Question on doing home recording / session work

[Chicken Wing]

Hi TB Folks,

I'm playing at home most of the time these days...

My end goal is to get to a point where someone could send me a track to play bass on.

At a minimum - I know I need this, right?

• Bass
• Audio Interface
• DAW / Recording Software

I know you can mic an amp, I think I'll just go direct for now until I really know what I'm doing.

Do I need ProTools or some crazy software to be able to record tracks for people? Or just open the track in whatever DAW I'm using, then record the bass, and then send the solo bass track back to the producer? I've been playing for a long time but this side of things is new to me.

 

[bholder]

It's not that hard, you have the right pieces, just put them together and have at it. I like Audacity as a beginner DAW, fwiw.

 

[LBS-bass]

People tend to like it if your track is cued up and synced with the song they've sent to you. Most producers will be happy with a raw track that's not got a lot of processing on it. Compression seems to be the one thing I get on most bass tracks, and it's fine because it saves me from having to do a lot of fine-tuning on volume automation. But with cab and amp simulators nowadays, most of us prefer to add our own effects in post production. So yep, you have everything you need on your list to get started.

You want to deliver a high quality track that is loud enough but not clipped. That's pretty much it.

 

[Cave Puppy]

You're good with what you have to record bass tracks. I did it all the time. The sometimes tricky part is to match settings in your DAW of the main project if remote, such as bit rate, sample rate, track starting point, how to export just one finished bass track, etc. Any DAW should work. Audacity is free but can be a tad problematic. Garageband is free on MACs, there are a lot more free DAW options for PC as well. Reaper is an excellent choice as well, free at first then paid and not very expensive at all. LBS-bass also has mentioned to add very little to no processing on the finished track. A lot of mixers don't like to get processed tracks. They want an undistorted (digital distortion) track with a healthy level, correct bit depth and sample rates and starting points. With that said be sure to get the BPM/Tempo of the track. That helps A LOT.

 

[superheavyfunk]

1) Use whatever DAW you like. Myself, I use Reaper.

2) Don’t add a lot of effects, unless the track needs it. If the track requires drive you can probably do that, but don’t go crazy with EQ or compression or anything like that. The production team will add what they need once they receive the track from you.

3) I always record session tracks direct. The production team will reamp things as they see fit. Sometimes, they’ll ask for a mic’s amp - in those cases, it’s best to go to a studio if you don’t have a couple of quality mics and a good room.

4) Keep a close eye on your levels and don’t let things distort. Similarly, don’t push the level to the rails - leave enough headroom so that the production team can do what they need to. I find -18dbfs to -12dbfs to be a good level.

5) Do not - and I mean it - DO NOT add limiting, dithering or any other end game mastering processes to your track.

6) After you’re all done, print (export) both your isolated bass track and a full stereo track with all of the instrumentation and send them both back to the production team. This will allow them to easily hear and assess your part in context. They probably won’t ask for this but they will appreciate it!

7) Have fun and let us know how it goes!!

 

[Chicken Wing]

Wow thank you guys.

 

[ljazz]

Communication is key. As mentioned, tempos, bit depth, sample rate, and even format (I had someone recently ask for FLAC). I'll also see if there is something they want to hear... Type of bass, strings, distortion etc. I'll typically send several tracks.... Clean.... Mic'd cab.... And maybe even a blend if it sounds right for the song. I try to play so that compression is not required to keep things even. I'll even send several versions where one version might be a bit busier.

Reaper works well, and is cheap. But really, you'll be okay as long as you're able to render to the requested format. A solid interface can be had for not too much. Think about things that give a good clean sound, but also provides versatility.

 

[Felix Lopez]

I would recommend a basic Pro Tools if you would like to be able to record tracks for people in the music bussiness. It’s the industry standard so everyone knows it and uses it, + something simple like this. Recording the bass both direct and through a bass amp can produce some great results. You get the clean, clear and present sound of the instrument from the direct signal, combined with the warm low end and rich harmonics produced by the speaker cabinet:

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Read this, here’s everything you may need to know about Pro Tools:
What Is Pro Tools? Features, Price & Secrets of the Pro DAW

 

[superheavyfunk]

I would recommend a basic Pro Tools if you would like to be able to record tracks for people in the music bussiness. It’s the industry standard so everyone knows it and uses it

You might be surprised to hear that this seems to be changing rapidly. Over the last 5-7 years or so, I’ve seen more and more studios using Logic - I think ppl have gotten tired of the closed system that Avid made for itself and the constant issues that plagued users every time Apple updated their OS… not to mention real-time only rendering, which is a ridiculous holdover from past times, imo.

Anyway, yeah. Protools has definitely been the standard from time but the industry might be moving away from it… only time will tell!

 

[NoSlapForYou]

I would say just use whatever DAW you prefer. The person who wants you to play bass will probably send you their song as a wav file. You can import that into any DAW. And then you can bounce/export your bass track as a wav to send back to them.

You may want to explore some amp sims too. While some people may simply want a DI bass track with no plugins on it, it could come in useful to have a couple of different options of amp sims to play through. There are a lot of good ones out there depending on your genre preferences. Most of them have a trial version, so you could test them out and see whether you like them. Your DAW should have a few that come with it, but I find the third-party ones to be much better.

