First time in the studio!!! Looking for some gear advice

[Matt O]

Bring what you got.

Buuut, in my experience, I would get a better recorded sound with a smaller low wattage single speaker tube combo mixed with a quality preamp DI. I push the amp pretty hard, close to the point of breaking up, and mix it with the clean DI signal (~30% amp : 70% DI). Season to taste with an LA2A.

I have never had success running an SVT and 8x10 in a recording studio. Getting it loud enough to give it the warm tube saturated break up sound would always cause major problems in the sound room. Of the amps you listed, I’d go V4 and a single 15 or 12.

Otherwise, like others have said, nail the performance and let the engineer nail the sound. Have fun!

 

[jimmydean]

No need to bring your rig , most bassist plug into board anyway . Be well rehearsed , new strings on bass and make sure the bass is in fine working order and remember..........studio time cost money .

 

[murphy]

I was pretty happy with the last Reggae song I was asked to record.
I took my AM STD Jazz bass into my Sansamp BDDI into the board.
I played my parts right.
Engineer/Producer made the song sound great.

 

[Stewie]

Bring your bass, ask for a cable to plug into it. Put on the headphones and have a blast.
Let the engineer engineer.

 

[rickdog]

As you can see from all the replies, you have lots of options.

With the gear you have, I'd want to set up the head and any effects the way you usually like to hear it and take a post-EQ DI from the head; I'd suggest avoiding extreme EQ on the amp, but turn up that gain for some tube goodness from the preamp. Also run the bass into a good DI before the amp or any effects (I've used my RNDI, or a studio's Avalon U5, the studio should have something on that level available) and put that on a separate track. Both of these should be pretty easy to set up. Do this first, then you can be monitoring on headphones and tweaking the amp EQ and effects during the two hours it will take to mic up the drum kit

Without having a speaker and mic, you can be in the same room as your drummer (or other loud instrument of your choice) without any mic bleed.

I've done this with my SVT-3Pro (yes, it's fine to run it with no speaker) or other preamps.

 

[GreyBeard]

The studio is definitely set up to mic a cab, and the engineer is very "whatever you guys wanna do, just let me know." So assuming we have both options (DI and miked cab) readily available, do you think one is superior to the other? Do both

 

[Wasnex]

Call whoever is mixing/producing the project to work things out in advance. 9 hrs is not enough time for you to experiment. I have done sessions where it took more than 9 hrs just to setup and dial in the mics, channel strips, and processing. My perception is most of the time typically goes to getting the drums dialed in. It's likely bass will be limited to one sound. Figure out which gear gives you the best tone in advance. Leave the rest behind.

For the session, I suggest taking a DI off your bass (IMHO this is essential). If your rig is key to your sound, ask to mic the cab as well. There is no guarantee the engineer will agree to using a mic (So IMHO this is optional).

1. One of the two sounds may be used exclusively.
2. The two sounds may be blended to taste.
3. The DI track can be reamped if the mic'ed track is lacking.

I have done a handful of studio projects and never had the final say on how the bass sounds. That decision typically falls to the producer and/or group leader. The most important thing is for you to give a good performance. This means you can't get sidetracked stressing about things that are beyond your control.

 

[Wasnex]

whatever you guys wanna do, just let me know

The part in bold should be worked out well before the session.

 

[2saddleslab]

This isn't much different than bringing an amp. Most engineers are going to want to take DI straight off the instrument, and if they want to humor you, another source (mic or DI) after whatever amp and fx you use in rehearsal and at gigs. (They can give you this in your monitor if it's important to how you play.)

Capturing your best performance is the number one goal while the red light is on. You can add effects and nail your sound at mix time. A lot of times this may be different than what you use live, because recording is different.

Going direct there's no need for isolation to prevent bass bleed. Many would consider that alone a big difference.

 

[BowserGriff]

I guess you are laying the bass track on top of the other parts rather than recording everything live then? This is just me, but i feel the song, my bass and play better through an amp, so I like to use the studio amp and just let them take my signal through the DI. So not mic'd up. I don't know why, but I just don't like playing or recording with my bass only going through the headphones.

