Getting back into recording, need some advice

[Jay Corwin]

I've been out of the bass guitar game for about a decade now since I moved to upright. Recently I've been pressed back into action with the group I work with most frequently. My work is still 90% upright, but I have at least two tracks that will be bass guitar.

The good news is that my chops are starting to come back. The bad news is that I've haven't done a legitimate bass guitar track in the studio in 20 years. We did some demo'ing yesterday, with me DI'ing my P-bass with flats through a countryman. It sounded passable, but I've always been more of B15'ish kind of guy. At least I fake that tone with my various Ampeg gear over the years and Sansamp stuff.

My plan is to record DI, unless they have other ideas. I have access to a VT-Bass pedal, but it's the older model pre-DI. Can I run this through the countryman and get a good result?

I don't currently have the funds to invest in any new stuff.

 

[seamonkey]

I'd suggest just a straight DI into a track.
Then don't spend too much time with the tweaking or adding distortion until you hear it in a mix.
You can then re-amp if you want to use a VT-bass but you'll also find many VST plugins that are going to give you good choices in modifying the tone. Some of the high end plugins like those from Izotope will talk to each other from track to track. For example if you adjust the bass it can cut or tune the bass drum so they don't clash. There's some interesting possibilities for people who don't know how sounds interact.