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Not thrilled with bass tone when recording

#21
Track using one of these
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#22
MycooLeeyun said:
Man that sounds like a sick home studio recording setup for bass. So if I were only to invest in 1 of those 3 Warm Audio products you use, you would suggest the WA76? What's the point of investing in an outboard compressor when my DAW has plenty of compressors?
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I like hardware! The compressor plugins I've heard can't be compared with good hardware. I didn't test the more expensive Universal Audio plugins. For me it's something about the impact the compressor has on my playing. This can't be done with a plugin. And pretty simple: I don't want to start a computer before I can play. I use only an iPad with Auria Pro for recording purposes most of the time anyway.

There is something about using a compressor on the way in. Many Pro-engineers still do it, too. I would use the WA76 if I could only use one piece of hardware. It gives you that transformer sound like preamps and an ultra fast fat fet-compressor. But you still need line-level!
 
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#23
1. Find a good sound. This involves a bass of your choice, the setup and strings are essential. Make it feel right. Add any effects you find essential for getting "the sound". Get an amp involved if DI sound alone is not what you're after. Make it perfect.

2. Get ready to capture the sound. Find a good mic to capture the sound of the amp, or go DI. Don't let anything but perfect satisfy you. If you have the option, record also a DI feed straight off the bass (before any efx and such). This serves as a backup, a source for re-amping and possibly as a track from which you can add clean low end to your mix.

3. Use EQ and compression if you're sure you know what you're doing, and can trust the monitoring. Anything you can fix now will not be needed to "fix in the mix" (always a worse option). If the monitoring and acoustical surroundings are unreliable, skip this step.

4. Look out for freq buildups, mud and cluttering against the rest of the song arrangement and instruments. Change any or all of the above to avoid these undesirable artifacts. Find a space for your track, and respect "the other ingredients". The goal is to be prominent, but not step on any toes. This might mean changes to the above steps.

5. Repeat the above, until everything clicks the right way.

6. Press record, and give it your best.

Doing the above will make you feel more confident about your tracking, and will be likely to yield better tracks.

This is not an easy nor fast route, but definitely worth it. This is a standard way of doing things for commercial records by pros. For a starter, it might take some time, but once you learn how things work and interact, the task will become a lot faster and more predictable.
 
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#24
A final piece of advice, I forgot to mention, beside what I and others already mentioned:

Get the free VST called Bass Landscapes, i use it on all my bass tracks and it really help enhance the tone of your bass if set right:
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What it does is that it enhances the harmonics of you bass.

I place it after EQ and compression and before effects and amp/cab emulations.

Note that the tube emulation on this effect sounds pretty horrible to my ears though, like just adding some unwanted high pitched fizz, otherwise it does a super job.
 
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#25
DirkP said:
I like hardware! The compressor plugins I've heard can't be compared with good hardware. I didn't test the more expensive Universal Audio plugins. For me it's something about the impact the compressor has on my playing. This can't be done with a plugin. And pretty simple: I don't want to start a computer before I can play. I use only an iPad with Auria Pro for recording purposes most of the time anyway.

There is something about using a compressor on the way in. Many Pro-engineers still do it, too. I would use the WA76 if I could only use one piece of hardware. It gives you that transformer sound like preamps and an ultra fast fat fet-compressor. But you still need line-level!
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What's the best way to get line level? I have a Radial J48 that brings me to Mic Level.

And thanks so much for your reply. Very helpful!
 
#27
MycooLeeyun said:
What's the best way to get line level? I have a Radial J48 that brings me to Mic Level.

And thanks so much for your reply. Very helpful!
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Not quite familiar with that DI, but sure it doesn't have a line level output as well?

Anyway, if your sound interface got a mic input just use that instead of the line input and you should be fine.

The important thing is just that you have a device that has an instrument input on intsrument level and impedance that will transform you instrument signal to whatever impedance and level your sound interface's input is capable of handling.
 
#28
NoiseNinja said:
Not quite familiar with that DI, but sure it doesn't have a line level output as well?

Anyway, if your sound interface got a mic input just use that instead of the line input and you should be fine.

