Amps for recording

BlackMaiden · #1 09-02-2011, 08:52 PM

Hello,

I'm looking for an amp over 100 watts for recording an album. I have look at many like peavey's and laney's amps but I'm not sure if I could record with those.

(Favourite is Laney RB6 at the moment)

Not to expensive also. Its for home studio recording (with a baracuda bass)

**colcifer** · #2 09-02-2011, 08:59 PM

You're better off plugging in directly, to be honest. Amps are more trouble than they're worth.

Stick_Player · #3 09-02-2011, 09:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by colcifer

You're better off plugging in directly, to be honest. Amps are more trouble than they're worth.

I concur. Unless you have a GREAT mic and GREAT preamp to go along with a GREAT amp (I have all three), go direct.

I've had good results going direct (i.e., Avalon VT-737sp preamp) into GuitarRig (specifically the BassPro modeler) - although the 'snooty purists' will whine.

You can also, after recording a direct bass track and editing a great performance, re-amp. But you'll still need: a GREAT amp, a GREAT mic and a GREAT preamp.

Never a cheap, easy way out.

JimmyM · #4 09-03-2011, 12:48 AM

Nonsense! Run a DI for the very lows, slap a 58 in front of a cab for everything from 100hz up, and you've got a high quality mic'ed amp sound for cheap. Piece of cake.

For recording, you don't need anything 100w and over, though. You want something that sounds good to you, and you can use an amp that's 100w or over, but small lower power amps are great for recording, too. Best thing to do is go play some, and get one that appeals to you. I'd recommend trying out some of the Ampeg stuff, of course, but just go play a few and get the one you like best.

Thombas · #5 09-03-2011, 12:54 AM

Nonsense! Go direct. If you want a specific amp footprint, a good plug in is so much easier - and cheaper. Actually, some of the ampeg plugins are great

dhsierra1 · #6 09-03-2011, 12:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimmyM

Nonsense! Run a DI for the very lows, slap a 58 in front of a cab for everything from 100hz up, and you've got a high quality mic'ed amp sound for cheap. Piece of cake.

For recording, you don't need anything 100w and over, though. You want something that sounds good to you, and you can use an amp that's 100w or over, but small lower power amps are great for recording, too. Best thing to do is go play some, and get one that appeals to you. I'd recommend trying out some of the Ampeg stuff, of course, but just go play a few and get the one you like best.

+1, though I personally prefer a ribbon mic if your budget isn't too tight.

JimmyM · #7 09-03-2011, 01:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thombas

Nonsense! Go direct. If you want a specific amp footprint, a good plug in is so much easier - and cheaper. Actually, some of the ampeg plugins are great

Not going to lie...I mostly DI for my home recording stuff. But it's because I have too much chaos going around the house to ever get a quiet take with the amp or it's too late at night. If I could record an amp without getting hassled, I would.

Thombas · #8 09-03-2011, 01:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimmyM

Not going to lie...I mostly DI for my home recording stuff. But it's because I have too much chaos going around the house to ever get a quiet take with the amp or it's too late at night. If I could record an amp without getting hassled, I would.

I totally get your point. My point of view is also partly based on convenience, but actually mostly from surprisingly good results going direct when doing the little studio work I've had the opportunity to do. I contributed to a gospel cd some time ago, and went direct for all songs, and the producer used an ampeg svt pro4 plug-in when mixing it. It would not have been my own suggestion for a gospel recording, but when I listen to it today, I'm still totally thrilled about how my bass sounds on those tracks. And it really was so much easier than setting up the amp and mic'en it - and a lot cheaper than having to get a new amp and a good mic, as the OP is considering.

Stick_Player · #9 09-03-2011, 11:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimmyM

Nonsense! ..., slap a 58 in front of a cab... Piece of cake.

Ah, you're right... why think about it too much?

I actually prefer re-amping... complicated, time consuming, nerdy, fun.

Skasteadyb · #10 09-03-2011, 11:37 AM

Use a track for DI, and use a track for a Mic to your cab. A and B results or combine to shape your sound. Mix, stir, and enjoy!

4Mal · #11 09-03-2011, 11:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stick_Player

Ah, you're right... why think about it too much?

I actually prefer re-amping... complicated, time consuming, nerdy, fun.

Reamping complicated ? Huh. I do it all the time for guitar. Not so much for bass though. Avalon U5 either direct with the filter in positions 1 thru 4 or In between my Princeton Reverb and a 15 ... If I had access to a really gucci mic closet for an RE20 and a Versatome amp, I might change that tune...