I've done recordings where the cab is isolated and mic'd up but they've almost always been more effort than it's worth as the mix is almost always from the DI.

You should always have a DI signal anyway, amp or no amp. Once you've got some studio experience behind you, you can decide whether it's worth micing or not.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

My punk band is headed into the studio in a couple weeks to record our debut album! This will be my first time recording music in a real, professional studio and, while I think our studio engineer is extremely competent and has great judgment, I'd still like to get some advice and opinions from the TB hive mind.

I'm really happy with my current live rig -- SVT-3PRO, Aguilar GS212 cab, SansAmp BDDI, passive Fender P, no other pedals. I love the way the BDDI interacts with the SVT-3PRO's preamp to create an overdriven/slightly distorted tone. I know I could always bring my head and BDDI and use that in-studio, but I also have the option of using any of the following: Ampeg SVT2, Ampeg SVT mid 70s, Ampeg V4.

I'm sure I'll have the opportunity to try each one out and decide what I think sounds best on recording day, but in the meantime, do you guys have any gear advice within those constraints? If I'm really married to the tone I get with my BDDI, should I plan on using it in the same way to record as well, or is this unnecessary/ill-advised for some reason?

You could run your BBDI straight into the board, or run your BBDI into the SVT3-PRO and tap the line out directly to the board, or you could just mic up your rig or do all three.

I also think that a demo of your preferred sound for the engineer might be useful, then follow his lead. Just keep in mind that you may need to be a little flexible as he will be recording to the best interest band.

 

[iTzPrime]

To me it is crazy how few people said new strings so far. It makes by far the most difference. Properly set up bass with new strings direct will sound a lot better in punk than a "perfectly dialed"-in" sound with old strings. The engineer usually reamp anyway and depending on the drum and guitar sound it is likely that the amped part is thrown out anyway.

Spent more time focusing on the performance than the sound

 

[Krakmann]

Salud!

My bet is you will record both DIed and miked. Change your strings and practice much more than you think you need!!!!

 

[retslock]

I've always gone direct from the bass. Any signal can be treated any way once you've got it. If it helps your peace of mind do both.
As others have said, the performance is way more important than the tech in a studio recording. Studio time can be eaten up fussing about with details. Good preparation saves time and money.

 

[Killing Floor]

Depends on the studio space. But if you love your tone nothing wrong with bringing the amp and asking to mic it. Especially if they’re going to mix the guitar amp. Are you paying for the time? Then you can ask those things.

 

[Matt O]

I also think that a demo of your preferred sound for the engineer might be useful

This 110%

 

[Rip Van Dan]

My punk band is headed into the studio in a couple weeks to record our debut album! This will be my first time recording music in a real, professional studio and, while I think our studio engineer is extremely competent and has great judgment, I'd still like to get some advice and opinions from the TB hive mind.

I'm really happy with my current live rig -- SVT-3PRO, Aguilar GS212 cab, SansAmp BDDI, passive Fender P, no other pedals. I love the way the BDDI interacts with the SVT-3PRO's preamp to create an overdriven/slightly distorted tone. I know I could always bring my head and BDDI and use that in-studio, but I also have the option of using any of the following: Ampeg SVT2, Ampeg SVT mid 70s, Ampeg V4.

I'm sure I'll have the opportunity to try each one out and decide what I think sounds best on recording day, but in the meantime, do you guys have any gear advice within those constraints? If I'm really married to the tone I get with my BDDI, should I plan on using it in the same way to record as well, or is this unnecessary/ill-advised for some reason?

I bring my gear and expect to use it. Don't expect to experiment when you get there with your gear. You should know what gear and what settings you sound best through. They may bery well mic your cab and take a DI from your amp then they can take what they want out of whichever they want or blend them together. If the sound engineer doesn't like the sound he's getting from your cab, he will tell you and probably make you just go direct to the board. Remember time is money in a recording session.

