Recording DI bass guitar

  • Thread starter Thread starter Armistice
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Armistice

Armistice

Son of Yoda
:D

Didn't want to jack the other guy's thread...

So I do the real bass / DI thang like lots of us, but I'm having big issues with individual note volumes across strings and even on the same string with different notes... seems like some notes just resonate more...

Now... I know, I should change the strings.. I have new strings and just haven't gotten to it because I'm not actually doing any more bass recording in the near future so figure I'll do it when I need to, but having just spend an eon applying volume envelopes on individual bass notes in Reaper, it has me wondering if this something endemic with DI-ing bass, or just my crap strings?

It's a quality Schecter active bass and I'm not that bad a player that I can't hit the notes at approximately the same velocity. I do always play with a pick, however, like lots of guitarists... :D
 
Armistice said:
:D

Didn't want to jack the other guy's thread...

So I do the real bass / DI thang like lots of us, but I'm having big issues with individual note volumes across strings and even on the same string with different notes... seems like some notes just resonate more...

Now... I know, I should change the strings.. I have new strings and just haven't gotten to it because I'm not actually doing any more bass recording in the near future so figure I'll do it when I need to, but having just spend an eon applying volume envelopes on individual bass notes in Reaper, it has me wondering if this something endemic with DI-ing bass, or just my crap strings?

It's a quality Schecter active bass and I'm not that bad a player that I can't hit the notes at approximately the same velocity. I do always play with a pick, however, like lots of guitarists... :D
Click to expand...

I thought that was pretty common for bass and that is why many use a compressor going into the mix (in this case, just one afterwards), but my understanding, many people use a compressor live just for this reason.
 
Only because I think it can at times be relevant, I'd ask a) are you fairly accomplished on the instrument? And b) if not, do you happen to be picking fairly lightly?
Theory being if you work closer to the mid-to-full attack range (or, as opposed to playing in the lower end of the strings dynamic range) the little differences in attack.. can become smaller relatively in scope.
As an aside to that, not exactly related to the dynamic', but it can also lead to more tone handles' to be easier to be heard in the mix- and perhaps, easier to deal with in compression.
And that's not to say/imply folks can't or don't play light' and evenly
 
Just a point from past experience; I mixed a cheap bass that had strong resonant frequencies on some notes. It could be directly relative to the bass you are using. I ended up having to use the beloved Multiband Compressor to fix it.
 
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I DI all my bass tracks and subsequently have this problem pretty much every time. Nothing a little compressor and -1db limiter can't fix. And in the very rare case a note still sticks out too much, I've had to go in and just grab that particular note and simply pull the gain down on it to level it out a little more.
 
i use a sansamp bass di.

works great!

i can split that signal, take it to my guitar rig, running thru my line level capture device for the tube head (palmer pdi-09) and run that signal alongside the sansamp signal, combine them, and get a great round sound, all direct.
 
GONZO-X said:
i use a sansamp bass di.

works great!

i can split that signal, take it to my guitar rig, running thru my line level capture device for the tube head (palmer pdi-09) and run that signal alongside the sansamp signal, combine them, and get a great round sound, all direct.
Click to expand...

not to derail AmisticeDudes thread but would there be the same advantage to the sansamp playing live?
 
dog,

yes.
and there is another version of this pedal, that has switchable presets as well, that's what i would use for live work.

basically, this is the unit that Geddy Lee uses with Rush, for live and studio, except it's a rack mount version.
 
GONZO-X said:
dog,

yes.
and there is another version of this pedal, that has switchable presets as well, that's what i would use for live work.

basically, this is the unit that Geddy Lee uses with Rush, for live and studio, except it's a rack mount version.
Click to expand...

cool.
Thanks GonzoDude ;)
I'm off to googlin.

g.a.s. has entered my life again.
:p
 
I almost always add a compressor to my DI bass lines, but have found that for more-rocking songs, I am probably playing notes more consisently harder so its less of a problem than when I'm play a more-mellow or acoustic song.
 
mjbphotos said:
I almost always add a compressor to my DI bass lines, but have found that for more-rocking songs, I am probably playing notes more consisently harder so its less of a problem than when I'm play a more-mellow or acoustic song.
Click to expand...

Do you think style (finger verses pick) plays a role? I think also skill level. But picking for me would be more consistent than finger. Index being the strongest fading as you count the digits.
 
I put the bass into a MindPrint Envoice channel strip with compressor via the Instrument input and hit it on the way in, but it strikes me I still always have the problem... I do play quite lightly though... so maybe that's it. I guess the first thing is to change the strings and rule that out... :D

I've seen the Sansamp Bass DI thing before but figured I'd be doing roughly the same thing with my channel strip. I guess I could try DI-ing into the channel strip... it's more a curiousity thing at this stage. I'm used to volume automating the whole line to balance it out, rather than compressing it further...
 
