What pro's use on the road vs in studio

[static0verdrive]

I do a lot of recording and a little bit of live stuff. I almost always end up using my jazz, but there is the occasional track that begs for a P. As the bassist, it's my call and my ear to decide that, and the band is supportive of my choice 99% of the time - we disagree more about when I should use my fretless than anything P vs J. I think if you have (any brand at all) of bass with J style pups, and another P style, you'll be ready for anything that comes your way.

EDIT: That said, I wouldn't outright ignore a producer's request... my curiosity ensures I'll ask why he wants something other than I picked, and his experience is usually worth respecting / having faith in.

 

[danosix]

So the current band I have been in for the past 7-8 months is starting to get serious, booking gigs, talking about studio time,etc I'm looking to get a professional quality tool after the first of the year. I have few basses in mind but I decided to go back and look at what my favorite professional players use, and what the bassists of the bands we cover, and style of music we play. Two brands consistently show up, warwick and spector.

I have read a lot of guys have a set of studio instruments and then they have their working instruments and they're not always the same thing. Anybody know what the chances are of what you hear in the record is the same bass you see them playing on stage with?

The thing is, what works in-studio does not always translate to on-stage. That means that you need to pick what works for you on-stage and worry about the studio when you get there - if your stage bass doesn't work, you can rent or borrow something or the studio might supply something that works.

 

[FlatwoundFunk]

"Is a P and a fretless (Ibanez, J config pups) gonna do it or do I need to keep that J? What with the P basically being regarded as the holy grail of bass, I'm conflicted on whether or not to sell my J."

To answer your question, always and I mean ALWAYS REMEMBER this.....
EVERY PROFESSIONAL HAS MULTIPLE TOOLS TO GET THE JOB DONE. MOST TIMES EVEN MULTIPLE DUPLICATES.

It's up to you to decide what your goals are and allow your tools to reflect your goals. Not that you will use them all, but that you'll have them when asked or needed. This is what separates PRO'S from USED and/or SELECTED GOOD PLAYER'S. I know guy's who holds themselves back (IMO) because they do not exhibit professional behaviour. If you decide your goal is to be an hired gun, then have the tools and knowledge necessary to get 'er done. Study guys like Bobby Vega, Pino Palladino, Justin Medelson (may be mispelled), and many others that get the pleasure of choosing work because they are sort after for their PROFESSIONAL WORK ETHIC. Wish you the best in your journeys.
FF

 

[NKBassman]

I find it best to approach the studio with an open mind re. what may or may not work. Every situation is different.

Bring your best equipment (basses, amps, preamps, effects, etc), and set it up in a way that makes sense and sounds good in the context of the particular project you're working on. Maybe it's the bass you use live, or maybe it's the bass that feels most comfortable in your hands... doesn't really matter. Try a few takes, and see how it sounds. This is your starting point.

If the producer/engineer thinks it'll work, YAY! Run with it!
If the producer/engineer thinks it sounds like garbage in the context of the project, and wants you to try something completely different, then cool! Run with it! Make suggestions or compromises if you have to, but work together to find something that will work.

Each producer is different in terms of the sounds they prefer, mixing style, etc, but they should hopefully have the best interest of the project in mind when making these decisions. But that same "project first" expectation extends to you... If that means trying a take with the crusty old P bass in the corner, plugging into a little Pignose guitar amp, or bypassing your $5000 amp rig and plugging direct into the ProTools interface, then at least be open to trying it once. By all means, don't compromise your artistic vision if you abosultely must play your Stingray 5'er through your ABC amp rig with XYZ mics to achieve your end goal, and don't waste time/money trying anything and everything under the sun chasing that last 5%, but it is the producer's job to ensure that you maximize your results, and they (hopefully) should have a pretty good idea of types of tones will or will not work on a record.

It's a team effort between you, your band, whatever management, and the producer, to produce the best possible results within your budget. Hopefully you can trust the opinion and expertise of everyone involved in their respective rolls.

