Mic up dirty rig?

[anthowl]

Hey all.
Producing a demo for my band and I want to do something a little different for my bass.

I'm pretty particular about my live tone but to date I've mostly used a DI for recording. I'd like to get a sound like my cranked rig on this recording.

I use an Ashdown ABM rig, quite mid-heavy and I push the tube with a compressor.

should I attempt to mic this?

[BasHermus]

Of course you should...

And if you don't like it you can always go back to the DI sound.


But I would try a few different mic's and mic positions.
Personally, I prefer to record everything with more than one mike. I use 2 or more completely different mic's (e.g. a bright and a dark mic) and use the balance of these tracks to get the correct sound at mix-time (always sounds a lot more natural than EQ-ing).
You should record a track witht he DI sound as well (but mind phase-difference stuff).

[JimmyM]

+1 to bashermus.

[JdoubleH]

I agree with the consensus here except on one point not mentioned. Would mic'd bass force you to track the drums and bass in different takes? I always prefer bass and drums recorded same session for the tighter groove - even if that means DI. But if you were tracking each part anyhow, or are using loops / samples / machine drums, by all means mic it.

[ga_edwards]

If possible mic and DI at the same time. The DI signal can really help fill out the low end of the spectrum.

If the engineer does insist on DI'ing only, at least let him hear your amped tone so he knows what you want, or else you'll just wind up sounding generic (sorry purists, I of course meant classic) P bass/DI.

[ga_edwards]

Originally Posted by JdoubleH

I agree with the consensus here except on one point not mentioned. Would mic'd bass force you to track the drums and bass in different takes? I always prefer bass and drums recorded same session for the tighter groove - even if that means DI. But if you were tracking each part anyhow, or are using loops / samples / machine drums, by all means mic it.

Not if the bass amp was in an isolation booth, or with a silent cab or speaker emulator.

[sonic assassin]

i always take as many signals as possible. ive got the channels, why not. if you have the I/O for it, take a DI and run a mic or 2. keep phase and proximity effect in mind. even if you mix a lowly 57 with the DI, you've effectively used the majority of the character of your gritty amp with a clean foundation. i do this quite a bit with either a DI or using a split for 2 amps.

[staindbass]

i would filter out the bass/low end from the speaker starting below 200hz, maybe 12db per octave, and use the di low end. it makes a nice tone. if you dont filter it out, the phase/timing differences are more apparent and ruin the nice low end of the di. johnny a. staind

[anthowl]

Thanks for the answers, guys.
I can run a DI off my head if I need to also so that may work well.