 

[mike buzzetti]

99% of the time they will want a WAV or AIF file format , no need for ProTools, outdated , Reaper is a great low cost/free DAW software , do what these guys have already said sound /FX wise CLean is what a mixer wants. They can always add whatever they need later.,

 

[Felix Lopez]

You might be surprised to hear that this seems to be changing rapidly. Over the last 5-7 years or so, I’ve seen more and more studios using Logic - I think ppl have gotten tired of the closed system that Avid made for itself and the constant issues that plagued users every time Apple updated their OS… not to mention real-time only rendering, which is a ridiculous holdover from past times, imo.

Anyway, yeah. Protools has definitely been the standard from time but the industry might be moving away from it… only time will tell!

99% of the time they will want a WAV or AIF file format , no need for ProTools, outdated , Reaper is a great low cost/free DAW software , do what these guys have already said sound /FX wise CLean is what a mixer wants. They can always add whatever they need later.,

As you can see, some people have different opinions, but the truth is that I don't know anyone who is working professionally in the music business that doesn't use Pro Tools. That's just my humble opinion.

Wishing you the best with your music project..!

 

[vvvmmm]

I do a lot of internet collabs and there are great suggestions above.

Do label or have an understanding between you of the bit and rate. 24/44.1 is common, some use 16 bits or 48, etc., don't use 32 float unless the end user confirms they can. For speedy internet transfer purpose a 320 Kps *.mp3 is usually acceptable for single tracks, especially if you are just trying out non-final approaches - most internet providers nowadays allow 25 meg files to be emailed. I use Dropbox frequently to transfer *.wav files altho' a cuppla guys use file-sending services.

If you do use effects, label 'em - I like to have the instrument, amp, and recording chain listed so I know what the player is going for.

One tip I find valuable: if there is an intro click, or sticks hits or even verbal count in, try and dub that on the beginning of your track for ease of alignment.

 

[mike buzzetti]

As you can see, some people have different opinions, but the truth is that I don't know anyone who is working professionally in the music business that doesn't use Pro Tools. That's just my humble opinion.

Wishing you the best with your music project..!

hes just gonna fly tracks , so no need for a full fledged studio setup like PT , most studios use PT because they can go between studios for mixing etc. and have all FX on a flash drive, as far as sound goes DAWS are Daws ! the oh this one sounds better went out the window long ago IMO. We all know Mics and Pres / plugins are the most important part IMO ! again.

 

[bassbrad]

I have different clients that require differently processed tracks from raw to fully processed. I'm using a Zoom GCE3 interface and CuBase as my DAW with any mixing or processing done in Harrison Mixbus 7. Some clients have a particular bass sound and style in mind where others allow me to make those choices sometimes even multiple takes. I charge rates accordingly.
Tracks are generally recorded direct as producers & mix engineers seem to prefer to reamp them in the mix process depending upon the overall sound design and whatever guitar amps are used. Often that is more easily achieved in the box rather than actual. If a recorded amp is requested that generally doubles my rate so I don't mind.

 

[Jogobass]

I believe most interfaces come with a DAW. I have the Presonus audiobox which came with Studio One, their own product, for free. And lots of free plugins. Some people get this interface for the amount of software alone.

Things to keep in mind are the sample rate they require and if there is a fixed tempo.

 

[Mannyinnewyork]

All the basics are already covered in the previous posts. I would just add that sometimes using mp3 can be problematic. If you load it into your daw, play to it and export just your bass track (as a wave file)you may have sync issues. I’d do everything using wave files. That my experience but others may disagree.

 

[skyline_01]

I would recommend a basic Pro Tools if you would like to be able to record tracks for people in the music bussiness. It’s the industry standard so everyone knows it and uses it, + something simple like this. Recording the bass both direct and through a bass amp can produce some great results. You get the clean, clear and present sound of the instrument from the direct signal, combined with the warm low end and rich harmonics produced by the speaker cabinet:

View attachment 4754514

[This invalid link has been removed]


Read this, here’s everything you may need to know about Pro Tools:
What Is Pro Tools? Features, Price & Secrets of the Pro DAW

I picked up one of these Bassman 150 combos a couple years ago to keep at our band practice space. I was shocked at how good it sounded and how versatile it was. Even used it on a few gigs with great results.

I've never thought about mic'ing it for recording, but you've got me wondering now...

 

[skyline_01]

All the basics are already covered in the previous posts. I would just add that sometimes using mp3 can be problematic. If you load it into your daw, play to it and export just your bass track (as a wave file)you may have sync issues. I’d do everything using wave files. That my experience but others may disagree.

I've experienced this very thing with mp3 files several times. I've just resorted to requesting wav for everything incoming and then sending wav back. The files are quite a bit larger, of course, but thank goodness for Dropbox, eh?

For the record I use Studio One, but I'm not sure that this mp3 anomaly is related to the DAW used.

 

[Mannyinnewyork]

I've experienced this very thing with mp3 files several times. I've just resorted to requesting wav for everything incoming and then sending wav back. The files are quite a bit larger, of course, but thank goodness for Dropbox, eh?

For the record I use Studio One, but I'm not sure that this mp3 anomaly is related to the DAW used.

Yeah, mp3 encoding adds a few milliseconds to the start of the file (that’s how I understood the explanation) so you cannot align the tracks perfectly. You can nudge/shift and compensate but just stick with wave and save yourself the aggravation.