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Originally Posted by romac So how would the recording direct and miking a cab work?? If you've got a cable coming out of your bass into the recorder how can you possible be miking a cab since the bass would not be hooked up to the cab?
I am very ignorant on this topic, so if you just bear with me 
One more thing, would this set-up work?:
Bass > Zoom 708II Multi Effects pedal > Combo > Tascam MF-P01 recorder
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romac, you will need two channels to record a mic track and a DI track, this is whats called true stereo.
Many bassist record this way so they can blend both sounds in to one, then they may pan one sound left and the other to the right or they will send both signals to one track combined.
http://www.recording.org/postt8373.html
Recording Direct input (DI)
The easiest way to record bass is by going direct from the amp into the board. This method will give you a natural tone with equalization flexibility. There are no speakers or microphones to alter the sound of the guitar. The only drawback of direct recording is that the sound may lack midrange clarity. In this case it is better to boost the mids on the amp instead of on the mixer since the amp's tone controls are more suited for bass guitar.
You can also try taking a direct out from the Bass( I use a countrymen DI) to the mixer. This will give you a warmer sound with more low-end. However, I find that getting a signal direct from the bass amp will give me a cleaner sound and will punch through the mix.
You may need a bit of compression for the bass guitar. Start with a 3:1 ratio and lower the threshold until there is almost always gain reduction. This will insure that the loudest parts of the signal will be affected and the quietest parts won't, which will keep your signals a few decibels hotter and preserve some dynamics. I then increase the ratio until I get between 3 and 6 decibels of gain reduction. The attack should be fast enough to catch peaks but not so fast that it cuts down the attack (depending on pick or finger style technique). The release should be fast enough to let go of the signal before the next note can cross the threshold. However, if your release is too fast, you'll either hear the compression or you'll hear the bass signal distort. I usually start with a 10 ms attack and a 250 ms release.
Micing
Another method for recording the bass is by micing the amplifier. When the bass player gets his/her sound, place a microphone(D122, 421, or an sm57) four inches from the grill of his/her speaker cabinet. Aim it where the dust cap meets the speaker cone. If the sound coming from the mic isn't what you want, try moving the mic. Moving it closer to the center of the speaker will give you a brighter sound. Moving it closer to the edge will give you a duller sound. Either way, try to avoid using EQ. Compression can also help with the tone. (I love the LA2A for bass).
Combination
Direct recording can lack midrange punch and using a microphone can lack low-end depth. So, another method of recording bass would be the combination of both direct and miced sounds. Simply split the signal after the bass and send one signal to the amp and one signal to the mixing board. This will give you the best of both worlds - the midrange punch of a miced signal and the low-end boom of a direct sound. Use the miced sound as your main sound and blend in the direct signal for low end. Try compressing the blended signals to help to further smooth out the bass sound.
Hope you can understand this, if not ask as many questions as you need to, we all have to learn some-how!
Treena
I may make the extra investment since it gives me more scope in recording. I'll think about it. I would running it through some effects so maybe that one you suggested would be better for me.
