Recording with an SVT

[DD Gunz]

Am very serious about "my sound." I use in the studio what I use in every day life because it is what I sound like. I have no doubt that the engineer could get me a great sound utilizing many other options. I have a sound in my head that I strive to hear in the mix.

That's why I spend all this money on gear. It's a quest for tone. I want to hear the tone I dream about. In this case, an SVT and 810. It was loud in there, but I got what I was looking for in the end.

 

[JimmyM]

Well, they actually are available for 439 Euro (the RE20 being 459 Euro), but not a lot of euros between them.
I won't risk proximity effects like JimmyM mentioned and go for top notch straight away.
(my apologies for unintentionally hijacking the thread)

Well to be fair to the PR40, once you back off the grill a little, it's an awesome sounding mic and it's lighter and easier to carry around than an RE20. Still, I'd never talk anyone out of an RE20. It's a standard for a reason.

 

[High Camp]

Well to be fair to the PR40, once you back off the grill a little, it's an awesome sounding mic and it's lighter and easier to carry around than an RE20. Still, I'd never talk anyone out of an RE20. It's a standard for a reason.

Good to mention that, bassamp miking is a whole new world, so any experienced input helps a lot.
And I plan to put the output of the mic into my Radial JDI and then to FOH. Then I will have maximum influence on the FOH sound.

Oh well, I have some time to think it over, the next show will be in Sept.

 

[Ten Four One]

Not in my life But OTOH, I know bass players who are quite happy to let the engineer do what he wants and never bring in any other gear but basses and they do just fine. Good results can happen regardless.

Am very serious about "my sound." I use in the studio what I use in every day life because it is what I sound like. I have no doubt that the engineer could get me a great sound utilizing many other options. I have a sound in my head that I strive to hear in the mix.

That's why I spend all this money on gear. It's a quest for tone. I want to hear the tone I dream about. In this case, an SVT and 810. It was loud in there, but I got what I was looking for in the end.

When I was young, I'd get obsessed with things like tone. I had "my" tone (a bright, aggressive tone, scooped in the low mids with a lot of "snap" from a maple neck & with a lot of ~500hz mids pushed). Admittedly not a very traditional bass tone, but it worked in my band (imagine the Yeah Yeah Yeahs with a bass player instead of a guitar player).

Edit: a lot of this tone is credit to Leo Fender - My '78 Sabre Bass has a low end and "snap" unlike any other bass I've ever played. Listening back to those recordings - as much as what most people will take away is the high mid/high end content, wow that bottom end is solid.

Now I'm pretty much just happy when the engineer can make me sound like I know what I'm doing & trust them to make the mix sound good. The recent The best P-bass tone in rock | TalkBass.com thread sort of proves that the sound in your head isn't necessarily the sound that's best in the mix. I've also been in enough mixdown sessions where every band member had too much of an ego to let their part be the one that wasn't pushed to the front of the mix. So I leave it to people wiser than myself to finesse the tone.

As long as it's ballpark what I consider a good tone I'm happy. The most recent recording (to be released real soon now ™) my tone is great - P bass into a B 15 into a Neve. Ahh bliss. I brought the P Bass and my fingers and let the engineer do the heavy lifting - mix of direct & mic'd? Yeah I think so - but I couldn't tell you what compressor or mic or DI or etc. that he used. Seriously, sounds great. If I didn't think so, I'd complain. Though on my acoustic bass, the tone is too low mid scooped and I need to work with the engineer on fixing that - very few ABGs sound good so I understand he doesn't have much of a frame of reference for "the tone in my head" plus the DI sound is very thuddy while the mic'd sound is very stringy, but once he gets it close to what I like, I'm happy to go back to flipping through magazines and noodling on guitars while other people have opinions.

 

[DD Gunz]

When I was young, I'd get obsessed with things like tone. I had "my" tone (a bright, aggressive tone, scooped in the low mids with a lot of "snap" from a maple neck & with a lot of ~500hz mids pushed). Admittedly not a very traditional bass tone, but it worked in my band (imagine the Yeah Yeah Yeahs with a bass player instead of a guitar player).

Now I'm pretty much just happy when the engineer can make me sound like I know what I'm doing & trust them to make the mix sound good. The recent The best P-bass tone in rock | TalkBass.com thread sort of proves that the sound in your head isn't necessarily the sound that's best in the mix. I've also been in enough mixdown sessions where every band member had too much of an ego to let their part be the one that wasn't pushed to the front of the mix. So I leave it to people wiser than myself to finesse the tone.

