First time in Studio tomorrow...

Fine Cut · #1 04-02-2008, 10:51 PM

My bands going to the studio tomorrow, and when i got to practice tonight, i received word that the guy that runs the studio was gonna "make the bass player line in"...ok...there's a problem here. This guy says i'll have to line straight in, but my rig is a big part of my sound. What do you guys think i should do? Take my rig anyway, or DI and sacrifice my tone? I mean, after all, we are paying him for his time...

dustdbass6 · #2 04-02-2008, 11:08 PM

Is the guy is a pro? 'Cause then he should be able to get any sound you want. And if he's helping with production he may want to change your tone anyway to fill in parts of some of the tunes. I've seen it happen.

BassIsBoss · #3 04-02-2008, 11:09 PM

Studio is a different beast. Maybe he's got a nice avalon or some such animal to go through. Also depends on the tone of the board....Usually I like two channels, one direct and the other through a nice tube amp, and then mix the two. Lots of factors to consider, especially who's paying for what and how much you trust your engineer. Enjoy...

Ozonbass · #4 04-02-2008, 11:12 PM

+1 on the two signals....use a DI of some sort and a micced amp...you can get great tone blending the two

LowBSix · #5 04-02-2008, 11:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fine Cut

My bands going to the studio tomorrow, and when i got to practice tonight, i received word that the guy that runs the studio was gonna "make the bass player line in"...ok...there's a problem here. This guy says i'll have to line straight in, but my rig is a big part of my sound. What do you guys think i should do? Take my rig anyway, or DI and sacrifice my tone? I mean, after all, we are paying him for his time...

Take your rig and he'll run a direct box on you. Ask him to mic it too. If it's a small tracking room and you play too loud in the studio, it is very hard to control bleed through to the other mics. If he baffles your rig and you can get a lot of the mic'd sound in your headphones, you'll be fine.

REMEMBER RECORDING IS DIFFERENT THAN LIVE!!! Ask him to listen to your rig and see if he'll attempt to duplicate it. If it is your first session, take the ride and don't expect much. If he listens to your rig when you play it, consider yourself lucky. A lot of engineers wanna do it there way and that's that. Enjoy the experience and keep in mind he's handling a lot of people and their requests. Go EZ and enjoy it!!!

D.Don · #6 04-02-2008, 11:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ozonbass

+1 on the two signals....use a DI of some sort and a micced amp...you can get great tone blending the two

+1, THOUGH, dont forget to give the dude a break, you might eventually learn something from it.

D.Don

TopJimmy · #7 04-02-2008, 11:34 PM

No "skilled" engineer would ever bypass an amp signal and record only the DI, even if he had no future plans to use the amp signal. You use the Amp for body and DI for definition. I would seriously ask him for references and listen to them before spending a dime. In all likeliness, he is a re-amper however he has no right to make decisions regarding the production of your music unless he is the acting producer. Dont be afraid to stand up for your tone.

Fine Cut · #8 04-03-2008, 03:27 AM

i would hope that he's got some kind of simulator i could run through, but i had to go to church the night the band went to look at the facilities, so i have no clue what kind of gear he actually has. As for references, thats a very good idea. I'd love to hear some other stuff he's recorded. i must say that the guy that does most of the booking/decision making isnt very thorough, or knowledgeable at all when it comes to music. I'm deff gonna take my stuff anyway. If he doesn't have some kind of simulator/sound software, i believe the DI/Mic'd idea is a good one. I do know that he deals with alot of southern rock bands, and the general consensus by most sound people in general is that the bass isnt supposed to stand out. thats where i run into problems lol, cuz i do alot of fills, runs and whatnot...my tone isnt just how i like the sound, it's a big part of my playing. I also know for a fact that bass recorded straight through a PA/board, no effects, sounds like shizzz. Anyone got any suggestions of exactly what i should look for when i get there? To know whether or not i should DI and let him use his software, or say "im using my rig,line in or mic as you wish"...

Inflin · #9 04-03-2008, 07:46 AM

Hey, he's in the service industry. If you want your rig sound, then insist upon it. You're paying him, right?

Also, +10000 on everyone saying have di+mic. Then maybe you'll both be happy..

Jimmyplaysabass · #10 04-03-2008, 07:48 AM

if anything take your head and use the line out

eeyorebass · #11 04-03-2008, 08:11 AM

Unfortunately, without seeing the facility and equipment, you can't really know what's going to be best.

Engineers love line in because there's no bleed. We love amps because it's what we're used to; you can feel it.

