Good Recording-Strings + Identification Strings

[JoeyFunk]

What do you think (flats or rounds) are the ideal strings for recording? I heard that for recording flats are much better than rounds, is this true? (Mainstream Poprock & Funky Stuff- no Jazz no Metal).
The other Thing is: now I have only 4 basses and different strings on them, I cannot remember what brand. Is there a Way to identify the exact type and brand (e.g. fingerprint) or do I have to fix small
papers to the back of the headstocks where i write down the string-type?

[SuperSnake2012]

Flats work great for the pop rock genre (Maroon 5's first album kind of music). They're mellow and they sit in the mix very well, especially on a Fender If you want to record with flats I would recommend breaking in the set for a least a month prior to recording to get the traditional thumpy flatwound sound. Flats sound rather bright out of the box until they're broken in.

If the strings have silks on the end of them, you can identify what kind of string they are. For example, Fender strings usually have black silks, and Rotosounds have red. If they don't have any silks they can be a number of brands. D'Addario uses blue silks on their Chrome flat wound strings, and they have colored ball ends on their XL (green, red, chrome, black).

[JimmyM]

It really doesn't matter what kind of strings you use. Flats get less finger noise, but most people aren't bothered by a little finger noise.

[One Drop]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

It really doesn't matter what kind of strings you use. Flats get less finger noise, but most people aren't bothered by a little finger noise.

it doesn't matter if you don't care what you want to sound like.

Finger noise isn't a problem in the mix. What is important is that you are comfortable with the tone you're getting, and making sure it's appropriate to the music and other instruments. An engineer should be able to recoed any good string without a problem.

[JoeyFunk]

thank you so much for your thoughts and suggestions.
I used the search function and could not find much useful information about what string brand famous bassplayers do use.
(except from round/flatwounds). Would be interesting.

[One Drop]

If you're curious you can check out string companies to see who endorses different strings. They might not all use the ones they endorse but you can get a rough idea that way.

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by One Drop

it doesn't matter if you don't care what you want to sound like.

Finger noise isn't a problem in the mix. What is important is that you are comfortable with the tone you're getting, and making sure it's appropriate to the music and other instruments. An engineer should be able to recoed any good string without a problem.

What did I say?

[One Drop]

I meant it matters because different strings sound different and finger noise is only a tiny part of the equation. I thought you meant it doesn't matter in general whether you use flats or rounds.

[JimmyM]

Maybe I wasn't clear. I meant to say that neither flats nor rounds are necessarily the ideal string for recording. I've heard metal and hard rock cut on flats that sounds great, and dub and R&B/soul cut on rounds that sounds great. It's all a matter of what your preferences are and what the person in charge of the project wants.

[DavePlaysBass]

I just got my 61 Jazz back from the shop with a nice fret level. Last night I sat down with her (strung with aged TI flats) and laid down some bass tracks for a friend. I thought they sounded really good in the mix. They are clear and articulate without being obnoxious. In my limited experience I really like TI flats on a Rosewood / Alder bass.

Dave