how to record bass

[endserenading81]

SO what have you guys found is the best way to record a bass? Going direct or micing a cab? Any SPECIAL EQ that you guys have?
Thanks,
Rob

 

[Phosphene]

Well, since I like the sound of my Ampeg SVT-II bass amp, I just mic the 8x10 ampeg cab with a D112 and run it through a Avalon 737, with a bit of compression (yes I compress before I record), and tweaking EQ. I have also tried DI through my 737 and a Great River and I like this method best. I usually use my OLP Music Man Copy with the tone knob turned to like 1 or 2. I use flatwound strings and I drink some Old Crow or PBR and it sounds pretty good.

 

[frank_1]

Well, it may depend on the music your playing and the sound you want.

I have not recorded a bass cab yet, but I I like the sound better

The Bass POD is pretty good too, I have finally learned about increasing the "A.I.R." function which gave me a trully mic'ed amp feel to it!

 

[frank_1]

Oh, for eq, I always drop the 200-260 area. It's makes the bass sooo much clearer by takeing away that unwanted "boominess".

 

[apl]

Hey, endserenading81.

I recorded this running the bass directly into the guitar/bass inputs of my US122, which I assume is the equivalent of using a DI box.

I heard that the bass on Yes's Roundabout was done by splitting the signal with EQ, and sending the higher tones through a distortion, and the lower tones direct and clean. That way they got good solid punch with all kinds of timbre.

Hope this helps.

PS Leave a comment on the song, please. Thanks!

 

[Adam P]

SansAmp Bass Driver DI, for now.

 

[AGCurry]

To me the question is: How do I keep the bass out of the other microphones, e.g., the piano mics or the drum mics. If you have a separate room you can put the bass speaker in, go ahead and mic it if you want. I'm perfectly satisfied going direct. If it was good enough for James Jamerson...

 

[noiseportrait]

You really can't go wrong running bass direct. It's like the sm57, it will rarely sound amazing, but it will always get the job done. Micing up a good bass amplifier and mixing it with the DI signal can be the road to a really great bass recording, but it also adds a lot of variables that can turn messy fast.

 

[Adam P]

One of the things about going direct is that if you're going to do so, use a good DI. I hear that the Countryman (or something like that) is quite good, and a lot of people like using high end preamps for the direct box. Theres a lot of difference in using a good preamp (Countryman, Avalon, even a SansAmp) and using a passive DI box into the console.

 

[Drummer4Life05]

Go buy the latest issue of Electronic Musician.
There is a great article in there which interviews 3 or 4 top engineers when it comes to recording bass. There's multiple techniques that are discussed.
Heck, wait a few weeks and I'm sure it'll pop up online.

Good luck!
-Justin

 

[endserenading81]

Thanks everyone

Thanks for the answers. I've always heard this home studio standard about going direct, but some of my favorite recordings from bands always recorded the bass with a huge cabinet and a large condenser mic. Which I don't have. So I guess my real question should have been "How do you get great recordings GOING DIRECT?" I have an M-Audio Omni I/O and a ART TPS II Tube Preamp unit. Keep those suggestions comming!
Thanks everyone,
Rob

 

[Cyrokk]

I plug my Peavey Foundation into a Zoom 506II, then into an ART Tube pre, then straight into the recorder. Sounds great both on its own and within the context of a mix.

 

[Adam P]

Thanks for the answers. I've always heard this home studio standard about going direct, but some of my favorite recordings from bands always recorded the bass with a huge cabinet and a large condenser mic. Which I don't have. So I guess my real question should have been "How do you get great recordings GOING DIRECT?" I have an M-Audio Omni I/O and a ART TPS II Tube Preamp unit. Keep those suggestions comming!
Thanks everyone,
Rob

I've heard some people say the ART preamps are useful as a bass DI. Plug directly into that, and run the output into your Omni. Adjust to taste.

 

[frank_1]

The way I see it is, if your gonna record bass DI, and your gonna use an Art MP pre amp, then you might as well go on www.ebay.com and bid on a used Line 6 Bass POD. You can pick one up for around $150, not bad! The sound that the POD emulates (when you turn the A.I.R. feature all the way up) is superior to that of the Art MP. Tust me, I have both*

 

[fretmeister]

recording bass direct

I have had good results recording direct and using light compression. I plug the bass into an FMR Really Nice Preamp and Really Nice Compressior in supernice mode. If I am using the FMR stuff for something else, I use a Stewart direct box and dbx 1046 compressor in overeasy mode. (Some cheap compressors produce really nasty clicking artifacts with bass, and I've read the cheap dbx and Behringers will do this). I then use the Amplitube amp simulation plug-in to achieve the desired tone and almost always add more compression or limiting when mixing. This is how I do it.

 

[Cloneboy Studio]

Myself I'm using a Sansamp RBI DI box plus miking the cabinet with either a MD421 or RE20. The Sansamp provides the solid meat, and the mic provides the air and tone. Working good so far.

 

[Chibi Nappa]

So I guess my real question should have been "How do you get great recordings GOING DIRECT?"

I just plug the bass player into the front input of a Great River MPNV-1 and record dry. At mix time a apply heavy 8:1 or 16:1 compression with about 4 db reduction to make it nice and smooth....if nice and smooth is what I'm after.