The important thing is just that you have a device that has an instrument input on intsrument level and impedance that will transform you instrument signal to whatever impedance and level your sound interface's input is capable of handling.
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No, it only has a mic output. Nothing says line level on it. Basically my instrument goes in with an instrument cable and the output is an xlr. I didn't know there was another level of converting your signal to get to line level. Does line level typically use an xlr too?
 
#31
Aiight, my approach is a little different than the above.

I often like two parallel tracks of bass, ex., I go into a Groove Tubes The Brick out to a dbx160XT, and split off (using the Brick's thru) into a Meek VC3Q for my DI approach. In the box, I pass filter each track, limit and then pan 2-4 minutes each side of midnight.

My preferred current chain is the above hardware, but plug into my pedal board and then a small Ampeg (B108) mic'd with an SM7b or PV520i or similar back into the Groove Tubes The Brick out to a dbx160X. I then have two variations, either split that mic'd track off into the VC3Q, or split the pedal board DI to the VC3Q. Then I do the ITB stuff, as above.

ITB compression can work well as level control, but I'm not real into it for sounds, and other than the occasional mild chorus or EQ on mixdown or what's listed above, I don't use plugs.
 
#32
Not sure if it's been mentioned yet, but I have found that a cab sim is a Great way to make your tone beefier and more interesting on a track. Unless you have more bucks to throw it a great DI/preamp (sonic farm, millennia, noble, etc) in my opinion you would be very hard pressed to get much better results for under 300 bucks then with the DSM Omni cab sim, or perhaps the two notes can sim, although I have not tried that one
 
#33
If you can already get the sound you want from your live rig, the answer might be simple: reamp. Push the DI track back out of your DAW, through a reamp, then into your pedals, amp, and cab of your choice. Then mic the cab and record that back into your DAW.
 
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#34
azfatboy said:
If you can already get the sound you want from your live rig, the answer might be simple: reamp. Push the DI track back out of your DAW, through a reamp, then into your pedals, amp, and cab of your choice. Then mic the cab and record that back into your DAW.
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Right. If the sound in one's head includes an amp, then an amp (or sim) should be used. A compressor, for example, is no substitute for all the sonic modifications an amp, cab, and microphone make. For some guys, an amp is a critical part of the equation. For others, it is not. Judging by the OP's statement that it's lifeless, I suspect a good amp or sim is missing. Direct basses can be very bassy (read: dark). Bass preamps' tone stacks tend to push up highs and some mids, sometimes scooping other mid freqs. The preamp and power amp influence dynamics and filter some. Then the cab and mic(s) provide the final filtering.

Recording Tip: If you have to struggle to get something to sound right recorded and played back soloed, do what you can to fix it at the source. If the tone doesn't work, try another amp, cab, bass, pickup, mic, mic position, whatever until it its well with the rest of the rhythm section.

I have a few basses, a few amps, a few cabs, and a few mics. I don't go crazy with plugins or compressors. Choosing the right combination of bass/amp/cab/mic is usually all I need to get a good tone.
 
#35
MycooLeeyun said:
So I'm using my g&l jb-2 > radial j48 DI box > apogee duet 2 > Logic Pro X

The bass sounds fine but the tone is so boring sometimes. I know that I can add different amps, eqs, compressors, effects, etc in Logic but is there something that I can add to my chain going in that will give my tone some spice? First thing that comes to mind is a preamp. Like an aguilar tonehammer or something. Also, I have a Genz Benz Shuttlemax 9.2.

What do you recommend for giving my bass tone some flavor and versatility when going DI? I'm also thinking about upgrading my pickups to some nordies but I don't think that will solve the problem I'm mentioning here.

Thank you!
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I have a friend who own a pro studio and he turned me on to a multi Mic plus direct method that I've gotten some great results from. I Mic my cab with an AKG D112 and a shure SM57 as well as taking a pre eq DI out of the amp. The D112 is the bulk of the tone but the 57 can be dialed in for punch and definition and the DI can be high passed and mixed in for sub frequencies the mics don't catch.
 

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