Recording bass guitar... DI direct or go through my POD XT Pro re-amping?

[Rhys Llewellyn]

Hi.

So yeah, just got a spanking new set of strings for my Ibanez K-5 bass. I need to finally get around to finishing my first album.

I'm planning to use plug-ins for the tone, and I can get a very healthy signal plugging straight in to my Tascam FW-1884.

Should I just do this, or use the Pod's re-amping facility.

Are there any benefits or bad points for either side?

Thanks.

 

[TheGuerilla]

Record it with a DI and after that you can choose to use your Pod XT Pro to do reamping or not. I guess the better is to try both of the solutions.

 

[Forceps]

DI quality will be better than POD quality. And the DI file kan be reamped through the POD eventually, so you have both.

 

[kev]

Pods suck your tone a fair bit in my experience.

 

[DanLights]

yeah use the DI, you can reamp the tone through the pod later, and mix it in with a clean DI, or ampsims or whatever you want

 

[El_Gato]

but that tascam doesn't have a hi-z input AFAIK, so you'll need a DI box, even more if your pups are passive

 

[Rhys Llewellyn]

but that tascam doesn't have a hi-z input AFAIK, so you'll need a DI box, even more if your pups are passive

I take it a DI box will just boost the signal slightly wont it?

I can get very hot levels recording straight in to the desk.

 

[El_Gato]

yep, but it's not about the level but the impedance (ohms)

 

[Rhys Llewellyn]

yep, but it's not about the level but the impedance (ohms)

Fuck. Well I don't really wanna fork out for a DI box right now.

Isn't this exactly what the Pod's Unprocessed guitar out is for though?

Everyone so far has said just to plug direct in to the Tascam.

 

[DanLights]

if the Tascam doesn´t have an "instrument input" I suggest plug the bass through the pod and go through the tascam after the POD, with the pod on line out. Of course with the POD on unprocessed guitar

 

[Uladyne]

I recorded the DI's for my album through the unprocessed guitar out on my PODxt Pro and I'm totally happy with the results. Jaymz reamped the rhythm guitars for me though, so that's a big plus. Just be careful to make sure the amp model isn't clipping. I found out the hard way that apparently the unprocessed out isn't a true bypass, but I think it's actually converted to digital, then back to analog before it goes out of the "unprocessed" out. I had digital clipping all over my guitar DI's because I was looking at my interface meters, not the clip indicator on the POD. Plus I was stupid and didn't listen to the raw DI's until after I recorded the whole album. They reamped fine, thank god, but I'll be more careful next time.

I'll post a rough mix here in a bit as soon as the mixdown is done.


EDIT: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1238743/SpookClip.mp3

 

[azistenostora]

Plug bass into pod and record the dry signal through usb. You don't even need your Tascam for that. This way you can monitor with the amp model switched on if required and record the dry track simultaneously. Reamp later. That's how I have done it in the past.

 

[DanLights]

Plug bass into pod and record the dry signal through usb. You don't even need your Tascam for that. This way you can monitor with the amp model switched on if required and record the dry track simultaneously. Reamp later. That's how I have done it in the past.

yeah that's what I said. Or at least what I tried to say