Please share your tips on how to record professional / studio quality bass

[GreyBeard]

There have been great recordings made with much lesser gear than you have on hand now. (imo) you need a good compressor and eq plugin for the bass track. I see you are using Cubase and it should come with those 2 plugins. I've always plugged my guitar straight into the interface. I've tried using a DI box but could not really hear any difference. I've tried the Ampeg amp simulation plugin and it is pretty cool but I like the money it costs more than what the plugin may add. (jmho)

 

[oren]

I’ve never used Cubase, but my DAW (Logic) comes with an extensive set of presets for bass, including amp and cab sims, eq settings, and effects where appropriate. My advice is to record the bass part direct into the interface, and then play it back in context, trying out the different presets to see which you like best. Once you find one you like, then you can tweak it tif you want to achieve something slightly different. Much easier to start from a point where the pros have done much of the work for you!

 

[Corigan]

For the bass I will make a master bass track and then 2 nested tracks underneath it. Record clean into 1st nested track which I call Bass Di. In post I will add an amp / cab sim to the track, then add light compression and a hpf around 40hz. I will then send that track to the 2nd nested track which is a dirt track. On the dirt track I will add heavy distortion, hpf out the lows, and squash the crap out of it with compression. Dial back the fader and mix in dirt track to master bass track to taste.

On master bass track I will add a little saturation and maybe some kind of eq strip to tweak to taste.

That is pretty much how I do my bass tracks now and get decent results. Im not a pro by any means, but this has been working pretty well for me to get a really thick good bass track laid. YMMV.

 

[lowfreqgeek]

The Pro48 and SSL2 are all the gear you need to record pro-sounding tracks. You also need a bass that's in tune and intonated correctly.

But mostly, you need great time, great tone from your hands, and plenty of confidence. Those are the fundamentals. The other stuff (processing, etc) won't fix a lack of fundamentals, but it can certainly enhance an already great take, which only comes from the fundamentals.

 

[C Stone]

I usually go SM57 on the cab and DI, I normally record separate tracks so I have options but have gone direct to interface plenty of times as well as a recorded a single track with the sub-mixed DI and mic signal. Experiment, you have the gear see what works for you, it's not set in stone it's fluid depending on song/genre. Some good advice so far. Slight compression if it needs it. I compress slighty on the way in I also get the sound I want on the way in and don't usually bother adding stuff to it in my DAW. Good luck, good times!

 

[SteveCS]

You need 9 things outside of a whole analog setup: (and this is the ultra condensed cliff notes version because you are asking a question that requires extensive amounts of experience and knowledge to execute properly with gain staging all the way to compression techniques and proper EQ knowledge.)

1. Mic line. Separate track. Condensor Mic with good cone placement. Preferably 2 of them set mid cone and outer cone.

2. Direct line. Separate track. Preferably direct from head with output control.

3. High quality interface. Preferably with tone shaping control.

4. Keep your peaks and valleys consistent. If you have a lot of spikes and quieter sections...you are going to have to go in and manually lower the spikes and raise the quieter sections. This will not affect the dynamics in your performance...but it is counter intuitive in that the less even the entirety of the line is in the wave form...the more the take sounds "off".

5. A bass that has a great set of pickups.

6. A DAW that has a lot of control and built in Pro level EQs and compressors.

7. Dump the Sub levels off the end of your EQ because even though they aren't necessarily audible...they will cause interference if not removed.

8. Blending of your Mic'd track and your direct track to really shape the sound.

9. You need to carve the bass into the sound. That means you will have to take certain frequencies of other tracks and carve them so they don't interfere with your overall bass sound. It's not like an amp when you want more bass...you just turn up the bass. You carve the bass out of the other tracks in specific spots in order to make the actual bass more present. It's an artform and a learning curve.

This will get you in the ballpark.

Excellent summary here. For someone starting out I would say the most important are to

1. Point 7 above - Keep the recorded tone as flat and neutral as possible. In particular, even just a little bass boost or mid scoop in the recorded sound can make a take un-useable. Keep it flat and defer shaping to the mixing stage.
   
2. Points 1 and 2 above - Record two tracks wherever possible. One direct and Pre-EQ, and another from a mic'd cab.

All the other points are valid, especially point 9, but these two, IME, will help make sense of the others.

