The Search for the Perfect tone.

Use the bass you play.

 

Anything you could do EQ-wise can be done to the track later by the engineer.

 

Yes.

 

Yes. And even before recording, if he's a good sound engineer, he should tell you "boost the lows" or "scoop the mids" etc.

 

Is it your first recording session ? If so, don't panic, this is cooler than what you may fear

 

You meant, Cubase ?

If so, you could have saved some studio time recording your bass lines with it. The good side of this is when you are not used to studio work, it may be easier to record at your own rhythm in a place you are familiar with. But if you all rehearsed much and feel ready, everything should be quite OK.

Just one thing NOT to forget when the session is done : put your music on MySpace and give us the link, so that we can hear your recording.

 

The best way to get good tone will be to listen to your direct sound in the control booth and in the headphones when you are playing. It may help to solo the bass during playback, early on when getting sounds, and listen for any problems like buzz, pitch, etc.

If you make any adjustments to your bass tone controls, they should probably be small adjustments. Often an engineer will want you to just put all controls on flat with full volume.

Most important factor in controlling your tone will be your playing technique. Bass is often recorded direct and the tone can be adjusted later if necessary to fit the tracks.

Good luck!

 

In studio, the producer has told us we arent using amps, but pods. i later found out, i dont get a pod! i just use my bass into a DI.



Do you mean the engineer? Or are you going in with a producer?

 

Before you pay the guy, have him do a pod trial to see if you guys like the sound or not.

Personally I think pods suck but they are better in recording than live but still ... its not the same.

 

The bass you have can more than do what you need. I've done a lot of studio work on both sides of the board. Your bass can be made to sit perfectly in the mix. With even the most modest DAW the tone of your bass can be shaped in ways you've never dreamed of.

 

Digital Audio Workstation, aka any "digital recorder in a small box" or Pro Tools-esque non-tape recording medium.

IMO, it's you're money that you're spending on this recording, and the Producer/Engineer should be listening to *your* desires and not vice versa. I've personally recorded direct to the board and had great tones at the end result, but take 1/2-to-1 hour to try and see what kind of tone you can get from a Pod verses direct.

You can always record two tracks, one POD and one Direct and combine them at mixdown to get the best of both worlds.

 

My only concern with the POD situation is the live performance situation (unless you have no plans to perform live). Many people achieve great studio sounds but when it comes to live settings they are crap. Try the best you can from your touch and the on-board eq going DI to the board. After that try to expand with anything outboard (or shape things with the help of the sound engineer)