Recording a good bass sound

[Reckless Abandon]

Re: Recording a good bass sound

The Ampeg BA-112 has built-in compression, so if you crank the volume knob on the bass, it squashes things somewhat. If you need a punchier midrange sound, go for position #4 on the varitone/selection knob, and back off the bass volume to about 7 or so.

It's a good amp for tracking or practice, but you'll need to go in the monitor headphones for everyone to hear you. Trust my experience: I've had one for a while.

He plays with his bass full on anyway. He prefers the cleaner positions i.e. 1or 2. Any eq, vol, suggestions for rock bass?

 

[ginormous]

Re: Recording a good bass sound

Well, I can go by what I've seen and heard; YMMV.

For a crispy slap sound, go to #5, crank the high end, bass to maybe 3/4, and dump the mids.

For a Jaco clone sound, select #4, back off the highs to about halfway, up the mids, and play with the bridge pup only, fingerstyle near the cover.

For a hard rock tone I'd click #2, crank 'em all to hell and use a pick.

Of course, isolation in a live recording setting is important, because if there's too much leakage into other instruments' tracks, everything sounds muddy. If you're using the amp live in the room, don't pump it too hard.

 

[Reckless Abandon]

Re: Recording a good bass sound

thanks

 

[heymcz]

Re: Recording a good bass sound

Compress, eg with a low cut below 50hz, and if you like a little chorus or delay but no reverb for the most part unlees you're doing electronica where there are no rules. Well there are no rules but stay away from reverb.

+1, but I cut below 40 KHz to save the "Low E" note.

Compress the crud out of it, esp. for rock and metal. It's what drives the song.

If Cakewalk has one, use a multiband compressor. You can essentially re-EQ even cruddy sounding bass with compression. I find that around 800 Hz and 1500 Hz are usable crossovers, but use your ears and experiment. Sometimes, for particular songs, I cut the bass above 1500 Hz almost entirely, so that I can better hear my guitars, but then it's less of a bass sound and more of a bottom-end that's felt instead of exactly heard.

 

[larry_emder]

Re: Recording a good bass sound

Podxt works well for me.

EQ and Compression are the main things you need to use