Recording some bluegrass

[Fkeller]

First time post:

I've done some digging through this site and have gotten some great tips. I recorded my band's first CD (www.whistlepigs.com for samples) using Mbox and a LDC mic--Studio Projects C3. There were a couple tracks done with a Midnight Blue SDC.

The limitations of track by track recording for bluegrass are severe, though, so for the next one we plan to do a "live" in studio thing.

We will be using the Digi 002 (ProTools LE) for our next product. I've upgraded some mics, too. We're hoping to put a couple LDC in an X/Y pattern and use a matched set of Earthworks SR30 (also called SR77 I believe) for "step-up-to-the-mic" solos. I have an ART tube pre-amp I was thinking of using for the LDC but very little else gearwise.

The only problem is that our bass player uses something called an Eminence bass (http://www.gelbass.com/). It has an upright tone when run through our board on stage and it plays like an upright, but it has little to no acoustic tone. Therefore, when we plug it in to record (plugs directly into the Digi 002) it will record fine but we can't hear it while we play.

One suggestion has been to run the bass into a bass amp, put a mic in front of the amp and record the bass that way, but I'm concerned about too much bleed.

Any thoughts? I'd be interested to hear any suggestions for gear, setup, technique, etc.

Fred

 

[Zaphod B]

Can you run a monitor output into a headphone amp / splitter? If so, the performers can use mono ear buds to monitor the bass while keeping the other ear free to hear everything else.

 

[bennychico11]

wow....he's using one of those for Bluegrass??

you need to setup a cue for all of the musicians if you plan on plugging the bass in direct like that. otherwise, how are ANY of the musciains going to be able to hear the bass line (which is a BIG part of Bluegrass)....not just the bass player.

With a 002 I usually recommend running stereo outs from Outputs 7-8 into a headphone amp of some sort (like this). Then run all the headphones from it to the musicians. If you're interested in this idea, let me know and I'll tell you how to set it up in PT so that the musicians get a mix separate from what the person in the control room is listening to (if someone is doing so).

 

[AGCurry]

We will be using the Digi 002 (ProTools LE) for our next product. I've upgraded some mics, too. We're hoping to put a couple LDC in an X/Y pattern and use a matched set of Earthworks SR30 (also called SR77 I believe) for "step-up-to-the-mic" solos. I have an ART tube pre-amp I was thinking of using for the LDC but very little else gearwise.

The only problem is that our bass player uses something called an Eminence bass (http://www.gelbass.com/). It has an upright tone when run through our board on stage and it plays like an upright, but it has little to no acoustic tone. Therefore, when we plug it in to record (plugs directly into the Digi 002) it will record fine but we can't hear it while we play.

One suggestion has been to run the bass into a bass amp, put a mic in front of the amp and record the bass that way, but I'm concerned about too much bleed.

Any thoughts? I'd be interested to hear any suggestions for gear, setup, technique, etc.

Fred

I would use the Earthworks pair for the "wide" sound and the LDCs for solos, as the Earthworks will have better off-axis response.

As for the bass, why put a mic in front of the bass amp? Your X/Y pair will pick it up just fine. That way, you don't even have to worry about headphones. Just let the band balance itself. That's bluegrass.

 

[Fkeller]

Gentlemen:

thanks for the tips! Keep 'em coming. While I'm not a newbie, I'm far from an expert.

Zaphod: yes, we have a headphone splitter but no earbuds. The 'phones make it too hard to get a good ringing harmony mix so we will probably steer away from this. Earbuds aren't that expensive, but we are definitely on a budget.

Benny...: The purist in me shares your pain. The realist tells me that it's a hell of a lot better than the bass guitar he used to have . This guy has no means to transport a bigger instrument either. If he was a jerk, we'd fire him and get another player, but he's a great guy, a good player, and pulls his share of the band load. The good thing is that it actually sounds good through a PA. Byron House (I've seen him play with Chris Thile and Sam Bush) uses the same thing.

AGCurry: I can't believe that this idea hadn't occurred to me. It's simple and elegant; it's our stage setup but with extra mics. That'll be experiment #1: test record this way on Sat. and see if that meets our expectations. The only reservation I have about using the LDC's for the solo mics is that they have a "hollower" sound than the Earthworks. On vocals, this aspect doesn't bother me--in some ways I like it. For solos, I want a warmer, woodier tone to come through. I will try it though. It won't hurt to be flexible--we don't got a ton of gear (nor a soundman or a booth) so we'll have to max out what we do have.

Thanks. Again, keep 'em coming if you got 'em. This board has been very helpful to me.

Fred