Recording question

[Sturg]

Total noob here.
I have been wanting to respond to some CL ads for "bass player needed" and need to record a demo/sample. What I was thinking of doing was playing the bass part along with the rest of the recording with the bass frequencies on the recording eq'd down to nothing and my bass playing filling in that part. This is how I practice/learn parts and covers, etc.

My question is: What would be the best way to record this situation?? Is there a easier/better way to do it?

Most of what I have been reading about recording talks about using expensive microphones, expensive computer software, and expensive DI boxes, processors, etc. Not really interested in spending hundreds/thousands of dollars on this stuff.

Here is the equipment that I currently own:
Fender 5 string passive jazz bass
Avatar bass cabinet
KXB-500 head unit with a balanced line output on the back
Mac Pro Book (No software other than GB, which I know little to nothing about)
Olympus hand held digital recorder (makes a good live recording)
12" Alto TS 112 loudspeaker (I use this to play music through when I am learning/practicing/playing along with tunes)

Again any advice is appreciated here. To minimize confusion for me please respond as if you are explaining
this to a five year old.

 

[dreamadream99]

You may be overthinking this. I’ll bet a YouTube quality phone video of you playing along to a song over your amp will suffice.

 

[MAXTHEDOG]

Hi,
+1 for what dreamadream99 said.
You might wanna download to your MBP a copy of Audacity(free).
Has your amp head got a MP3in/Line? If so, YT video audio (from MBP for example) out from your phone into that. Use the line out on your amp head into your Olympus. Mix the YT audio with your bass playing. Done.

If no MP3 amp head input, has the Olympus got separate mono inputs? If so, take the line out into one and the YT audio into other. You will of course have to fund the correct leads...
Good luck,
MTD.

 

[Sturg]

Hi,
+1 for what dreamadream99 said.
You might wanna download to your MBP a copy of Audacity(free).
Has your amp head got a MP3in/Line? If so, YT video audio (from MBP for example) out from your phone into that. Use the line out on your amp head into your Olympus. Mix the YT audio with your bass playing. Done.

If no MP3 amp head input, has the Olympus got separate mono inputs? If so, take the line out into one and the YT audio into other. You will of course have to fund the correct leads...
Good luck,
MTD.

What do you mean by "fund the correct leads"?

 

[Sturg]

Hi,
+1 for what dreamadream99 said.
You might wanna download to your MBP a copy of Audacity(free).
Has your amp head got a MP3in/Line? If so, YT video audio (from MBP for example) out from your phone into that. Use the line out on your amp head into your Olympus. Mix the YT audio with your bass playing. Done.

If no MP3 amp head input, has the Olympus got separate mono inputs? If so, take the line out into one and the YT audio into other. You will of course have to fund the correct leads...
Good luck,
MTD.

I am just not sure about what you are talking about. Again....stupid here. The only inputs on the Olympus are poopy little 1/8th of an inch mini jack ports. One is mic. The other is line. The line out on my bass head is an xlr balanced connection, so not sure how that connects.

 

[Sturg]

Regarding dreamadream99 and his likers, the recorded audio from my phone (Samsung S9+) sounds worse than the sound from the AM radio in my dad's '87 Toyota. Not sure what is up here.
Maybe they have better phones than I do.

 

[Sturg]

Couldn't I just get a USB mic to record the bass parts. And then lay that on top of, or mix it with, the line level audio from iTunes??
I would need to get a decent bass cab microphone and a audio interface device, but that wouldn't cost too much,would it?

 

[MAXTHEDOG]

I am just not sure about what you are talking about. Again....stupid here. The only inputs on the Olympus are poopy little 1/8th of an inch mini jack ports. One is mic. The other is line. The line out on my bass head is an xlr balanced connection, so not sure how that connects.

^
That. So, you'll need an XLR to 1/4inch with a 1/4 inch to 1/8inch adapter. A bit messy though.

Couldn't I just get a USB mic to record the bass parts. And then lay that on top of, or mix it with, the line level audio from iTunes??
I would need to get a decent bass cab microphone and a audio interface device, but that wouldn't cost too much,would it?

Yes, a much more elegant solution. £200 max. You'll probably get some 'lite' DAW software with the interface. Use that to record either in the MBP or out to the Olympus.
Cheers,
MTD.

 

[MycooLeeyun]

Get an audio interface with a couple of inputs. Then you can record direct in by plugging your bass into the interface. Then you can use Garage Band, import the mp3 of the song you are covering, eq out the bass, and record your bass alongside that.

 

[filmtex]

Get an audio interface with a couple of inputs. Then you can record direct in by plugging your bass into the interface. Then you can use Garage Band, import the mp3 of the song you are covering, eq out the bass, and record your bass alongside that.

Yep. Good solution. Here’s a pretty simple looking one for $50

Lexicon Alpha

Although this one would likely do the job as well.

Behringer U-Phoria UMC22

 

[cassanova]

Get an audio interface with a couple of inputs. Then you can record direct in by plugging your bass into the interface. Then you can use Garage Band, import the mp3 of the song you are covering, eq out the bass, and record your bass alongside that.

This ^^^.
If your doing the demo for a cover band, then there's also a chance you can find the song on youtube without the bass line in it. I've found many by simply typing in the name of a song then "without bass," or some variation there of. I know you said you don't want to spend hundreds/thousands of dollars on this, but interfaces are relatively inexpensive, and spending $150 for something like Focusrite's Scarlet 2i2 is actually a good investment.