I've had trouble twice with recording sessions when the engineer couldn't get the sound he wanted. My first experience was in 1972 at a recording studio in Hollywood. I had a Standel piggy back amp with a 215 bass reflex cab using 4 round ports mounted next to the speakers. He remic'd it twice and then had me run direct into the board. Ported and tuned cabs were pretty new back then. The second time was 3-years later in 1975 at a studio in Grenada Hills, CA. Sound engineer had no trouble at all mic'ing my amp. It worked great.

The most recent recording session was at a pro-studio in Seattle. I rolled in my DNS-410 cab and my WT500/800 amp and in short order was told they wanted me to run direct to the board. Said they were worried about bleed over because I was in the same room as the drums and they had a forest of mics around the drums. So I plugged in my Eden WTDI (stompbox DI with built-in Eden WT preamp) and used that. I just dialed up a little low mid boost like I do on my amps, and away we went. The signal I sent them sounded so good they didn't EQ it at all or use any compression on it with the raw takes. After the 3-hr session was over they came into the room to see what I was using that sounded so good. I always bring my gear with me and expect to use it. But if I can't use it, then I'll plug into my WTDI; plug that into their wall jack; and just play.

Since you are definitely an Ampeg guy, I'd suggest you check their DI+preamp stompbox and add one to your gig bag. You can also try just using your Sansamp, but that probably won't really capture your Ampeg sound. It will modify it all over the place, but doubt it will record the same.

By the way, make sure that any guitarist who needs to put on new strings does NOT do change their strings on the day of the recording. I was in a group in the Los Angeles area called the LA Smogg in 1975 and ATCO asked us for a demo of our originals. So we recorded three songs. Our lead guitarist had flashes of genius in his playing but his strings on his SG were literally rusted. He changed them that afternoon and our recording session was at a private studio in Grenada Hills that ATCO had arranged for that night. The sound engineer stopped us 4 times on the first song to have the guitarist tune up again. We did finally get through the three songs but after multiple stops and restarts. It was a terrible waste of time and money and left little time for the mix-down. So don't follow in our footsteps because we really stepped in it that night because he decided to change his strings for the first time in over a year.

 

[winston]

I've learned this the hard way - if this is your first time recording, focus on the music and perfomance more than the gear.
Practice your parts and especially be sure there are no unwanted noises (slides, ringing notes/strings, fingers touching a microphonic pickup, etc.). Makes sure your note lengths are a conscious decision, and especially if playing loud intense music - recognize that past a certain point, hitting the strings harder just has a detrimental effect on tone. Make sure your instruments are well set-up, intonated, etc.

Especially with plugins you can adjust tonal options after the fact, but there's only so much you can do with a mediocre performance and/or weird noises.

 

[Krisfield]

If you’ve got a really good demo with YOUR bass sound, that’ll help things a lot.

 

[DanAdams]

Lots of tech talk, not much human interaction talk.
My first experience in a studio was terrible. It had nothing to do with tech, and everything to do with interaction, people and visuals.
drums were in a booth, and only then did I realize how much of the relationship with drums is visual for me.
If I cant watch a drummer's knee bouncing on the kick, and drum accents in my pereferal vision, I will probably not be nailing the part. and require wasting more time to get a worse performance. (I like practicing songs with just the drummer too)

It doesn't matter how good the tech is if the space or setup is cramping anyone's vibes.
Get a look at the room, talk to the band members about where you will stand, and what works best for everyone. It's probably best to recreate the position that you use in practice.
Your time, mood, comfort, trust in the band mates and the engineer is what makes good recordings. not tech.

Most importantly, NO GIRLFRIENDS/BOYFRIENDS ALLOWED!!! only band members and studio staff in the building.
couples often think that support will be welcome and helpful when in reality it becomes a huge distraction for everyone every time.

Just an idea: I know it's not very punk, but try a whole band clean tone rehearsal. The messy pieces that need tightening may become crystal clear.

TECH: a blaring live bass might sound good to you, but it can compromise the other tracks with bleed, and/or take up a room that could maybe be used for something else. You can always re-amp a DI into an amp latter if you need that specific sound, but dont waste your precious expensive time messing with micing a live bass amp, and don't get pissy when drums and guitars take WAY longer to dial in than you.