Bass Direct 101

[Rockmanus]

Hey-a.
Recorded a bass guiar direct to computer via a mixer. Of course, it's not sitting as well as it could. I know you'd have to hear the track to know exactly what to do with it, but as a general guideline what are some things you would usually do with direct bass?
Thanks!!

[crow]

well, you probably need a D.I. (direct injection) box or input to match the high-impedance/low level of the bass with the low-impedance/high level of the line input on the mixer. otherwise, you'll get a possibly thin sound whose level needs so much boosting that you end up with a ton of hiss and noise in addition to the actual sound of the bass. As far as D.I.'s go, there are tons of options: price ranges go from about $30 to $700. Also, many outboard mic pres have a d.i. or instrument input. what kind of mixer are you plugging into?

[KennyLusk]

*Patch the signal through a tube compressor like a pro vla before you hit your DAW. Try any compressor you have though. You can give the signal more edge with short release times and fast attack times. Also, if you have a way of adding distorion to the bass track, that can help. A nice wooly bass is sometimes just what the doctor ordered.

*Like you do with guitars, you can also double the part and pan it wide L and R, use a high pass fileter to eliminate some of the unwanted lows and low pass filter to eliminate some of the highs that are in the way.

*Bump 420Hz a little for added clarity.

*Clean up some of the lows in other tracks that may be getting in the way. Guitars (AC and electric) can spare a lot of low freqs that cause muddy build-up. Same with vocals. Sometimes you can forget that there are some lows you can filter out of vocals to clear sonic space to help other instruments breathe a little.

[doctari]

Get your bass set up for optimum playing ease, and intonation,plug it into the best d.i. box you can get your hands on,I like the Radial JDI, cause its the one I have, practice watching the meter while you play to get an idea about playing with consitant dynamics. Relax and play music.

[lee]

i think that di's, alone, sound terrible. they produce a deeper low end, but sound inauthentic. try recording a di and an amp (most amps have outputs, record the output and a mic on the amp). check phase. and you have BASS.

[curtiswyant]

I've never gotten a good sound from DI alone. I use an old Champ or a Sansamp BDI. I'm a firm believer that bass is one of the most player-oriented instruments you'll ever record. Are you using a pick or fingers, flatwounds vs. roundwounds, Jazz or P-bass etc? The type of bassline/arrangement is very important, too. If you're just playing the root of the guitar chords, the bass is going to disappear.

Now, specifically, I would hi-pass all guitar/key/organ tracks and cut everything under 50-65hz on the bass track. I like chaining 2 compressors together for bass -- one to smooth overall and another to catch any huge peaks. Tracking with compression is an ok idea, but I'd concentrate on getting a naturally "compressed" take from the start, as God intended!

[I'm Painting Again]

no guidelines here..I just change settings till it sounds right..

[xonlocust]

for the longest time i'd held the "DI's suck" opinion, until i recorded a band where the music really called for it. pop sorta stuff sounds great DI'd, things with a 60s feel to them kinda. i've come more to terms with "this is what you get w/DI" and you have to decide whether that adds or detracts from the band you're recording and their particular aesthetic. this is sorta similar to my early hatred for 57s. they do what they do. it's your job to know how they will react and when to, and when not to use them.

that said, most times i'll pick mic and something other than a 57.

[valverec]

I say stick a D112 and 57 in front of a real bass amp, and run a di. You'll probably find yourself ditching the DI if you do.

I think DI's usually end up sounding really ghetto and make your stuff sound like a home recording. I've heard people make great recordings with DI's, but that's usually not the case. I think a good bass, through a good bass amp, through good mics, through good preamps is the way to go.

[joel hamilton]

I say stick a D112 and 57 in front of a real bass amp, and run a di. You'll probably find yourself ditching the DI if you do.

I think DI's usually end up sounding really ghetto and make your stuff sound like a home recording. I've heard people make great recordings with DI's, but that's usually not the case. I think a good bass, through a good bass amp, through good mics, through good preamps is the way to go.

Interesting. I have talked people out of using an amp at all... using a good quality DI, with a good bass, and a good player is paramount.

The nice tight low end that the DI is capable of is amazing. very rarely do I wind up with both a DI and a mic in the mix. One or the other, usually DI, multed to variuous tone shaping devices, in the analog domain.

[cgarges]

Interesting. I have talked people out of using an amp at all... using a good quality DI, with a good bass, and a good player is paramount.

See, I'm of the exact opposite opinion. And you and I have the same favorite bass DI! To me, there's just something about the sound of an amp that sounds more like what a band sounds like when they're playing together. More of the player's personality seems to come through or something. Plus, I just like the sound of air moving.

On the other hand, there have certainly been projects where I've compared the sound of the amp and the sound of the DI and the DI has been WAY cooler. And sometimes it's been the gigs where I was SURE the amp was gonna be the winner. For me, it's been much less frequent than the sound of the amp being the way to go, but there ARE those times...

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

[joel hamilton]

Interesting. I have talked people out of using an amp at all... using a good quality DI, with a good bass, and a good player is paramount.

See, I'm of the exact opposite opinion. And you and I have the same favorite bass DI! To me, there's just something about the sound of an amp that sounds more like what a band sounds like when they're playing together. More of the player's personality seems to come through or something. Plus, I just like the sound of air moving.

On the other hand, there have certainly been projects where I've compared the sound of the amp and the sound of the DI and the DI has been WAY cooler. And sometimes it's been the gigs where I was SURE the amp was gonna be the winner. For me, it's been much less frequent than the sound of the amp being the way to go, but there ARE those times...

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

I hear ya on the "more of the players personality" point for sure. I just find the immediacy of the DI to be pleasing when I have gotten everything else to really feel "up front" and "present" in a good way... BUT: like you, I have had times when it simply isnt the way to go, especially for any kind of distorted bass. But even with more "normal" sounding bass there are those times where I just HATE the DI and we use a good amp. Even when I say I choose the DI, I will have printed an amp track for the very reasons you outline above.

Keep in mind that this discussion brought out the contrarian in me, and I dont ever walk into a session (or pre pro) with many, if any, preconceived ideas about what is going to be "best."

I have a new quote as of today that covers all of this type of thing:

"I like to serve the moment, not the industry."

[premiumdan]

Ibanez Ergodyne 5-string/Yorkville 12" 300watt combo amp: I'm in the middle of recording a demo-CD for a friend's band. The bass-player really attacks the instrument, meaning that his finger-style tends to cause fret-slap. I mic'd his speaker-cabinet and took the 1/4" direct-out from the amp (both went through ART TubeMP's), figuring that I'd do some aligning and use/mix both. Nope! The direct-out was WAY crispy, sterile, clicky and NOT useable. For this instance, the mic'd speaker was the better way to go THIS time.

Yamaha BB615 5-string/Behringer 300watt head: Recently, I recorded a bass part for a new song-idea I've been working on. I took the XLR direct-out of the head into the same TubeMP, and the sound was VERY useable. I play finger-style also, but not aggressive enough to cause tons of fret-slapping like my friend does. Aside from having to deal with neighbors and volume-levels, the direct-out was the better way to go THIS time.

His sound has more midrange-punch whereas my sound has more sub-rumble. I guess it depends on the instrument, the amp's EQ settings, what DI/preamp you are using, your playing style, and all of that.

My two cents -- Hopefully this helps someone out as a starting point.

Cheers!

-Dan

[chris harris]

If you can't get a great sound from a DI, then maybe it's the bass or the preamp or the player that are the problem. I always have fantastic luck getting tones that knock my socks off with a Jazz Bass through an average DI (countryman) into a Neve Portico or API 3124.

I like that sound enough that I really only mic an amp if someone brings in a very distinct and very nice sounding amp or some crazy effects or processing that just don't work with the DI.

[dsw]

A good DI is all you need for a great bass sound. Recording the amp is fine, but I find by the time I get everything working in the mix, its the DI that I keep, not the mics.
Bass has to be pulled up out of the mud a lot and the amp sound doesn't always help that. Its how the bass sits in the mix that matters, not what it sounds like when you solo it. If the song has only bass and vocal and guitar and that's all maybe then I'd use the amp....
If you can afford it get a DI with a Jesnsen transformer in it. They sound the best.
Or if you are rich get yourself an Avalon U5.