chasing a ghost? bass recording question

joelkriske · Post by **joelkriske** » Thu Nov 17, 2005 12:58 am

i know this is a question that will cause many to pull their respective hair out.

if you had no option off micing a bass cab, and had to rely on a di(at least for now) what would be yr di of choice?

This is a Studio project, and i now have bass duties.

i'm looking for both growly punch (ouch, descriptors) and silky smooth possibilities with a Fender Marcus Miller Jazz bass.

the project i'm working on runs the gamut from rock ina sorta classic sense, to smog/catpower style rock, to "no wave"/punk, to techno.

fun question, heh?

Feel free to hit me with any elaborations on the question you might need.

thanks to all for any advice, i know this is a very amature question, just trying to decide whether to drop the $ on an Avalon DI or get a sansamp pedal.

still, tracking with no amp, ouch!

thanks again
:roll:

covert · Post by **covert** » Thu Nov 17, 2005 4:13 am

I'm rather digging the MXR Bass DI+ at the moment.

segaface · Post by **segaface** » Thu Nov 17, 2005 4:56 am

Radial JDI does the trick for me (at least until I find something I like better). Comes with a great manual too (for a DI box), and you can use it in reverse for a reamp box.

andy

I'm Painting Again · Post by **I'm Painting Again** » Thu Nov 17, 2005 5:46 am

I never use a di and dont really have any problems with getting bass the way it sounds in the room on the amp..I recently had a client bring over what looked to be a shitty Ibenez bass amp..the soundwave series..they are new..but it was a great recording tone..beat out my traynor yba-1a..that ibenez amp made every note heard on a cheap johnson bass and everything the same volume..and the tone was very close to my traynor..I was shocked//they are cheap i recommend you try one for recording..

What you might want for doing just di is something like the avalon U5 or tab funkenwerk v78 di..some good tube design..because they will usually give you a good clean tone as well as a good overdrive..

again I dont use di so I'm just speculating..

kayagum · Post by **kayagum** » Thu Nov 17, 2005 7:04 am

SansAmp Bass Driver. Many people on this board use it. I actually like it on many other things too (keyboard, baritone, etc.)

KennyLusk · Post by **KennyLusk** » Thu Nov 17, 2005 7:23 am

I like the sound I get for bass DI going into a GT Passive DI then into a Pro VLA with the stock tubes (for creamy sound) or JAN Philips AT7's for a brighter sound with a little more "energy". Keep the ratio at minimum settings, thresh at -5 and use the gain makeup to "drive" the signal.

With a Pro VLA you can also cascade channel 1 into channel 2 for some interesting variables.

If you want more grit you might try a GT Brick.

pulse_divider · Post by **pulse_divider** » Thu Nov 17, 2005 7:39 am

The Mesa V-Twin sounds very nice on bass and is capable of a wide variety of sounds.

joel hamilton · Post by **joel hamilton** » Thu Nov 17, 2005 8:32 am

There is a thread just like this in the "recording techniques" forum.

joelpatterson · Post by **joelpatterson** » Thu Nov 17, 2005 8:33 am

If all else failed, and you had an Art Dual MP, and you ran the bass in through one of the High Z inputs, and dialed in that classic "Art" tube tone, you could get something that sounded very bass-like.

Of course, that would be so embarassing you'd keep it secret, hopefully.

Red Rockets Glare · Post by **Red Rockets Glare** » Thu Nov 17, 2005 9:51 am

I second the sans amp, I use it on every session through the ART VLA to tape or drive and then run it through an amp later.

Professor · Post by **Professor** » Thu Nov 17, 2005 12:53 pm

If you're that worried about not having the amp tone, then why not record with a simple passive DI and then reamp the signal after tracking. You simply use the DI and a clean mic pre to push up the signal just enough to be recorded. Then when all the tracking is done, and all the best takes are picked and edited as needed, you just lower the fader by about as much as you boosted the DI at the mic pre, send it backwards through the DI and run the signal into your amp with the amp alone in the big room, cranked up, with whatever mic placement you like. It will only take the time to run through each song once to reamp the bass tracks.

-Jeremy

joelkriske · Post by **joelkriske** » Thu Nov 17, 2005 1:11 pm

thanks everyone for the suggestions!

i did UTFSF but guess i didn't look hard enough, sorry about the repeat post.
i'll check the other one now!

best
joel

musikman316 · Post by **musikman316** » Thu Nov 17, 2005 2:04 pm

Sansamp Classic is my choice. I'll have to try it into the PRO VLA.

Later,
Josh

Jupiter 4 Studio · Post by **Jupiter 4 Studio** » Thu Nov 17, 2005 3:32 pm

The TAB-Funkenwerk is the BEST bass DI I've ever used.

JohnDavisNYC · Post by **JohnDavisNYC** » Thu Nov 17, 2005 3:43 pm

i'm a big fan of the Avalon U5... pretty awesome. has a feeling of 'air' (i hate those terms... but alas...) around the notes that most DI's don't have. donesn't have that sproinky plasticy feeling when you're playing like a regular DI. that thing coupled with a compressor that has some character is pretty much all i use on my own projects... for my own bass playing. i dunno.. with the right compression and playing style, i never feel like i miss having an amp sound.

john

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chasing a ghost? bass recording question

chasing a ghost? bass recording question

thanks everyone

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