Tracking Electric Bass
Home > Home Recording Forum > Recording Techniques > Tracking Electric Bass
Posted on Sep 26, 2003 01:53 pm
Joshua
Member Since: Sep 26, 2003
I, like most engineering geeks have always struggled a bit with getting the perfect electric bass sound. It's usually either too honky or muddy or it wont cut through the mix without really cranking it which of cours isn't good. I am looking for some good advice for tracking a bass guitar direct. What I want to try is splitting the signal from the bass sending one to a Sansamp and one directly to "tape". I am curious about compression settings for the DI signal (obviously this depends on fingers or picks) and I am curious about the Sansamp too. I know there are different Sansamp models and I think I want to try out the "classic" just to get an amped sound. Any suggestions? I'll be recording to and with a Roland VS-2480CD. Thanks, Joshua
[ Back to Top ]
Sep 26, 2003 01:59 pm Well, obviously I can't really give you rock solid settings and such, but I can offer some friendly advice. I like to record two tracks, one being sent through a DI, or a miked cabinet (usually DI) and one froma mic that is actually in front of the bass itself, this picks up some of the finger noise and the atack of the strings and can give the recording a very "real" sound. Put the mic about hwere the neck meets the body. The DI signal I often compress between 3:1 and 5:1 and set the threshold back to about -10 or so (as I recall, I might be wrong there)...
I have never messed with Sanamp in particular, but my DI signal usually comes from either my POD or the direct out of my Ampeg bass amplifier.
juesContributor
Since: Dec 30, 2002
Sep 26, 2003 11:23 pm Another important factor is the preamp that you are using. I now track Bass Guitar straight through my focusrite preamp and then straight to tape (well, cubase SX), a good preamp + a good bass will always result in a good sound.
I have never tried mic'ing the actual body of the bass, though, as dB said, for certain genres of music it would give a real boost to the sound.
jues.
flame...bringing sexy backMember
Since: Jul 01, 2002
Sep 28, 2003 04:38 am i liked that thing you sugested, jues, about playing on the bassline on guitar then dropping it an octave...tried it with my acoustic and it worked a treat!
worked better than the bass itself, come to think of it!
juesContributor
Since: Dec 30, 2002
Sep 28, 2003 06:04 am Yeah, I found that too, it gives a really pure sound without the mud or boom you usually get.
jues.
flame...bringing sexy backMember
Since: Jul 01, 2002
Sep 28, 2003 06:29 am totally...good shout dude!
el musicoFreeleance Producer/Engineer/GtrMember
Since: Aug 11, 2002
Sep 28, 2003 10:38 pm i have actually tried the trick dB mentioned but i have never got it to sound good to me. i just record the DI and mic the cab with a 57 and things come out well for me.... EQ to taste.
MinkusMazBane of All ExistenceMember
Since: Mar 27, 2003
Sep 28, 2003 11:25 pm to make that string mic'ing trick work, do NOT compress the bass string track at all, and make sure that it's a condenser mic.
el musicoFreeleance Producer/Engineer/GtrMember
Since: Aug 11, 2002
Sep 28, 2003 11:41 pm that's exactly what i did... however i never said not to do it. it just didn't help me to achieve the sound i prefer.
MinkusMazBane of All ExistenceMember
Since: Mar 27, 2003
Sep 29, 2003 01:28 am right on. i was just elaborating because that is what worked for me, and i didn't see it mentioned anywhere here. seems like useful info. makes sense that there are many cases where it would not be applicable.
TheJazzyOneYour favorite rockstarMember
Since: Feb 03, 2003
Sep 29, 2003 03:05 pm The best thing that I ever found for bass sound was using a multi-band compressor on the whole mix. I tracked the bass to sound good on it's own (with no other music playing)... mixed it about where I wanted it... maybe even just a touch low, then I used the multi band compressor to beef up the punch of the bass.
Sep 29, 2003 04:30 pm agreed on the multiband comp at the premaster stage and therefor after mixdown. great way to make the bass and kick really whomp together
glynbMember
Since: Dec 16, 2002
Sep 30, 2003 07:42 am I'm awaiting delivery of my condenser mic, and will try this technique as soon as i have it. Hopefully should add more 'twang' to the sound.
dB, once you have the two tracks for bass, one for the acoustic string sound and one for DI is there any advantage in panning them slightly, or does that defeat the point?