 

[engedi1]

The producer I work the most for freelance session has a very EQ'd, highly compressed sound in his head. I swear he makes every bass I bring in sound the same, and I have used a P bass, Deluxe jazz, and Sadowsky, and hollowbody in that studio. I prefer a much more raw direct sound, especially for the P bass and rock n roll stuff, but he likes a super scooped tone with HUGE compression which he adds during the mixing process. My point is that unless you are producing it yourself, the producers idea of what a bass tone should be is what you will get.

 

[bass12]

OP, I can't imagine why you couldn't use a bass live and in studio. I mean, if the bass can do the job live, why not in the studio, where you have time to redo your tracks, editing software, etc?

Certain aspects of a bass' sound are going to be magnified when recording and that may not be a good thing. One of my favourite live basses tends to be difficult to tame in the studio. EQ could be used to remove some of the razor-like quality of the sound but, ideally, I don't want to have to be fiddling with EQ right from the start - so I avoid using that bass in the studio. Here's another example: I'd originally tracked a bass part with a Jazz-style bass (a great sounding bass) but, because of the thickness of the tone and the part itself, the notes weren't as distinct from each other as I wanted them to be. To get more of a sense of space between the notes I re-tracked with a more "modern" sounding bass, with soap bars placed closer to the bridge and that did the trick. The thing is, I would generally favour that Jazz-style bass in a live setting over the more modern bass that worked in the studio. I've found that it can be easy to go into the studio with a preconceived notion of how well a particular bass will work in that setting ("this is a great bass - it'll work great on these tracks!") but once that bass' tone is under the microscope things can change really quickly.

 

[MYLOWFREQ]

I think as long as you're happy with your current bass, a new set of strings and a good setup is what you need. If you have a specific sound in your head that you can't get from your bass, then I'd look for something else.

 

[bass12]

Ha! Glad I read this... I thought I might be a little weird, as I do exactly the same thing.... higher action on my recording bass. It also reminds (forces) me to play a bit more deliberately and perhaps a bit simpler. If I have any recurring self-critique of my recording, it's that I COULD have played less, perhaps to greater effect.

I also have a story about live vs. recording. I met a well-known new-metal bassist a few years back, and we were talking about our favorite basses we owned. He had a few nice, unusual pieces, and I asked him if he ever played them out. He said, "Hell, no... I just call (insert endorsing manufacturer) and order a few black five-strings when we go out. I ain't takin' any of my GOOD stuff on the road!".

Really good point about string height. I'm not a seasoned studio player by any means and it would freak me out when I'd start tracking certain parts and be confronted with string noise (usually created by my fingers inadvertently pressing down lightly on the G string) that I'd never had a problem with in live settings (I generally have my basses set up with fairly low action). It's a drag when you you have to start figuring out new fingerings while the studio clock is ticking.

 

[MobileHolmes]

I was never a pro, but both times I was in bands that recorded, I used the same carvin lb76 I used live. In both cases, the engineers were adamant that I use their signal path/amp.

I think there are a couple reasons that pros would use different stuff live and on tour.

One is that it is possible that an instrument that sounds greT in the studio is either too valuable or two wonky to tour with (eg would need a set up every three days if taken out of strict climate control)

Another possibility is that te tonal needs if getting a good live sound and a good sound on tape are two different things sometimes. We perhaps see this more with guitars, but amp choices are frequently different, as are the preferred guitars. I read an interview with J Mascis recently (one of the more iconic Jazzmaster players, as well as a notoriously difficult interview subject) who said that he pretty much only plays jazzmasters live, but that everything on his records is something with "p90s" though he didn't specify what

 

[MobileHolmes]

He never really used the Alembics in the studio. The Bob Rock albums were mostly a Spector with some songs performed on a P. AJFA was a Steinberger XM2, I believe, and Garage Days was an Aria SB. In fact, most of what Bob Rock produced in the late 80's up to the mid 90's was done with a Spector, regardless of band or player. You can't argue with the end results, to be fair.

