recording guitars or bass first?

[steveguitarplayer]

i apologise if this question is already around somewhere.
i worry sometimes that before i record, my guitars are going to be out of tune with the bass. i know instruments arent perfect, i just want it to be aaceptable. i never have problems up until now though (im questioning the new bass im using). my dilemma is this: i want to get a session bass player (studio pros) but im wondering whether to get the bass done first or do the guitars first? problem is that i like the bass done first, but i dont want to go through the pain of getting the bass done and it doesnt gell with my guitars. on the other hand, if i record the guitars first, i worry that i will have done all this work for nothing if they dont go with the bass well.

i am aware of most tuning issues and ways around it, but im the kind who prefers not to have to detune a bass to sit with the guitars. i like to just tune up all instruments and go for it. i also dont like to tune the guitar to specific chords and parts. my guitar is very good (ernie ball petrucci model) and i always have it set up well and i have a good tuner (boss TU 12).

any tips on how i could solve this dilemma would be helpful. thanks

 

[ahjteam]

I prefer to record the guitars first (but with a demo bass in the background to compensate for the low end), because then hearing any minor tuning problems as a whole with the bass that you can't always hear while tracking just the bass.

 

[KHE]

guitars first mostly. most riffs/melodies are written by the guitarists, the bass-player playes something that fits to this. so you can check the bass-lines if they really work with the guitars or if he has to change some notes/rythms. this should be done in preproductions (by the band), but sometimes no-one realizes that the guitars/bass doesen`t work well together.

cheers!

 

[Firaxis]

I prefer to record the guitars first (but with a demo bass in the background to compensate for the low end), because then hearing any minor tuning problems as a whole with the bass that you can't always hear while tracking just the bass.

Totally true, much easier to tune the bass to the guitars than the guitars to the bass. The people I've talked to usually do it like this too.

 

[WFletch]

I'm a fan of tracking guitar before bass as well. k.h.e has a good point because I think sometimes bass seems to work in the practice room but once its recorded some parts don't fit.

 

[FIXXXER]

1. program bass
2. record guitars, listening to the programmend bass and make sure the guitars are played well/tight^^
3. record bass

 

[if6was9]

Depends on the bassist and band in question. It's nice to have the bass there for when choosing the guitar tone but I find it much harder to tell a good, tight, in tune bass take when there are no finished guitar takes playing along with it.

I have had to re record bass before when after guitars were done we found the bass wasn't played properly. Not fun and a waste of time.

So if I know the bassist is good and knows the songs well I'd choose to do it before guitars, otherwise I'd do it after

 

[DanLights]

I always prefer to do guitar first, in fact I try to leave bass for the absolute last, to make sure it fits with everything else, and as a bassist I prefer to have everything else done so I can fit my basslines to the guitars/drums or even vocals