Sep 30, 2003 08:09 am ya, panning them differently and EQing them differently can add some real depth to it at time...soemtimes not, just gotta try.
flame...bringing sexy backMember
Since: Jul 01, 2002
Sep 30, 2003 09:11 am thats a good trick for most problem instruments ive found...
Sep 30, 2003 09:34 am i was thinking the main DI'd track should prolly be panned dead center unless your getting really experimental with how you'd like the bass to be perceived
Sep 30, 2003 09:38 am I rarely have anything, with the exception of vocals, dead center...maybe kick drum as well...usually during the project a lot are, but the final product isn't usually.
juesContributor
Since: Dec 30, 2002
Sep 30, 2003 10:05 am I'm the opposite I guess, I pan as much dead center as I can unless things are being double tracked.
Helps keep everything sounding good in mono - and also, it gives things a little more "punch"
Sep 30, 2003 10:07 am Yeah, thats a decent point, but honestly I couldn't care less about mono. :-P When I sign my record deal maybe I will...
Sep 30, 2003 10:39 am i heard it's a good idea to keep your bass equal in both channels if you plan to have your master dubbed to vinyl. can't remember why though
glynbMember
Since: Dec 16, 2002
Oct 01, 2003 10:44 am "Helps keep everything sounding good in mono - and also, it gives things a little more "punch""
Funny you should mention this. I listened to The Beatles track 'Birthday' from the White Album last night. i couldn't figure out why the vocals were so quiet. Then I realised i was listening to a stereo recording in MONO. As soon as I switched to stereo Paul shot over to the left and John to the right (or vice versa depending on how your speakers are kooked up) and the vocals suddenly sounded fine in the mix! Wierd phenomena. Always worth monoing your 'final' mix just to see how it will sound.
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Oct 01, 2003 09:45 pm One thing to remember is today, just like in the days of the great Goerge Martin (who is responsible for that very far out paned stuff form the Beatles and others) give it a shot and if it sounds good then it might just work. I use radical panning quite a bit fo certain thing, you just have to try it and see what works best. Some insturments dont work panned hard, others do.
cooloFrisco's Most UnderratedMember
Since: Jan 28, 2003
Oct 02, 2003 02:11 am "Yeah, thats a decent point, but honestly I couldn't care less about mono. :-P When I sign my record deal maybe I will..."
dB-For someone messing with 5.1, mono must be kinda far from the front of your mind, eh?
Oct 02, 2003 05:12 am it's not my first concern, I'll give you that...
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Oct 07, 2003 03:12 pm When I was mixing for onhold music and office type ambient stuff, yes Mono was a slight concern. But as with dB, it now is not really a main concern. I rarely now ever even try a full mix in mono. I may do individual tracks in Mono, to make them narrower to fit in a mix better. But I really dont think about a full mix in mono much anymore.
Oct 08, 2003 11:44 am Do you guys track in both mono and stereo?
brockMember
Since: Jun 28, 2002
Oct 08, 2003 11:57 am i record everythign in mono and then just pan. for an example i record the left overhead onto one mono track and then the right on another mono track and pan hard right and hard left.
Oct 08, 2003 11:59 am Depends on what I am recording, if it is a single instrument with no stereo effects on it, I record it in mono. If I have a stero effect on it I record it in stereo.
it totally depends on the source...
Oct 08, 2003 12:10 pm All this time I have been recording every track in stereo. I'm trying to go for a very mid sixties sound such as that on Revolver.
flame...bringing sexy backMember
Since: Jul 01, 2002
Oct 08, 2003 01:20 pm sounds cool...got anything to listen to yet?
Oct 08, 2003 03:30 pm I'm finishing up one of my songs today. I posted it about three months ago, but the recording was horrible as I did not have the gear I have today. I will post a link in the song forum.
Oct 08, 2003 07:05 pm when you do the octave-doubling guitar-as-bass thingy, how do you make it so that the 'delay' between your picked note and the actual sounded, processed note, is not so great? everytime i try it this way, i find that i must play "early" in order to give the octave effect enough time to drop the note. i find this impossible and unmusical.
juesContributor
Since: Dec 30, 2002
Oct 08, 2003 08:37 pm Record the guitar straight into the computer and then apply a pitch shift (whilst maintaining the original timing).
Pedals inclur such delays, which as you said, are near impossible to work around.
flame...bringing sexy backMember
Since: Jul 01, 2002
Oct 09, 2003 01:33 am i didnt know that the poedals would incur such latency...doesnt that make them near enough pointless?
Oct 09, 2003 02:06 am ah yes i should have guessed. never tried it that way. perhaps i will.