As long as it's ballpark what I consider a good tone I'm happy. The most recent recording (to be released real soon now ™) my tone is great - P bass into a B 15 into a Neve. Ahh bliss. I brought the P Bass and my fingers and let the engineer do the heavy lifting - mix of direct & mic'd? Yeah I think so - but I couldn't tell you what compressor or mic or DI or etc. that he used. Seriously, sounds great. If I didn't think so, I'd complain. Though on my acoustic bass, the tone is too low mid scooped and I need to work with the engineer on fixing that - very few ABGs sound good so I understand he doesn't have much of a frame of reference for "the tone in my head" plus the DI sound is very thuddy while the mic'd sound is very stringy, but once he gets it close to what I like, I'm happy to go back to flipping through magazines and noodling on guitars while other people have opinions.

I agree with you; however, in this occasion my tone is actually what the band wants in the mix. These are not my songs. I joined an established band who's former bass player was failing to deliver the desired tone for the best interest of the band. I happened to bring the tone with me through my fingers and gear.

If this was a business deal, meaning it was lucrative and I was expected to provide a service via my bass playing, I wouldn't care either way. But when the studio time is bought and paid for by a BL who is expecting my live tone to be captured on a recording, it makes sence to bring my gear in an attempt to encapsulate that tone.

Basically I got the job because I sounded and played a certain way, which the band found desirable. It just so happens that the sounds they were looking for was my tonal bliss.

 

[DD Gunz]

When I was young I cared a lot about my tone live and in a rehersa situation; but when it came to the studio I just shut up and was just happy to be there. Now that I am older I enjoy somewhat of a say in the studio.

That's the reason for this thread. I want to know what you guys are doing to get great results utilizing similar gear. I have got some great suggestions as always. There has and will come a time in the future where I will be in a studio situation where the engineer has little knowledge of what To do with the bass. It's the nature of the beast. Cost of recording is a viable consideration when funds are limited. The more knowledge I gain the more I can ensure a solid outcome in the studio.

Thanks guys, you have been more than helpful as always.

 

[Ten Four One]

I agree with you; however, in this occasion my tone is actually what the band wants in the mix. These are not my songs. I joined an established band who's former bass player was failing to deliver the desired tone for the best interest of the band. I happened to bring the tone with me through my fingers and gear.

If this was a business deal, meaning it was lucrative and I was expected to provide a service via my bass playing, I wouldn't care either way. But when the studio time is bought and paid for by a BL who is expecting my live tone to be captured on a recording, it makes sence to bring my gear in an attempt to encapsulate that tone.

Basically I got the job because I sounded and played a certain way which the band found desirable. It just so happens that the sounds they were looking for was my tonal bliss.

What's a BL? (see screenshot of Wikipedia's entry on BL). (edit: Wait... Band Leader?)

That's the best, when your band wants you/your tone/style/vibe/whatever. The band I'm in now is like that - even when I went from P to J everyone was on board, though I still wonder if the P sat better in the mix - got a few more rehearsals to sort this out before we're back in the studio & recently installed the series/parallel mod to see if I can make the J just a tad punchier.

When I was young I cared a lot about my tone live and in a rehersa situation; but when it came to the studio I just shut up and was just happy to be there. Now that I am older I enjoy somewhat of a say in the studio.

That's the reason for this thread. I want to know what you guys are doing to get great results utilizing similar gear. I have got some great suggestions as always. There has and will come a time in the future where I will be in a studio situation where the engineer has little knowledge of what To do with the bass. It's the nature of the beast. Cost of recording is a viable consideration when funds are limited. The more knowledge I gain the more I can ensure a solid outcome in the studio.

Thanks guys, you have been more than helpful as always.

Funny, I'm more likely to be fussy about my tone in the studio & less so live (it's tough to gauge your tone when you're not out in the audience & you rely heavily on the sound guy to make you sound good). In rehearsal is where I experiment the most - "hey studio owner, can you give me a different head this week?" - partially to find the head that most matches the tone in my head, but also so I can be sure I'm able to play through comfortably no matter what the sound I'm getting on stage. Sort of purposefully setting up nightmare scenarios on purpse to ensure that even if I can't hear the vocals or I think my bass sounds like crap, I can still rock out.

But yes - TalkBass is an amazing resource for learning.

It's hard to go wrong with an SVT. I get a similar vibe out of my VT Bass pedal. I see you're using a GK now - somewhat of a different beast. Are you thinking of making a switch?

 

[JimmyM]

I believe DD just switched over to a Heritage SVT rig

 

[DD Gunz]

What's a BL? (see screenshot of Wikipedia's entry on BL).

That's the best, when your band wants you/your tone/style/vibe/whatever. The band I'm in now is like that - even when I went from P to J everyone was on board, though I still wonder if the P sat better in the mix - got a few more rehearsals to sort this out before we're back in the studio & recently installed the series/parallel mod to see if I can make the J just a tad punchier.



