10, 12, 15 or 18 for recording?

[ThinCrappyTone]

What size speaker to you prefer for recording?

 

[bholder]

should be a direct option

 

[ThinCrappyTone]

should be a direct option

Ah, snap, I guess I worded the question in a way that is confusing. What I meant is, when you *do* amplify your electric bass for for the purposes of recording, if ever you do, what size speaker(s) do you prefer to capture with your microphone(s)?

 

[silky smoove]

There are tonal profiles across all diameters of speakers. Deep 10s, bright 10s, deep 15s, bright 15s, ultra-subby 12s, brittle and cheap sounding 18s. For recording I prefer a cabinet that has as few drivers as possible in it to help keep any potential phase issues in check. Said cabinet should also be free from rattling sounds that will get picked up by the microphone(s). Beyond that, as long as it's delivering the right vibe for the session the driver size makes zero difference. All the driver's diameter will tell you on its own is the dispersion characteristics, which mean next to nothing in most recording situations since you can place the mic accordingly.

 

[Badwater]

When recording guitar I use a 10" in the Princeton Reverb. It's dead quiet without hum or noise, but it's not a powerful amp. However, the ideal situation is a isolation speaker cabinet with a 12" with mic. Nevertheless, I also use a MXR M80 DI+ to run 1 line to the amp, and the XLR line into the interface for 2 guitar tracks. For bass, I use one track and go straight into the interface no amp. If I need 2 tracks, I'll use the M80 DI, and run 2 tracks for bass.