A COMPRESSOR IS ALWAYS GOOD WITH BASS TRACKS

that's why a lot of guys thru the years, have preferred playing thru big tube bass amps, because the tube circuitry already provides a good level of compression
 
I always record bass DI....and lately I tend to always use the DI on my Langevin DVC. Sometimes I also use the limiter that's on the DVC with a pretty light setting, just to tame the peaks a bit but I never go for a real squashed bass sound, other times I don't use any limiting and it's just the DI. It really depends on the bass lines and the song.

I use to fiddle around with a felt or rubber pick.....but I could never get the results I wanted, so I forced myself to get comfortable using my fingers to play, and now it's pretty easy and I can play well with my right hand. My problem sometimes is my left/fretting hand, since bass strings are up higher and stiffer than guitar strings, I sometimes don't release quick/clean enough, so I get a little fret noise on the tails of notes....but nothing I can't fix with some editing.

Once I gave up on using the pick…my bass playing improved a lot…but I’m just doing basic bass line….there’s no crazy’ jazzy riffing going on….just a good low end thump and a few creative lines.

Speaking of the SansAmp for bass.....I once recorded a band where the bass player had one....so we did the split, and had the bass going to an amp/cab and DI off the SansAmp. I belive we just ended up using the DI track...but that SansAmp for bass sounded quite good.
For basic DIs....I've noticed that FET designs work well with bass almost always.
 
Miro, I tried learning to play properly (ie. fingers) but found that my picking hand nails get in the way and I need to keep them for acoustic guitar... sort of can't do both really... so pick it is for me... next time I try something I'll change the strings and play louder and see if that works any better... I do seem to be basically automating note by note though, to get nice even volumes... what a PITA... but then again, so's everything else in recording! :D
 
As a bass player and an engineer, I always DI and mic a bass cab. I record the DI and mic to different tracks and then use the DI and the mic, or use the DI or the Mic, depending on the required sound. I have found as the years pass that I am using more and more of the mic and less DI. There is nothing that sounds as good as a good sounding bass amp miced up.

The last recording I did (someone else playing bass) I used a LDC (AKG C4000B) and Sennheiser 421 mixed to 1 track and a DI to another, the mic channel sounded fantastic. Another studio near me that I drop into now and then said that they had stopped using DIs altogether on bass as they always prefer the miced up amp sound.

Amp wise I often record a little crate BT25 25 watt single 10" that sounds very nice, I also have a Trace Elliot Commander 15 that gets recorded a lot, and my main rig is a gallien krueger 800rb with a single 15 and/or a 2 x 10 cab, which also gets used a bit. Live my rig is the gallien krueger and 2 x 15 cabs plus the 2x10 cab but thats another story.

I mix in the analog domain (console and outboard) and I use a DBX163 a lot, often set up as parallel compression. However if you were mixing in software the same principle would apply.

By the way I switched to playing with fingers (no Pick) about 30 years ago (been playing bass for 41 years) and never looked back.

Alan
 
Hi witz... I'm sure that nothing beats a properly miked bass amp, but I don't have one! :D Plus I live in an apartment. I can get away with miking guitar amps if I'm reasonable about volume but I think a bass amp would probably be crossing the line... and I have no room to put it anyway... so I'm going to have to persist with DI-ing in one form or another....
 
Armistice said:
Hi witz... I'm sure that nothing beats a properly miked bass amp, but I don't have one! :D Plus I live in an apartment. I can get away with miking guitar amps if I'm reasonable about volume but I think a bass amp would probably be crossing the line... and I have no room to put it anyway... so I'm going to have to persist with DI-ing in one form or another....
Click to expand...

Fair enough, I supposed micing my gallien krueger with the 2 x 15"s and the 10"s would piss the neighbours off no end.

Have you tried any of the rack amp simulators?

Alan.
 
Armistice said:
Hi witz... I'm sure that nothing beats a properly miked bass amp, but I don't have one! :D Plus I live in an apartment. I can get away with miking guitar amps if I'm reasonable about volume but I think a bass amp would probably be crossing the line... and I have no room to put it anyway... so I'm going to have to persist with DI-ing in one form or another....
Click to expand...

What if you compressed as an insert. I have an compressor I for going in, to me, it helps make it more consistent. The very light after the Bass Amp sim.

I am trying to switch to fingers, just taking time. I try at least a few takes, and I practice, but I have played with a pick so long on my acoustic, I might be too far gone to break bad habits (I think that is code for, too lazy).
 
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