But how do you record bass guitar?

[EdwardPayne]

I've been a regular reader in this forum and I think it's great with really many good ideas and information. I just realized that most of the topics are about drums and guitar sound which is really interesting for me aswell.

but!

What about the bass guitar? I think it's really hard to get that perfect bass sound when I'm recording. You know the fat foundation that rocks you ass off in every note the bass is playing.

I'm used to record a DI signal and put two dynamic microphones on the cabinet. Usually a kick drum mic and something like sm57, 421, i-5, beta57 and those kind of mics.

Do you guys have any ass kicking ideas? Given that it's a good amp and a good bass guitar with NEW strings of course.

 

[Seizure.]

I allways learned that its bad to put a D112 or any bassdrummic on a basscab.
And its actually pretty logical too since your picking up the EXACT same frequency's your picking up for your kickdrum right?
Thats just asking for trouble when it comes to mixing time.

 

[moose209]

sm57 is great for a tight sound. But about a meter or so from the cab so you get some weight to it. IMO weight comes from the room around it, but thats just imo. A DI is useful, but instead of aligning in you daw or blending levels why not just treat it as either your top end or bottom end of your bass, it can sometimes work a treat. The mic will nearly always work a treat for weight, but will often be wooly unless the bass itself is tight in the low mids. If you are down tuned roll off some of the bass before hand. And use an eq after to make up what sub you want. This allows you to have complete control over the tone without losing the bite that can be covered up by the sub mud. You'd be amazed at what little of the bass sound you actually need, especially in metal.

If I do mic up on the grill I do it at an angle say looking down towards the cone at 45 degrees - tight. I nearly always use a cabinet with 10's or 11's in - if I am using my beast of a 15, I would have to realisticly mic from the other side of the room to get the full power, at which point the signal is a little late.

 

[EdwardPayne]

OK that sound really interesting! I will definately try it as soon as I can. I think the most cabs I've worked with contain 10" elements.. Mostly Ampeg and hmm.. some other brands I can't remember. I also believe that it shouldn't so much undefined sub in the bassguitar, it just makes the sound muddy, and especially for metal as you say.

That note about bass drum mic for the bass guitar make sense as it came in my brain

Thanks guys! Good tips!

 

[JeffTD]

Try blending a low-passed DI (for clarity and punch) with a distorted/high-passed version of the DI or a mic'd track. Lets the bass sit in the mix nicely while still being powerful and punchy, as well as tight and defined in the bottom end.

 

[elmuchoescadawg]

changed my life.

 

[Ermz]

LDCs tend to work quite well on bass cabs from a distance. You can use something like a 57 closer up to capture the grit you want, and you should always take a DI line.

You can experiment with a ton of things, from using the low-end of the LDC and grit of the dynamic, to blending both those, using them as the grit, and using the DI as a controlled low-end... really whatever works for the situation at hand. Your ears will guide the way.

 

[greyskull]

changed my life.

yepp!

 

[everybody's x]

http://www.ultimatemetal.com/forum/andy-sneap/293594-talk-me-about-micing-bass-amp.html

 

[moose209]

I assume seizure means the same presence peak in the mic? The reason why I find d112's dull is beacuse they are muffled, worse still would be a re-20 they are even boomier.

I wanna try a sm7b at high volume about 2 feet away I reckon that would have real weight to it.

 

[Loren Littlejohn]

I allways learned that its bad to put a D112 or any bassdrummic on a basscab.
And its actually pretty logical too since your picking up the EXACT same frequency's your picking up for your kickdrum right?
Thats just asking for trouble when it comes to mixing time.

By that logic, you shouldn't put a 57 on a guitar cab and another drum. Right?

 

[Matt Crooks]

By that logic, you shouldn't put a 57 on a guitar cab and another drum. Right?

There is a school of thought that says "never use the same mic and preamp on different sources". Of course those people have endless supplies of mics and pres...