Recording Bass Guitar

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Matt303

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I'm having all kinds of problems getting a clear and full bass guitar sound. I've tried mics (dynamic and condenser) close mics distance mics and combinations, DI into desk, DI box from pre-amp, Hartke into 15", Hartke into 4/12, Trace Elliot into 15", Trace Elliot into 4/12.
The basic difficulty is that I require a full 70s ish Chic sort of thing but I need to capture slap and pull higher frequencies on specific sections. The amplifier setups seem to capture everything, I can hear the higher frequencies and the definition require but when its recorded the higher frequencies are just not there and the effect is a lack of definition on note changes especially when the Bassline is in the mix. This is irritating for sections played finger style but most evident on the slap sections. I would like to avoid splitting and mixing two channels together as its fixing my recording inadequacies not solving the problem, during live work the sound is fine from the backline. I think I should be able to capture the sound I hear with no tricks or additional EQ, I usually find when I use exteme EQ or compression its to get over some other screw up in the way I recorded the source in the first place.
Any ideas?
 
Recording Bass

Hey, I'm no pro but you definitely want to get the sound you're looking for, or as close to, without too much eq or compression - the purer the signal the better.

What mics are you using?
How loud is the bass?
Where are you recording the bass?

My band is currently recording and having no trouble recording the bass "sound". A lot of it has to do with our bass player. He knows how to get a good sound out of his bass and amp - which is the biggest hurdle.

I would venture to guess that it's either the way the original sound is coming out or maybe you need to carve out some eq in the mix... or it could be the mics. Throw an SM57 in front of it and see how that goes. One more suggestion is that on every amp there is a "sweet spot". Finding that spot can be difficult but once you find it you'll know. An amp can sound like crap when you mic it in one spot but when you find the good spot, it'll clear a lot of that up.

Oh yeah, our bass player uses a Trace cabinet to power an Ampeg cabinet. His Trace has EQ on it. If the one you're using has this, try messing with that if all the other things I've suggested don't work.
 
I've tried a number of mics including an SM57, its not bad but a bit 'boxy'. I've also tried a Pure 1 condenser mic which gave better results when used with a bass drum mic. This combination is the best to date but booms a bit at the low end (presumably caused by the drum mic) and is difficult to control

I keep the bass volume low as I'm recording in the house although the room has generally good acoustic quality is quite large and fairly neutral things tend to rattle if the bass is up too high

The frustrating part of this is that the sound from the amp is good its my attempt to capture the same quality in a recording that's letting it down. I think your point about mic placement could be the key, presumably the driver only allocates a small region to develope the higher frequencies, if I use the 57 to try and find the most responsive area.
I am considering a Johnson J station, has anyone used one for bass?
 
Matt,

Miking a big speaker can be hard cuz mic postion makes such a difference. Distance miking won't do it for a Chic sound cuz you want it to be dry and present. The closer you get, the more every little move is magnified. I'd say start about 3 inches off the grill near the center of a cone, but turned slightly off axis. In other words, pointing somewhere between the center and the edge of the cone. Experiment with how far toward the edge of the speaker you can point it. I think it usually gets brighter as you near the edge. Best bets for mics I think are the upper end dynamics like an EV RE-20 or Sennheiser 421. Also, try to have the cabinet in as dead of a space as you can. You want ZERO reflection when going for that kind of sound. A walk-in closet full of clothes is great for bass cabs.

Next bet would be to go pre-amp out from the trace elliot. (I love those amps!) That method should preserve much more of the highs if you're wanting more of them.

BTW, I never hesitate to compress bass on the way in (if recording digital). usually not more than a reduction of 3 or 4 db.
 
Saxman 72, spot on! It did seem to be mic positioning and a bit of EQ adjustment, I set up the mic, and panned through the mid range for each placement until I got some definite respnse through the sweep. When I mixed the track I added that 200Hz ish boost to give the 70s disco tight bass sound. This was possible as the recorded source was responsive throughout the range.
The only problem now is with the guitar (disapearing mid range)but this is a seperate problem and has more to do with my ignorance about what is a good sound to start with.
 
Hey, glad that helped! Not a lot of things sweeter to my ears than a great funky-ass disco bass sound!
 
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