If it's a small tracking room with few or no isolation rooms, and you play an overdriving SVT into an 8x10; forget it. You'll bleed into everything, and no one will like you.

I say, take whatever you can. Give yourself options and keep an open mind. Take your live rig, but also take the smallest amp set-up you can still get your sound out of. Be realistic when you see the facilities and talk to the engineer, ask questions (does he have tube pres? does he re-amp? does he use simulator software?), be friendly, and don't start demanding things unless you really really have to.

If someone else is booking and paying for the session, you may need to swallow your pride and cave to what he wants. It's his money.

When all is said and done, relax, have fun, and think about the playing not the sound.

I had a session where the engineer wanted to run a DI and a mic'd Marshal guitar rig for my bass sound. I was skeptical, but it wasn't my session, so I went with it. Not my usual sound, but it sounded good for that track.

jeremy

elpezpr · #12 04-03-2008, 08:19 AM

Hi. Is it a big studio? Maybe he has space or # of inputs limitations. What type of band? If it calls for old school sound I would say it's a must. If you're going for a modern tone I don't think it's all that necessary. Good to have but not a must. What is your rig? In you sig you state you have a Ampeg BA115. Very nice amp but I don't think you couldn't get that tone using studio gear. Again if it's a nice studio he could have $10,000 worth of equipment to get that vintage vibe, if that's the case. Have you seen the studio? Heard his previous work?

Just throwing out ideas although I think the space limitations or # on inputs is the reason for not recording the cab.

Fine Cut · #13 04-03-2008, 10:15 AM

elpezpr, i need to update my sig, sorry bout that...i run through an old 400w Biamp PA head, into a Hartke 115, but the sound...is unlike anything i've ever gotten from a PA...i cant explain it, but i've worked with the eq and effects on that head for along time to get my sound...should i just take my head in, with my setting, and DI out of that? No i havent seen the studio, and no it isnt very big. And the reason i want to make sure i get the sound through i want is because the band (us, including me) is paying for the recording, so yea, i deff make sure my bass doesnt fall through the cracks and not measure up to par (like often happens at live shows, hence the 400w)

elpezpr · #14 04-03-2008, 10:19 AM

Hi. If the problem is space or # of inputs you could ask him to reamp it later using your gear/amp.

Fine Cut · #15 04-03-2008, 10:33 AM

recording noob question here, but what is "re-amp"? I really dont have much vocabulary when it comes to anything studio

**baba** · #16 04-03-2008, 10:37 AM

Although I've used a DI and mic'd amp before a few times, I just finished tracking 11 songs with only a Radial DI and Avalon 737. It sounds purty!

**baba** · #17 04-03-2008, 10:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fine Cut

recording noob question here, but what is "re-amp"? I really dont have much vocabulary when it comes to anything studio

He's talking about playing back the recorded track later and taking the output to your amp, miking the amp, and recording it again. So now you have a direct track and a track that has passed through your amp. While this will work it could easily color your tone a bit differently than originally using the amp since the original direct track will likely pass through either or all of: DI, pre, compressor.

droskobass · #18 04-03-2008, 10:47 AM

What kind of rig do you have?

Does the Head have a line out? How much of the tone is determined by your ri? are you talking about EQ? if so most of that can be done in mixing, but In my experience (2 years managing a Pro studio) Going direct can yeild better overall tone if you are tracking at the same time as the drums.

If you're overdubbing all of your lines then you could set up your rig without any negatives (other than time)

With a solid dirrect tone, you can always run it through Virtual amps (like Ampeg SVX an othe Amplitube or Line6 plugins.

*** Also, with a direct tone you can "RE-amp" after the fact, to get your rig's signature sound.

Juniorkimbrough · #19 04-03-2008, 11:02 AM

ever time my band has recorded I've always went direct and been satisfied with my tone but the studio we go in the guy has all kinds of nice gear to run the bass direct.

TopJimmy · #20 04-03-2008, 12:30 PM

Im not a believer in re-amping at all and believe me I'm no purist, I love variaxes and line6 modelling stuff. Sure you can take the di signal and plug it into a multitude of amps to get the perfect signal but the truth is, the sound will come from the fingers as they receive feedback from the ears. When the engineer has you monitoring a piss-poor DI signal (even with a simulated amp through a monitor), it will change the way your mind and fingers approach the tracking, thus changing the way you dig, hammer, slap, funk, groove, slide, etc because in essence, you are having to physically and psychologically compensate for what our minds perceive as being "insufficient" tone. It changes the way we treat the song and that's not good for anyone.