Advice on improving my recorded bass tone.

[Boy_Narf]

Hello everyone,

So I have been recording for ages but on a fairly amateur level. I have been in my current band for about a year and half and it's time to record an EP for sales and distribution. It HAS to sound good.

The last EP I recorded was Bass --> BBPreamp --> IOnixU82S --> Reaper

Numerous people mentioned that the bass sounded strange and now that I listen back I defiantly agree.

My personal setup is Bass (A4FL) --> BBPreamp --> SB500H DI --> IOnixU82S --> Reaper

Then I apply an amp model, saturation, eq, comp, and a hint of verb.

Now this sounds alright, but not amazing. For the EP I'm thinking of the following multi tracked setup.

1. Bass --> SCR-DI --> ArtMPStudio --> IOnixU82S
2. SM57 on the cab
3. Beta 52A on the cab

All in phase of course

I'm planning to blend all three, or at least one mic with the DI signal. Now I already have these mics for my drum kit so they are what I will be using. I'm not interested in buying or renting other mics, just trying to get the best sound out of what I have.

What do you guys think? Ditch the one or both of the mics? Ditch the DI? I have never recorded a bass amp with mics before, but I'm hoping it will help to "liven" up the takes a little bit. Any advise would be appreciated.

Thank you.

 

[sprag]

Record DI and mic'd, clean and through dirt, but don't be afraid to ditch 1 or 2 of the tracks if the superior tone comes from just 1 source. my band has had good results recording dummy tracks to get the drums down. if the dummy guitar tone is similar to what is expected of the final take we try to get a bass tone that works with that. i.e. Bass that sounds great just with the drums usually sounds less appealing in a mix and vice versa. Not hard and fast rule of course.

I generally send 1 channel to amp to be DI'd and mic'd, the other 2 through effects (OD and dirt usually) and straight to the desk. I try to get a good tone that works in the mix from each of the 3 channels separately. If it is a pedal with a clean blend I then remove the clean as this can be added in later with the clean DI signal to taste. effects tracks aren't always used but clicking delete is quicker than reamping.

in your case I would split before the SCRDI so you have the option of a clean signal as well as the drive. if "your sound" is what you get out of the scrdi then probably send that to the cab. this give you a fourth channel. clean/driven DI/drivenmic'd1/drivenmic'd2

 

[bluejayway82]

what bass are you using? Eq could be a big factor.. I generally eq a P and a J quite differently.. like a J "has" to be eq'd to get a good recording tone..

 

[testing1two]

Oftentimes the problem lies in having too much effect and not enough clean bass signal. Try adding a second DI box as follows: bass into DI#1 / DI#1 XLR output to interface channel 1 / Thru jack of DI#1 into BB Preamp input / BB Preamp output into interface channel 2.

Now you are simultaneously recording two direct tracks of bass, one clean and one with some grit from the BB. Try blending these two signals and see if you like the results. For even more fun, duplicate the clean bass track in Reaper then add your amp sim to the duplicate track. Now you have 3 different flavors to choose from or blend together. Remember you can EQ/compress each of these tracks differently to bring out their strengths and then blend everything together.

When you get lost in the midst of all the mix possibilities (and you will) you can always go back to just the clean bass track and start over from there.

Good luck!