 

[andare]

The tip about carving frequencies is fundamental.
Ex: High pass everything bat 30hz. Boost the bass at 120hz and cut the kick drum at 120hz. Do the opposite at 80hz.
Instruments that impinge on the same frequencies must be treated that way or you'll have tons of sound pressure build up and your song will clip while still being too quiet.
I'm no pro but the above has salvaged many muddy recordings.

 

[IamGroot]

These are my thoughts:

The first priority is ... your ability to play your instrument. In time and in tune.

Once you've mastered that small item , the rest is pretty straightforward:

Getting a good signal - strong enough but not too strong - into your interface. It sounds like you have the gear to do that.

Coming up with a bass part which rides well with the other parts ... AKA arrangement. To me this (after priority #1) is crucial, and it may take quite a bit of time. Keep in mind that - generally speaking - the bass part is there to make everything else sound better. Cut every note which does not accomplish that goal.

Recording your part may require many takes. Be satisfied with nothing less than the best you can do.

In terms of digital processing, keep it simple. Record without any effects. If you want some, apply them to the recorded track.

"The first priority is ... your ability to play your instrument. In time and in tune."

After that, I let the Engineer and Producer take over.

 

[SteveCS]

...
...
After that, I let the Engineer and Producer take over.
...

Nice idea, except that 99.9% of people in 99.9% of circumstances don't have that option.

YMMV

 

[baxter_x]

The first priority is ... your ability to play your instrument. In time and in tune.

I think this thread can be closed actually

 

[brianrost]

You already have EVERYTHING you need. You don't even need DIs, the SSL interface has hi-Z inputs suitable for bass guitar, but you can use what you have and see if they do anything to the sound that you prefer. Cubase is a commonly used DAW in professional studios. Using only the plugins supplied inside Cubase you can get professional results. So just start learning how to use what you have.

Good luck!

 

[drwv]

Question for those who record a DI signal and a close mic'ed cab: do you bother phase-aligning the two signals by, eg, slightly delaying the DI so the peaks and troughs line up as best as possible?

Much easier done in a DAW than Albini's hardware technique, but if he says it's something to consider, I consider it!

 

[Michael Stanley 2112]

There's a guy on Youtube named: Joe Gilder. He used to work for Sweetwater.

His Youtube channel is called: Home Studio Corner and I have found it to be a wealth of information.

Good luck!

 

[rashrader]

Gain Staging and Compression will be your best friends. Read up on both.

 

[Swampish]

Over COVID, I've been recording a lot of stuff with my guitarist and have been running my bass from the USB out of my Zoom B3 to my Linux machine using Ardour (cool free software) to record. I've found that my Aerodyne with tapewounds and GZR pups records beautifully. Sometimes, for more editing, I will import the Ardour file into Audacity, which, for me, gets the job done. The only drawback to Ardour is that you have to control the levels with your source, not the software. Still, not really a big deal.

 

[BaldingEagle]

You already have EVERYTHING you need. You don't even need DIs, the SSL interface has hi-Z inputs suitable for bass guitar, but you can use what you have and see if they do anything to the sound that you prefer. Cubase is a commonly used DAW in professional studios. Using only the plugins supplied inside Cubase you can get professional results. So just start learning how to use what you have.

Good luck!

Well this, I'm really after tips and ideas on how to use what I have to get better results.

 

[Swampish]

Well this, I'm really after tips and ideas on how to use what I have to get better results.

For me, it's levels, levels, levels. If your initial level is too hot, personally, I find it difficult to clean up or dial back. Inputting a much more controlled signal usually delivers a very sweet tone on the recording, for me anyway.

 

[Michael Stanley 2112]

For me, it's levels, levels, levels. If your initial level is too hot, personally, I find it difficult to clean up or dial back. Inputting a much more controlled signal usually delivers a very sweet tone on the recording, for me anyway.

Agreed.

Getting all the tracks as evenly balanced right from the start is a big part of the equation.

G.I.R.A.T.S.!

 

[arbiterusa]

Or are you just in general using a compression in the broader terms to even out / limit signal going into the recording interface? And do you favour subtle compression, or something more significant?

All I'm looking to do is not to clip the recorder. I use as little as possible, I'm not looking to change the sound of the instrument (although you certainly can if you wish!).

 

[drumvsbass]

A good song. A good player. A good part. A good instrument. A good DI box. A good amp. A good mic. A good room. A good recording preamp/console. A good recording engineer. Tape.

And that's just to get it recorded. Lot's of terrible things could happen to that on the way to the Mastering engineer.