Is Recording Yourself Really Necessary?

[Nyarlathotep]

After giving up my POD I don't have a really easy recording setup.

Is it really necessary to have a personal recording setup?

The reason I ask is that the C01U that ive been looking at is about 100$ at the cheapist I can get one. Same if I got an SM57, which im not sure if i'd need a mic pre, or if I could just plug 'er into my laptops mic input. I have the conectors to go from a female XLR (which I assume the SM57 has), to a female 1/8".

Either way I really dont wanna spend 100$ on something Ill prolly use once in a blue moon for stuff like clips or scratch track type stuff.

Are there any mics that are bare minimum decent, that I can just hook up to my computer (either mic in or USB), for like 10-20 bucks?

Thanks

[Vin_MM_Sabre_79]

Why do you need a mic? Vocals?

[nastyn8c]

I record myself so I can hear every minuscule mistake I make, so that I can go back and fix it the next time I play it.

[Nyarlathotep]

Originally Posted by Vin_MM_Sabre_79

Why do you need a mic? Vocals?

To mic my amp.

[mtizzle]

they sell adapters that let you plug a quarter inch into a microphone plug-in on your computer. audacity is free. price for this set up? a little over five bucks. I don't know if you need your specific amp sound or not, but even then, you could still plug your head into the computer this way and plug your bass into your head.

[uethanian]

the line6 toneport gx is about $70...its a single input interface and it comes with a bunch of software. i dont think you're going to find a decent mic for that cheap (especially one that can pick up bass frequencies well).

[GianGian]

Originally Posted by mtizzle

they sell adapters that let you plug a quarter inch into a microphone plug-in on your computer. audacity is free. price for this set up? a little over five bucks. I don't know if you need your specific amp sound or not, but even then, you could still plug your head into the computer this way and plug your bass into your head.

This way it saturates. On my computer anyway.

[Nyarlathotep]

The head->comp idea is cool, and i wish i could do it, but I kindof wanna get the speaker sound into it.

I'm actually kindof assuming that I wont be able to get anything worthy for less than the C01U.

[SERPENT865]

Originally Posted by DanielTulip

After giving up my POD I don't have a really easy recording setup.

Is it really necessary to have a personal recording setup?

Why did you give up your POD I you want to record.
Having a recording set up is really not necessary, but they are nice to have these days .

[projectMalamute]

I don't think micing the amp is a good option for you.

You need to decide if you care how things are going to sound or if you just want something cheap. If it's the latter you don't need a mic, if it's the former you are going to need to spend more than 20 or 30 bucks. Quite a bit more.

[FF Petro]

Originally Posted by uethanian

the line6 toneport gx is about $70...its a single input interface and it comes with a bunch of software. i dont think you're going to find a decent mic for that cheap (especially one that can pick up bass frequencies well).

The toneports are cool and they have the same stuff that the guitar and bass PODs have. They come with software to model and record with.

If you need to mic for vocals or whatever you can either go with the C01U or step up to one of the other Line6 recording interfaces.

[pbass2]

Originally Posted by SERPENT865

Having a recording set up is really not necessary, but they are nice to have these days .

I'd say these days it IS necessary if you want to be a full-time musician and work as much as possible. I'm sure I'm not the only guy on this forum who is doing more and more "remote" bass sessions for clients in my own studio. It's not ideal---I'd rather lay it down with a live drummer in the same room any day---but it's a budget factor(lack therof) most of the time these days.
And bass players are lucky, compared to drummers at least You can record quality bass tracks without too much gear--just a few choice pieces.

[Dave Muscato]

If money is a concern, don't bother mic'ing your amp, IMO. Even when money is no object, going direct is a lot easier, faster, and sounds excellent or better in many circumstances.

[E2daGGurl]

Depends on why you're doing it.

If you want to hear yourself play - through your amp - and have that recorded, then a mic in front of the amp is the way to do it.

If you are trying to record to post on youtube and you want to hear your sound without your amp - then direct is the way to do it.

Two different ballgames, two different ways to set up.

We started with a mic in front of amp, because we wanted to know how our entire set-up sounded, with the amp - not just the bass into a digital recording device.

However, contrasting the pure sound of the bass (direct in without mic) with what comes out of the amp is a neverending source of fascination. If you're really into tone, having both is a good thing.

But lots of people use a mic in front of an amp, which has the advantage of versatility - you can use it for voice, too, or for recording a group of people at once, live.

We're looking at a couple of different mics, one for vocals and one for guitars. But, the digital mic I have now (which records directly onto my hard drive - but not from a direct output from my bass) - is really cool.

[Nyarlathotep]

Thanks for all the "food for thought" I think I'll go for the C01U eventually, as I would like to put up some scratch ideas and get some feedback.

Originally Posted by SERPENT865

Why did you give up your POD I you want to record.
Having a recording set up is really not necessary, but they are nice to have these days .

Why? Cus I realized one day that I didn't like the way my setup was totally digital. A digitizer in a mic or recording interface is one thing, but the POD was just to bland in the bass department IMO/E, unless you liked a fuzz sound all the time. Plus I had a friend (guitarist) who wanted it, and I used the $$$ towords the Hema and Goat for my basic sound(s).

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by Dave Muscato

If money is a concern, don't bother mic'ing your amp, IMO. Even when money is no object, going direct is a lot easier, faster, and sounds excellent or better in many circumstances.

Weeeeeell...I think it would definitely sound better in Daniel's case where he's not willing to spend $100 on a 58 or 57. I'll just leave it at that because it's all a matter of choice. But I will say that setting up a mic takes about 2 minutes more than setting up a DI. Micing a bass cab is extremely easy, actually. Put a mic on a speaker and move it until you get a sound you like. And once you get a sound you like, you'll know where to set it every time after that.

[Nyarlathotep]

BTW, does an SM57 require phantom power?

I ask, only cus a local dealer sells the SM57 and C01U for the same price

Oh, and I didn't say I wasn't willing to spend a hundred or two, I was only wondering if there was any gems for real cheap.

[DocBop]

Originally Posted by DanielTulip

BTW, does an SM57 require phantom power?

I ask, only cus a local dealer sells the SM57 and C01U for the same price

Oh, and I didn't say I wasn't willing to spend a hundred or two, I was only wondering if there was any gems for real cheap.

Shure SM57 is a dynamic mic and does not require phantom power. Phantom power is generally for condenser mic's.

Recording yourself is the best teacher you can get. Don't worry about the sound in fact recording direct and hearing all the noise you make playing is great for cleaning up your technique and learning how to control your tone with your hands. If you can get a good sound direct your will sound even better thru an amp.

[Nyarlathotep]

Originally Posted by DocBop

Shure SM57 is a dynamic mic and does not require phantom power. Phantom power is generally for condenser mic's.

Shweet good to know. Many thanks.

As for the prices, I just looked again and the SM-57 is 10cents MORE...

Time to do some searching on this mic. Its on my "GAS" list so far.

[Nofreshfruit]

I have the Samson CO1U as a spare, you can get them for $50 on ebay, and they get their phantom power through the USB port. Not a bad mic actually.