only you know. I was sitting here thinking my jazz bass is a great rock sounding bass, but a musicman also sounds incredible with a pick and distortion
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Which bass should I use? (Recording a single)
- Thread starter GodPlayedBass
- Start date
1 vote for the Stingray. Especially if it's a 3 band EQ, where you can boost the tone the way you want it.
I've recorded in a studio exactly once for 3 days, the engineer didn't like I brought a Warwick instead of a Jazz P or Sringray, he in particular was only familiar with those and had to adjust for anything else.
In my experience, a Jazz bass is scooped and gets buried in a mix. Full disclosure, I've never been a recording engineer.
Take the Ray style bass and a P bass with new round wound string. If you play the P bass, dime the tone knob. It will knock down everything in its path and cut through like nothing else.
Take the Ray style bass and a P bass with new round wound string. If you play the P bass, dime the tone knob. It will knock down everything in its path and cut through like nothing else.
Yup, if you want your bandmates to hate you... unless you are all willing to spend a couple of days in the studio going through the guitarists' collection as well, the keyboard player going through different sounds, and the drummer too...
I keep seeing this repeated here... but I have encountered this situation exactly zero times, both personally and from the people I asked (because I was curious whether my experience was unique).
If you're a session bassist, you'll probably be asked to play different basses sometimes and yeah I can imagine the Precision will be used often, because it's a classic bass sound. But I'd guess most of us here aren't, and our recordings are paid for by our own band's resources. My experience with that is that the engineer/producer have some ideas sometimes, but the band is the customer and we use what we like: we go to a studio to get recorded, but the material has already been written and played time and again...
And again, a Precision works best 99% of the time? Says who?
If that were true how come we're not all playing Precisions 99% of the time?
I love the Precision, but it's time we cut the BS about them and studio etc
When I get to record my band’s EP next year and bring my Jazz bass for it, the producer can eff-off if he asks for a P. The P bass is NOT my sound
He won't care, you'll see
And if he does... PM me for a couple of good local studios that will work for you rather than dictate what you should do (I'm assuming you're the customer).
Jazz basses *CAN* get lost. They don't have to. If they do, it's either intentional or user error.
Yeah, it's not as if great recordings haven't been made with Jazzes, MusicMans, Wals, Rics, Yamahas, Spectors, etc., etc. The need for a P in the studio has to be one of the greatest myths in the business (eagerly swallowed and regurgitated by many a bassist, unfortunately).
+1
regurgitated by many who have never been in the studio either.
Bring 3 basses to the recording studio: a P-bass, a J-bass and the Stingray.
It's always better to have choices at hand.
Then try them and choose whatever sounds the best. The producer/audio technician will eventually help you choose the best one for the song.
It's always better to have choices at hand.
Then try them and choose whatever sounds the best. The producer/audio technician will eventually help you choose the best one for the song.
Whichever one you're most comfortable playing then let the engineer/producer do his job to get the tone you want.
- Jul 7, 2010
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- Endorsing Artist for: Duncan Pickups; Line6, Hipshot, GHS Strings, Somnium Guitars
As said, there are a few questions that need answered first.
Now I personally bring a couple of basses with me and will record with them the tracks. Reason being that even though I may get a great sounding bass sound from one, it may not sound the best of the two when the rest of the band puts their tracks down.
So I say use them both and do a couple of test tracks. Good luck and just have fun.
Now I personally bring a couple of basses with me and will record with them the tracks. Reason being that even though I may get a great sounding bass sound from one, it may not sound the best of the two when the rest of the band puts their tracks down.
So I say use them both and do a couple of test tracks. Good luck and just have fun.
I just went on your YouTube channel and listened to some of your playing. Play the p-bass. It sounds so much more natural and will sit in the mix nicely (I didn’t see a video w/ your MM). And if you’re playing with a pick, a nice preamp with a hint of overdrive will go a long way.
With regard to all this talk of engineers and producers liking one bass over another, if you’re a local band recording in a local or regional studio, it won’t matter. I’ve engineered songs/albums in those scenarios. When a band came in, we recorded them using their gear. Period. Any advice beyond that is just something someone read in a music magazine, internet article or YouTube video about being a session player in a major market studio.
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Cutting through the mix is irrelevant, sitting in the mix is preferred. In the end, the audio engineer will do what he does and you will have little, if no control over it. Bring both a p and a j style with you and play what you think works best. Easy enough to pick up the other bass and redo it if needed.
Is this a song that you've played with your band before?
What bass do you use when you play it? .. or which one sounds best (if you've used different basses)?
and maybe its not exactly what you meant, but "cutting through" a mix is the last thing you want in a recording. You need to "sit in" the mix, in the right place.
IME
T$
Someone beat me to it.. still relevant...
Can i ask which video youre referring to? Was it my heart shaped box cover video? Or the affinity squire upgrade video?
The Heart-Shaped Box & Mushroomhead videos. Your tone is really nice on that bass. The guys in the studio won't have to change much for that bass to sit well in the mix.
I played the song with that bass today and sure enough it sounds good as hell. Thanks for your input
