrow amps and bring my own mic to shows so they can mic me up instead of ever going direct. For me the amp is a huge partof the sound, the signal coming out of the bass sounds like garbage to me and needs the right amp to make it sound good. For recording I've been micing my B15 with a few different mics and eqing a tad. I've had a lot of luck with an AKG 414XL-ii, less with the D112 and I still need to try the Senn 441 adn 421. Maybe even the SP B1 since it was mentioned here.
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chessrock
Banned
Ya see, Guinso ... you're actually a guitar player at heart.
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DJL
Self Banned
The best way to record bass guitar starts with a good bassist and a good bass... I have an American Fender P-bass, J-bass, and Rick 4003 and recommend any and all of them.eskkes said:
The MD421 is a great mic... I also like the M88, NT3, etc...
I like miking the cab and going direct... I get all the bottom I need from going direct and add punch with the cab... and I always use new strings.
Like guinsu... I'm also more picky than some bassist.... I don't like playing through crap.
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Rado
New member
what about using DBX mini pre tube preamp.Works as a Di as well and has -20 pad?? 
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corban
New member
I'm going to bring this thread back for a reason other than making fun of Rado 
So far I've found going direct to be unsatisfactory, and have only got the results I'm looking for by mixing it with a mic of the cab, like AlexW said, except i would add that I make a little tunnel to try and avoid unseemly frequency buildup in my crappy recording space. I know it seems the pros just go direct, but maybe they're going through great DI's? I don't know. I guess it largely depends on the bass as well, but even using some really great basses it still always seems to help to get the sound of the cab, in my experience.
So far I've found going direct to be unsatisfactory, and have only got the results I'm looking for by mixing it with a mic of the cab, like AlexW said, except i would add that I make a little tunnel to try and avoid unseemly frequency buildup in my crappy recording space. I know it seems the pros just go direct, but maybe they're going through great DI's? I don't know. I guess it largely depends on the bass as well, but even using some really great basses it still always seems to help to get the sound of the cab, in my experience.
giraffe
i love negative rep
i usually mix di and mic
lately i use a blue ball on the bass cab
don't laugh
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/5/cardboardbombsheltermusic.htm
break
it's been posted before, but the bass was done with a blue ball, no di this time, just the ball
mexican fender j bass
80's randal solid state head
david eden 2X10 scoop cap
blue ball
lately i use a blue ball on the bass cab
don't laugh
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/5/cardboardbombsheltermusic.htm
break
it's been posted before, but the bass was done with a blue ball, no di this time, just the ball
mexican fender j bass
80's randal solid state head
david eden 2X10 scoop cap
blue ball
Last edited:
FALKEN
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if you go direct it helps to use a compressor.
on the project i am working on now i recorded direct and with a 421 on the cab. on each song, one track typically sounds better than the other one. depends on the song i guess. sometimes I will mix the two tracks together.
therefore, I think that the best way is to go direct and also mic the cab. obviously your recording setup will dictate the number of tracks you can devote to bass. but if you can do 2, it should cover pretty much all of the bases when you play it back. If I had to choose, I would mic the cab.
bass amp mics need to be further from the cab than guitar amps. I usually do about a foot. Any decent mic will work. I like the 421 lately because it has a scooped midsection that works pretty good in the mix and because I think it sux on guitar (for my sound) so at least I found a good use for it.
on the project i am working on now i recorded direct and with a 421 on the cab. on each song, one track typically sounds better than the other one. depends on the song i guess. sometimes I will mix the two tracks together.
therefore, I think that the best way is to go direct and also mic the cab. obviously your recording setup will dictate the number of tracks you can devote to bass. but if you can do 2, it should cover pretty much all of the bases when you play it back. If I had to choose, I would mic the cab.
bass amp mics need to be further from the cab than guitar amps. I usually do about a foot. Any decent mic will work. I like the 421 lately because it has a scooped midsection that works pretty good in the mix and because I think it sux on guitar (for my sound) so at least I found a good use for it.
MISTERQCUE
Not Just Anutha Brutha
Being a bassist, I record use either a Aguilar or an Aphex Bass Exciter when DI'ing into board. When I'm using the thumb-slap, percussive style of playing, I run my RNC to control peaks when slapping upper range notes. Also rather than bounce to dupe a bass track and to avoind layering, I'll track 2 bass tracks at once for splitting and cntrolling mid and lower freq'ys to combine as 1.
When amp-micing, I'll use 3 mics positioned strategically across the cab's woofer. SM58 with screen removed, an RODEnt-1 for clarity and snap and a AKG 3000 (rolling off the low freq's). I run the 58 direct using the pre's on my Topaz board, the RODEnt thru a Grace 101 and the AKG 3000 thru an ART TPE using the so-called "warm settings". I then mix together and add a lil "salt & pepper" to enhance flavor.
When amp-micing, I'll use 3 mics positioned strategically across the cab's woofer. SM58 with screen removed, an RODEnt-1 for clarity and snap and a AKG 3000 (rolling off the low freq's). I run the 58 direct using the pre's on my Topaz board, the RODEnt thru a Grace 101 and the AKG 3000 thru an ART TPE using the so-called "warm settings". I then mix together and add a lil "salt & pepper" to enhance flavor.
giraffe
i love negative rep
3 mics on one cab?
that sounds like way more trouble than it could possibly be worth
i can't even imagine the phaze problems you have to overcome in that setup
but hell, if it works it works
that sounds like way more trouble than it could possibly be worth
i can't even imagine the phaze problems you have to overcome in that setup
but hell, if it works it works
MISTERQCUE
Not Just Anutha Brutha
giraffe said:
I neglected to mention that my insane & unorthodox method is to capture 2 unique set of bass tracks to use in a mix. I sometimes experiment quad-mic'ing
using my Peavy and Hartke cabs (a dynamic & condensor on each with minimal dynamic proc'ing paying close to attention my perf) a technique Ron Carter, on upright at that, had elaborated on in an old "DownBeat" mag. Former Brecker Brothers & top session bassist, Will Lee, also utilized trip-micing on a few tracks to produce an eclectic sound where specific freqy's of the bass on each track could be isolated,hyped & blended together producing a singular bass tone that stood out beyond your avg bass tracks with no phase issues prov
I've had avg to below avg success using these techniques.Of course one can go with DI'ing using a Countryman,ProCo, SansAmp etc; basic cab-mic'ing standards with SM57, etc.yielding great results, but 1 of my goals (along with improving the perf'mance of my present crappy-@ss songs), is to learn the unique skillz that my musical idols utilized during tracking.
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lansingxcore
New member
i record direct through a bass pod. i'm a bassist, and it sounds good to me. if i had more energy, i'd combine that with a mic on the cab (ONLY if it's a nice setup.. too many bassists just clip the fuck out of their amps).. but i'd use a large diaphargm condenser, not any dynamic. although the guy who said he uses a blue ball.. i may have to try that. gotta find some use for this otherwise useless ball.