Funny, I'm more likely to be fussy about my tone in the studio & less so live (it's tough to gauge your tone when you're not out in the audience & you rely heavily on the sound guy to make you sound good). In rehearsal is where I experiment the most - "hey studio owner, can you give me a different head this week?" - partially to find the head that most matches the tone in my head, but also so I can be sure I'm able to play through comfortably no matter what the sound I'm getting on stage. Sort of purposefully setting up nightmare scenarios on purpse to ensure that even if I can't hear the vocals or I think my bass sounds like crap, I can still rock out.

But yes - TalkBass is an amazing resource for learning.

It's hard to go wrong with an SVT. I get a similar vibe out of my VT Bass pedal. I see you're using a GK now - somewhat of a different beast. Are you thinking of making a switch?

I got BL from Talkbass. It stands for band leader apparently. Hahaha. I don't do social media and thought I was being pretty up-to-speed by referring to him as BL.

I have not updated my info but I am using a 2011 Heritage SVT live now. I used a VT Bass Deluxe in front of the GK prior.

The GK and SVT are different beasts for sure. But for this specific project both really worked (we are talking early Guns and Roses covers live). With EQ, and the GK cranked, it was pretty dirty with an Ampeg 810. I think the sealed 810 really changes the dynamics when it comes to the inherent tone of most GK heads. I hated GK heads through GK cabs.

 

[DD Gunz]

I believe DD just switched over to a Heritage SVT rig

Yes sir. And I owe you for the help. If you were local I would buy you a beer.

 

[DD Gunz]

I believe DD just switched over to a Heritage SVT rig

Florida JimmyM? It's 5 AM there. I work nights and that's my excuse.

 

[JimmyM]

Florida JimmyM? It's 5 AM there. I work nights and that's my excuse.

I fell asleep early and woke up in the middle of the night

 

[DD Gunz]

I fell asleep early and woke up in the middle of the night

That's another reason Talkbass is a blessing. Your sleeplessness turns positive when you come on here and disseminate knowledge and helpful information.

I think I was reading your posts 7 years before I actually figured out how to join. I would Google a question and 70 percent of the time the results would reveal an answer with your Talkbass handle attached.

So really you have helped a lot more people than just Talkbass members. It's appreciated!

 

[JimmyM]

Well that's awfully nice of you to say, DD...thank you very much!

 

[DD Gunz]

Well that's awfully nice of you to say, DD...thank you very much!

I just speak the truth. There are hundreds of people who have benefited from your postings. I am sure there are hundreds more who are not members.

 

[High Camp]

Well to be fair to the PR40, once you back off the grill a little, it's an awesome sounding mic and it's lighter and easier to carry around than an RE20. Still, I'd never talk anyone out of an RE20. It's a standard for a reason.

Anyway, took some thought but: ordered the RE20 today, should be in Monday.
Real excited about this one, nothing but good reviews (not only TB, everywhere!).
>> This means a month delay for the V-4B, but OTOH, from now on the FOH cannot bypass my Ampeg PF-stack any longer!

 

[Korladis]

This link might help a bit:
Bass/Kick Drum Mics: The 6 Best Options for Recording

I disagree with those choices. In my experience, used on their own, kick drum mics are garbage for bass guitar.

Now, used in conjunction with something like an SM57, they're good for getting the very lows that are a bit beyond the 57's range.

Allright, after all this, I am gassing for an EV RE20!
(and already saving - almost there - for a Ampeg V4B)
Where will it all end??

My poor, poor wallet...

It's a very good microphone.

Also, I would recommend recording with the V4B rather than the SVT. Quite similar sound, but less powerful (though still extremely loud), and a bit easier to get into overdrive.

 

[10cc]

For those that may not have seen.
Here is a great video comparing Ampeg amps. They all sound great, but I have my own favorite stand outs of the bunch. All recorded with the same two mics

 

[rodl2005]

Jingies he gets some GRIND happening in there! Similar thru headphones. Doesn't show the WEIGHT of each note etc. .. interesting tho

 

[ScottTunes]

Anyway, took some thought but: ordered the RE20 today, should be in Monday.
Real excited about this one, nothing but good reviews (not only TB, everywhere!).
>> This means a month delay for the V-4B, but OTOH, from now on the FOH cannot bypass my Ampeg PF-stack any longer!

One of the greatest mics EVAH!

Covers a wide assortment of jobs, from kick to vocals, and does them ALL well!

AKA the "condenser killer," it is a one mic you will never out-grow!

Congratulations on your acquisition! I hope you enjoy the heck out of it!!