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A home recording setup question

Brainfour

Brainfour

Feb 27, 2012
24
15
#1
Hello fellow bass people.
I started to build a basic home recording setup. But as I'm not so familiar with the other end of the cord, I have some questions.
The relevant parts in hand are:
I tried to experiment with the setup, and come up with the best results I can get by;
Not using Hartke Preamp at all, I guess the signal gets too high and starts clipping immediately I pluck the strings.
Now my pedalboard out goes directly into the amp, and amp's XLR output goes to U-Phoria, USB to computer, direct monitored via headphone.

Please consider when you're answering the questions, as this is a recording setup as well as my practice setup, so I want to have a decent direct monitor sound, so skipping everything and running an amp-simulation on the computer is not an all-around desired solution for me.
My questions are:
Is skipping Hartke preamp/DI a good idea?
Will skipping the amp and connecting Hartke's XLR out to U-Phoria result better?
When I use the XLR output of the amp, is it behaving just as a preamp?
What is the signal level of the XLR output, as I have Line/Instrument toggle on the input of U-Phoria
When I have the mic, it'll require phantom power and I can enable/disable it on U-Phoria using the single toggle. If both inputs are line level, that means it'll apply phantom power to my bass input also. Will it hurt the amp/preamp in any way?
Any other things that I should consider?

I know it looks like a lot of questions, but I guess this puzzle is pretty easy for some of you guys out there. Thanks in advance.
Serdar
 
#2
Like a number of posts with similar questions, you'll need to find which sounds best to your ear. While I'm not familiar with either of the amps you mention, if the amp has a DI out your signal should have a mix of your pedal board and amp sound (you would need to refer the documentation or YouTubes specific to that DI). Many folks choose to record both the signal from the amp DI and the bass direct into the interface, you can use a y-adapter or an A-B switch. That gives you options when you mix your bass tracks.
I have a couple of Ampeg BA series combos, both have built in DI outs (XLR). I also have an Ampeg SVT plugin in my DAW that really sounds good with the direct signal. Doubling it with the amp DI makes for a pretty decent bass mix.

When you get your condenser mic, you will need the phantom power. If I mic my cab I usually use an SM57, works well and is dynamic so it does not require phantom power. If you go direct in with your bass, there is no need for phantom power. Set the USB input to Inst. (high Z) and plug your bass in, either from the pedal board or direct from the guitar. You can get an affordable standalone inline DI box to go between your pedal board and amp that will send an XLR signal to your interface (USB). The HOSA sidekick is one example of a passive DI (you may lose a little of your signal but it will be clean).

Hope this helps a bit, there's a lot of good YouTubes out there on recording and basically most USB interfaces work the same.

Cheers
 
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