Recording guitar and bass? Keys?

[saustindavis]

Any suggestions on how to do this. I've done direct for bass before and haven't been thrilled about the results. Seemed kind of bland, no character. If I do a DI and a mic, should I use something like an Audix i5, or a condenser?

On electric guitar, do you use a room mic, or only one on the grill? Do you phase align with a room mic, or leave it alone? What about mixing a clean direct tone with a mic?

On acoustic for rock should we just go direct, or maybe one mic in front? Not looking for a super hi-fi sound, but maybe a little more mellow and understated. I've heard of people doing an over-the-should aimed at the 12th fret mixed with a direct that yielded decent results. Anyone tried it?

What about keys? I've heard that going through a guitar amp can add some flavor to otherwise dull piano/synth parts. What would it sound like to get a little tube saturation on keys? So many questions! I might go crazy recording three songs for a demo...