Regarding bassist vs producer, if you're an independant band and you hire a producer, surely it's on the basis of you liking the sound of his previous work and wanting your work to sound something similar? If so, it's worth listening to what they have to say. Everybody involved in your recording should only be there because they want the finished product to be the best it can be and everybody should have a good idea of what the end result will be before you walk in the studio door.

There was bass on AJFA?

 

[Doctor J]

At one point, yes, there was. Then they mixed it with Lars in the room

 

[fishdreams]

My personal experience is that if I sound great on a certain bass it is to a large extent because it is the bass i am always playing. So that settles the studio question. As to live, I have picked a specific different bass for 2 reasons: visual aspect (it was a tribute band, it had to be a Fender) and for feeling at ease (as in an outdoor gig in a public NY plaza with crummy back line that didn't pay anyway, so I brought a beatup cheapo).

 

[VinnyIuspa]

Doubtful with a hardrock/heavy metal band, but possible.

Ya in my experience metal producers aren't so picky about the instrument choice, most of the time they're not going to want a bass with flats though! That's just not going to give you the sound for most stuff. They have grumbled a bit with my bongo, since the output is real hot. The guys I've worked with seemed to prefer passive basses since they're easier to work and put out simpler waves. In spite of this they were open to letting me use the bongo as well letting me try some of the basses they had at the studio. For most of the tracks it was bongo though. I definitely didn't get kicked out of the studio for it and replaced with a session guy like some guys on here would make out! Maybe that's the case for other genres or session guys but I wouldn't know. Get yourself a nice bass, spectre or Warwick would be perfect for metal, and a nice sansamp or darkglass b7k, even though they'll certainly have a sansamp at the studio.

 

[engedi1]

Even country producers in Nashville don't want a bass with Flats unless it is meant to be a very old school record.

 

[VinnyIuspa]

You could be like Jaco or Steve Harris and always use the same for both... I don't think there are, or ever should be a set standard on what is an acceptable bass to carry on the road, or what is acceptable to record with. I care about skill and tone, not about the logo on the headstock.

Steve harris uses his first pbass on every album, but I don't think he always takes it on the road

 

[DwaynieAD]

In the studio you need to serve the song first, the album second, anything else comes after those considerations

on stage you need to serve the audience first, which can very well mean look/image.

 

[Red Planet]

To the OP first off your favorite artists are using what they are being paid to play, never look at that. Also I would use what gear that most suites you and what you do, not what anyone else thinks you should use.

As for as in the Studio, most narrow minded engineers I have worked always asked where is your P Bass? I have always played more adventurous basses and they wanted me to produce my Fender. To those narrow minded engineers I say get real most of the artists that really break through are rarely following what someone else did rather they are forging a new path and trying to differ themselves from everyone else. The people that are trying to follow everyone else rarely excel in what they do. They may squeak by feeding on the bottom but they rarely push over the top.

My last recording session I took out three P Basses first and finally tried my Stingray Classic and the Stingray was such a superior solid tone over the Fenders the open minded engineer I was working with immediately instructed me to put the Fenders away.

If you are playing metal I would find the most metal looking good sounding and good playing instruments and rawk.

 

[wraub]

Live, I play a MIJ Squier P bass and a MIJ Squier J bass.
Studio, I use the same basses, as well as an active Ibanez 5 string on the odd occasion.

I have never gotten a complaint*, and have always been pleased with my sound.

* Except from one of the geetar players in my band who vastly prefers the sound of my J bass to my P bass.
I still play the P bass anyway...

 

[japhy4529]

There was bass on AJFA?

Yep. Believe it or not: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct...NaoZjS9YsaLRZwlHWJWQfQ&bvm=bv.105039540,d.eXY

 

[Mushroo]

There was bass on AJFA?

Yup, here you go: