Electric bass recording '15

[Recycled_Brains]

Just recorded bass through my Ampeg Gemini for the first time. Sounded absolutely killer. Also had a good ole countryman DI which sounded like it should. Haven't done the mixes yet, so I don't know what'll get used.

I've had situations where I favored the DI and others where I favored the amp. Usually the amp takes center stage when the bass or the player ain't so good. Just sayin...

Gemini is the tits for bass. My good buddy who rules at bass plays an old Guild through his Gemini II and his tone is perfect. I almost sold mine until we tracked a record together and I realized that it's potentially the secret weapon for bass I've always wanted. haha.

[vvv]

Sure thing.
It works with those too.

Using an attenuator with a bass amp is really something else.
Can really help with 'bass in the room'. Certainly helps with the ISO box technique.

I did this last weekend with a Scholz Powersoak between a Musicman HD130 and a pair of Celestions inna a open-back guitar cab, mic'd RE320 into a ISA1 (about 30% DI added, Brick-dbx160XT; bass was a Hohner 2B2) - loved it!

Thanx for the idear, long live TOMB!

(You can hear it, here.)

[kslight]

i usually just go p bass-di-dav pre-computer.

almost always end up compressing it. sometimes ITB (presswerk or blockfish), sometimes OTB (distressor or 1968).

sometimes reamp it through either an old polytone bass amp or a deluxe reverb. sometimes out to a yamaha cs-10 synth if i want some filter sweep stuff.

if i know i want distortion i usually record a track of mesa studio preamp+pedals in addition to the clean di.

once in a great while i'll use the sansamp bass rbi. usually though i find that thing sounds great solo'd, but isn't happening in a full mix.

if i'm playing heavy dub bass, naturally i use the dub pedal:



and almost invariably end up shelving all that extra low end down when i mix. haha.

I ended up doing this with my FX25B for some late night mega fat bass. Had one of those rare songs where it the bass could suck up a ton of sonic real estate. I ended up running my Bass VI on neck+middle with the tone rolled all the way down through the Pigtronix Keymaster, with an MF Drive set to a light overdrive on one loop, the other loop with the FX25B set to "dub" followed by a Rat set to "very light drive, mostly there just to roll some bottom out", and then blended with maybe 65/35 leading on the dub side.

[biasvoltage]

Just did a bunch of bass tracking this week.


DI channel was Cinemag DI box I built into a Neve-ish preamp from Sound Skulptor, into a Hairball 1176. Since I built all the gear, I guess that could be the DIy channel.

Amp channel was an Ampeg B15N mic'd with a 421, then into a UA LA610.

That's a whole lot of tubes and transformers, and the tones (with a Fender Musicmaster, a Fender Jazz, and a Rickenbacker 4001 with flatwounds) were all fantastic.

[vvv]

OK, some observations.

Didn't like the TinyTerror on bass so much; it's OK for some trebly grind (into a 12") but there are better options for me.

Now, that PowerSoak on the tube amp as suggested by roscoenyc? Let's just say:

And cranking the amp (I'm using a Musicman HD130 into a 2x14" Celestion-loaded open-back) gives such sweet distortion!

Also, I have found when combining with a DI that if I run the mic'd amp primary into a linked compressor (using a dbx166A) it allows me to avoid having to shift the bass tracks to match. Next, I'm going to try using the DI as the primary (I hope it will kinda "bloom") ...

[Garthplinko]

That dub setting for bass is a MONSTER. Never realized how much my bass was mudding up my mixes until now.

Thank you for the tip!

[vvv]

i usually just go p bass-di-dav pre-computer.

almost always end up compressing it. sometimes ITB (presswerk or blockfish), sometimes OTB (distressor or 1968).

sometimes reamp it through either an old polytone bass amp or a deluxe reverb. sometimes out to a yamaha cs-10 synth if i want some filter sweep stuff.

if i know i want distortion i usually record a track of mesa studio preamp+pedals in addition to the clean di.

once in a great while i'll use the sansamp bass rbi. usually though i find that thing sounds great solo'd, but isn't happening in a full mix.

if i'm playing heavy dub bass, naturally i use the dub pedal:



and almost invariably end up shelving all that extra low end down when i mix. haha.

I just bought one of these used.

It works off battery, not off One-Spot - does yours?

[vvv]

Oops, got it workin'.

[joninc]

what kind of pedal is that ?

[vvv]

DOD FX 25 Envelope Filter.

I have a cuppla different ones - they're all fun.

[joninc]

and that setting is super subby? or duck quacky?

[vvv]

Rub-a-dub-subby-dubby.

[A.David.MacKinnon]

After my earlier rant against DI bass I will now concede that a P-Bass plugged into an Ampex 600 is a beautiful thing.

[kslight]

i usually just go p bass-di-dav pre-computer.

almost always end up compressing it. sometimes ITB (presswerk or blockfish), sometimes OTB (distressor or 1968).

sometimes reamp it through either an old polytone bass amp or a deluxe reverb. sometimes out to a yamaha cs-10 synth if i want some filter sweep stuff.

if i know i want distortion i usually record a track of mesa studio preamp+pedals in addition to the clean di.

once in a great while i'll use the sansamp bass rbi. usually though i find that thing sounds great solo'd, but isn't happening in a full mix.

if i'm playing heavy dub bass, naturally i use the dub pedal:



and almost invariably end up shelving all that extra low end down when i mix. haha.

I just bought one of these used.

It works off battery, not off One-Spot - does yours?

Mine is actually the FX25B (has a blend control also), and it works off either.

[vvv]

Yeah, I don't know what was up. It worked on batteries but not the 1-Spot, tried again and now it does. I bought it used for US$40 shipped, so I reckon I'll keep it - it does sound cool! Mine looks like the above, w/out the stickers, of course.