Recording bass for Dub Trio's Another Sound is Dying with Joel Hamilton

[Stu Brooks]

Bass stuff for Stu on "another sound is dying."

Tracking:

Aguilar amp AG500 (dual), broken fender bassman cabinet. 1x15" on most songs. One of them was that little ampeg combo amp thingy. I dont know the model. Not portaflex.
Labella strings (Jamerson set) and Dunlop (110's)
Microphone: Neumann BCM 705 dynamic.
Mic pre: Vintage Neve 1066.
No compression during tracking.
Avalon U5 DI on all songs.

Mixing:
Varies from song to song a LOT.

Drive sources used: Thermionic culture "culture vulture mastering version". Also a Serge Wave folder module and a blacet lowpass in a modular synth driven to saturation. Doepfer frequency divider and lowpass, same deal, driven at the doepfer input to distort the filter and the frequency divider a bit. Also an electrix filter factory lowpass filer, with the drive engaged. Maxon "dept of commerce" compressor.

Frequency modifiers/EQ: Dbx 120 subharmonic synthesizer. Doepfer frequency divider. Neve 33114 EQ (in console). One song used a Pultec EQP1R on the mic track. Also API 560 graphich EQ, an an Aengus graphic EQ sometimes.

Compression: Primary, pre-fader insert is a Federal AM864/U tube compressor from the 50's. Post EQ insert would be a Neve 33609 compressor/limiter. That is on the DI. On the mic I used a Dbx 160X and a GATES STA-Level (tube compressor, vintage, Vari-mu).

Parallel compression: I also had a couple of compressors in parallel, just like i do with the drums. I used a Chandler germanium compressor, a Maxson "department of commerce" compressor. The Culture vulture was in parallel as well, actually. I also had a Spectra Sonics 610 complimiter going. Sometimes all of this stuff, sometimes none of this stuff. Song dependent.

Hope that helps you, man. it is a long list for when somone just asks you "howd you record the bass?"

The answer is: "with that new Neumann Dynamic microphone, and a vintage Neve mic pre, but the Avalon U5 DI was 70% of the real low end on the record, with a bunch of other **** that we blended in during the mix."

or, "vintage ****, yo."

The above was written by Joel. I say:

"its all in the fingers, man"

or go to Studio G