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Live rig vs studio rig

W

WillyPop

Jan 11, 2010
114
7
quebec, Canada
Disclosures
Ashdown Amps, Yamaha, Musicman & Washburn Basses
#1
:help:

Hi there!

I'm playing with my folk band (acoustic guitar, piano, accordion and african percs) since a couple of months now and everything is ready to be capture and recorded in a studio. We are booked on 2 weeks in a professional place.

Question is, since i'm with this band, I played my Washburn AB-10 with flats in my ashdown ABM and this sound is veeery pleasing to my ears during live or rehearsal. The band think the same. I not sure that this setup will be that much satisfiying during a recording.

Should I bring the "original" kit, my versatile MM Sterling or anything else?

Thanks for the help in advance!

Wil
 
#2
If it sounds good live throw a good mic on it in a good room and it should sound just fine recorded. That said, if you can run a DI as well, something like an Avalon U5 or a REDDI, you'll have two great signals to play with. And it never hurts to have a second bass.
 
#3
Bring your live rig....If you and the band like that sound, then that's what you should use. I've recorded many different bands over the past thirty years, and the last thing you want to do is suddenly change the sound you like just because you're in the studio. I would recommend bringing the other bass as a backup and replacement strings. Two weeks is plenty of time to get great recordings of your music, as long as you have a good engineer.

Have fun and post some results when you're finished. I'd love to hear what your band sounds like with the instrumentation you described!
 
#5
The whole purpose of recording is to capture your sound right? Go with what you know you like. Yes mic placement can change things dramatically, however do not fall in to the "we'll fix it in the mix" trap. Worry about your performance, and have the engineer do is job by moving mics around if need be to get a better sound.
 
#7
Thank you all for your answers. It really help me for my first experience in studio. As for the change of setup to get the "same" sound, actually you know live sound and recorded sound well... sound different, that's why I was thinking about using another bass.

So i will bring my original rig and bass and see what it sounds like.

Cant wait to get there and if something else pop in your mind, keep the info comming! :D
 
#8
If you don't like the recorded sound, you have to tell the engineer. That is very important. The engineer should always ask for your opinion too.

After I place all mics and throw the faders up and am 90%, I always have the band to a test run then have them back in the control room to proof it before we get too far. If they voice concerns, I address them and if their concerns would make corrective mixing needed later in a "fix it in the mix" I tell them that too and we will usually compromise to where I know what I have is totally workable.

Lastly, the most overlooked portion of all this is you. The vibe, how you play, your energy and getting that from your mind through your body then instrument and and gel with the other players. Studio environments are very different than live gigs. Your sound begins with you. Your bass and amp are accessories.
 
#9
Bring everything you own or at least everything you think you might want to use. Might be a song or two you'll want a different vibe. But definitely bring your live bass.
 
#10
i've done it both ways with nice results, big heavy tube amp and 115, or fuzz pedal into envelope filter into di, just had to watch the finger style force, in the early days i got in the bad habit of playing way too hard to compensate for not having a loud amp at shows
 
#11
Yeah that's good stuff to know. As i'm preparing for this experience, I play each song listening in my earphones while recording only the bass and by listening the recordings after, I can really focus on the details of my playing. I already knew this but I can REALLY see the impact of my playing vs the sound of my rig.
 
#13
Here's what it finally sound like!

Washburn AB-10 with d'addario chromes medium + Ashdown ABM 500 =

Invalid Link Removed

https://www.dropbox.com/s/zv8pjokgudai1y4/Des sourires luxuriants.mp3

Really happy with the results. It's not perfect but for a first studio experience i'm quite happy.

Feel free to give your opinion either on the record sound or the bass playing itself.

The band is "Fanny est Partie" (fanny is gone) and songs are "Le petit écran" (little screen) and "Des sourires Luxuriants" (fake shiny smiles)
 

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