The other direct option I could get behind is the Sans Amp ParaDriver. I like that enough that live I'm generally using a pair of them. 1 on my Barker, 1 for something else. P bass, Ubass, ABG- whatever I felt like carrying... To me, the PD is the sweet spot in the Tech 21 line.

With the whole home studio thing, you have to balance cost and utility and knowledge. Both the Avalon and the PD are easy enough to use. The Avalon sounds the best by a long shot but price v performance the PD is a real contender too.

Stick_Player · #12 09-03-2011, 01:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 4Mal

Reamping complicated ? Huh.

I didn't mean to imply that "Re-Amping", by itself, is complicated - it's not.

I was referring to taking several bass tracks, and editing together a "best" combination track. That can take some time.

RobJ · #13 09-03-2011, 02:57 PM

If the bass sounds good through a DI alone that's what I use. Sometimes I'll mic the amp as well but more often then not the DI track alone is used in the mix. So much depends on the bass and player. Of course a good DI is a must.

Sartori · #14 09-03-2011, 10:52 PM

Why an amp over 100 watts for home recording?

If I was recording bass at home a lot, and had the money for another amp, I'd get some small, <50 watt tube amp. That way you can get any amount of grit without cops getting called.

My band's in the midst of recording, and we did the bass tracks a week ago and used my regular rig. It sounded great, but it was obscenely loud, getting that sound. For microphones, we used an SM57 and an AKG C-something or other, both right up against the grill. There was no DI track, actually. Turned out pretty well.

Thelowestoflow · #15 09-03-2011, 10:59 PM

Phil Jones... nuff said

T. Alan Smith · #16 09-04-2011, 07:02 AM

The SWR Studio220 and one of the Bergs is my studio rig.

Bassmec · #17 09-04-2011, 07:22 AM

Well I put a sound file together to demonstrate the difference between a DI bass track and a mic'd bass track and both in perfect phase.
First off the gear is a fender bassman 100 with the resistor mod to provide a line output from the output transformer rather than just taking the pre amp out.
The speaker is an old metal badge Ampeg SVT 115 with the optional Altec 418 series 11 driver, Two were used just to get a matching 4 ohm load but only one was mic'd with a Neuman U87 on figure of 8 into a Neve 1073 pre.
No post eq on either line, phase correction was done with a Little labs phase tool.
First part of the recording is both the DI and Mic, then I muted the mic channel and matched the DI at the same volume then I muted the DI so you just hear the speaker and Mic. and then just left both on for the rest of the track.
I don't like ss di boxes very much unless like the Avalon U5 they can take a speaker cable from an all tube amp.
transistor pre amps and DI boxes without transformers or tubes sound very thin to me and its hard to do much about that with software alone.
BASS 3 by Springvale Studios on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free
PS the bass was a Fender precision.

AmpegB15 · #18 09-04-2011, 08:33 AM

Thanks for posting that sound file. Interesting to listen to. I liked the mic sound best, but that may be just because of what was being played during that part. The differences might be more enlightening if you used the same part of the song with the 3 different settings.

AmpegB15 · #19 09-04-2011, 08:44 AM

For recording, I tend to use a bass preamp like the Demeter tube preamp and go direct into a mixer from there. I've generally found that plugging in direct through a simple DI (even the nice ones like the Avalon U5) is too bland.

Bassmec · #20 09-04-2011, 10:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AmpegB15

Thanks for posting that sound file. Interesting to listen to. I liked the mic sound best, but that may be just because of what was being played during that part. The differences might be more enlightening if you used the same part of the song with the 3 different settings.

I am with you about liking the speaker sound best in fact those old Ampeg's with Altec drivers only need a tiny bit of post eq
to sound fooking great with a decent mic.
Its that tin can top end you get off the ally dome that makes a tweeter kind of pointless, on axis only of course, but as I dont ever put mics off axis I'm sorted without the DI myself really.
If you don't want to make any noise recording I would use the direct out of a Sequis motherload power soak/speaker simulator at home with a tube fender bassman/V4B. Even with an SVT 300 you can just lay the cab flat on its face on a carpeted concrete floor and a motherload pro will handle the other half of the power even for full bore Lemmy impressions.
I know motherloads arn't cheep but neither are real top quality bass microphones or dementer pre amps.