How Can I Record My Bass???

[BassistSVT]

I don't know the specifics of the equipment we're using, but we've got my friend's PC (The computer works very well; his guitar comes out beautifully), this little TASCAM USB mixer, a Shure instrument mic and my amp (An Ibanez Soundwave 100).

We've tried micing the amp, we've tried running it through the amp directly into the computer, we've tried plugging the instrument right into the computer. Every time it comes out really clipped and with way more treble than it should, given my amp settings and the way it sounds coming right out of the amp.

What are we doing wrong? What COULD we be doing?

Thanks!!!

 

[OldHack]

Have you tried going direct through the Tascam mixer? You should be able to control the tone and gain fairly well off of that. Some sort of tube preamp before the mixer would help as well.

 

[Samsound]

Keep on mind, too that amp speakers act as a bandpass filter. Anything you record direct will have more top end to it. That's what your channel strip is for.

 

[Samsound]

As for the clipping, that's a gain staging issue. A bass tends to output more energy than a guitar. You need to throttle back what's going into the computer. For the mic, turn down the preamp gain. For the line in, you need to either switch it from -10 dB to +4 dB, or make some other gain adjustment before the convertor. An actual DI would work better than the line in.