I’m looking to record a bass line with distortion, but I’ve read on here (and elsewhere) the best thing to do is record one clean signal and one signal with the effect. I already have BDDI, so if I had one output from the BDDI going to the interface and the other output going into a distortion pedal then interface, would it still sound alright?
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Recording with distortion
- Thread starter spartan1620
- Start date
The idea is to send each signal to it's own channel/track. Then you can process each track separately and mix to taste. Yes it will sound fine.
gonna revive this thread because i’m trying to figure out my rig for a studio session i’m doing next month with my thrashy death metal band.
OP, your setup is essentially what you need, but I recommend a few other things: if you aren’t playing through a virtual amp sim, I would at least start with an IR cab loader. there’s a lot of cab sims out there, and that is going to do WONDERS for your clean and distorted tracks. A compressor is also a powerful tool for recording, I usually run mine super high on my clean channel. I tend to cut the highs off my clean channel with a low pass filter and boost the upper mids with my distortion channel, and I put a high pass filter on both. but yes, to start with, i would go DI out into one input, 1/4” out into your dirt pedals and then into your second input. record them into separate tracks.
OP, your setup is essentially what you need, but I recommend a few other things: if you aren’t playing through a virtual amp sim, I would at least start with an IR cab loader. there’s a lot of cab sims out there, and that is going to do WONDERS for your clean and distorted tracks. A compressor is also a powerful tool for recording, I usually run mine super high on my clean channel. I tend to cut the highs off my clean channel with a low pass filter and boost the upper mids with my distortion channel, and I put a high pass filter on both. but yes, to start with, i would go DI out into one input, 1/4” out into your dirt pedals and then into your second input. record them into separate tracks.
For my studio setup, I’m doing something fairly similar to what a recommend above.
My bass is going into an MXR bass compressor, an old Sansamp, and then gets split between the DI OUT and the 1/4 OUT. DI goes to the mixing board and the 1/4” goes into an overdrive, a fuzz, and then my SVT 7. The mids are cranked to around 3 o’clock and the speaker outs go to a sealed 4x10 cab. the cab is mike with whatever the engineer recommends, idk.
ALTERNATIVELY, I’ll put a Morley signal splitter in after the sansamp, and have one go direct to the SVT 7 with the EQ fairly scooped, and the other go through my dirt pedals and into the clean channel of my Peavy Triumph and a Marshall 4x12”. I would use the DI OUT on the SVT for the bass tone. Ideally, each amp would be in its own isolation booth so i could get the punch from the bass cab, otherwise I feel like this will get lost in the mix more than the other method. i’m honestly not sure.
I know the engineer for this session is also a bassist, so I need to reach out to him and see what he says about all this. I’m sure he’ll kick the MXR off my signal chain for a better compressor and will mostly likely throw an HPF somewhere in there as well.
My bass is going into an MXR bass compressor, an old Sansamp, and then gets split between the DI OUT and the 1/4 OUT. DI goes to the mixing board and the 1/4” goes into an overdrive, a fuzz, and then my SVT 7. The mids are cranked to around 3 o’clock and the speaker outs go to a sealed 4x10 cab. the cab is mike with whatever the engineer recommends, idk.
ALTERNATIVELY, I’ll put a Morley signal splitter in after the sansamp, and have one go direct to the SVT 7 with the EQ fairly scooped, and the other go through my dirt pedals and into the clean channel of my Peavy Triumph and a Marshall 4x12”. I would use the DI OUT on the SVT for the bass tone. Ideally, each amp would be in its own isolation booth so i could get the punch from the bass cab, otherwise I feel like this will get lost in the mix more than the other method. i’m honestly not sure.
I know the engineer for this session is also a bassist, so I need to reach out to him and see what he says about all this. I’m sure he’ll kick the MXR off my signal chain for a better compressor and will mostly likely throw an HPF somewhere in there as well.
sorry, this is turning into a whole ordeal here, BUT:
what I would LOVE to have for my setup is a bass amp where the DI OUT can be placed AFTER the preamp, but BEFORE the FX loop. This way I can beef up the clean signal with the amp gain/eq controls, and I can throw dirt pedals and a separate EQ into the FX loop to send to the speakers. I think the SVT 7 has the option for the DI out to be pre or post EQ, but i’m not sure where the fx loop and the preamp gain wind up in relation to it. So if anyone knows of an amp that can do that, please recommend!
what I would LOVE to have for my setup is a bass amp where the DI OUT can be placed AFTER the preamp, but BEFORE the FX loop. This way I can beef up the clean signal with the amp gain/eq controls, and I can throw dirt pedals and a separate EQ into the FX loop to send to the speakers. I think the SVT 7 has the option for the DI out to be pre or post EQ, but i’m not sure where the fx loop and the preamp gain wind up in relation to it. So if anyone knows of an amp that can do that, please recommend!
oh totally. i’m going into assuming that i’m taking care of everything myself (for bass and guitar woof). i’m gonna reach out to the engineer, but i want to be either fully prepared or pleasantly surprised.
i would LOVE it if all i had to do was show up with instruments and just play well, but i think this is gonna be a real real stripped down setup. I’ve got a month to figure it out either way.
i would LOVE it if all i had to do was show up with instruments and just play well, but i think this is gonna be a real real stripped down setup. I’ve got a month to figure it out either way.
JeezyMcNuggles
Inactive
- Feb 23, 2018
- 14,723
- 20,970
- Disclosures
- I suck, but nobody really notices
Plug into the bddi, xlr out into the interface, and through out into the interface. 2 tracks. One clean, one running through your bddi. Or, go out your output into the pedal and into the interface, and your through out going into the interface (2 tracks. One through both pedals, one clean).
