The final video series on recording techniques from Recording Magazine is on electric bass guitar. This 4-part video demonstrates several microphones, placement and distance, combinations of mics, DI boxes and reamping.
CLICK HERE to go to the Recording Magazine video page for this lesson.
While I was preparing the recent Bass Guitar Recording article I inquired on Twitter about tips for recording bass. Look what happened
@ikmultimedia: Ampeg SVX! bit.ly/l5eNIy
@MarcusSt0ne: Making sure the player is consistent and doesn’t peak random notes.
@jacobgemmell: record a cab and DI two seperate tracks, and when it gets to editing make sure that beast is on beat.
also doubling up with a synth bass can be cool wide
@djdanlib: Yeah, use compression on finger bass, and don’t kill the high frequencies – there is important audio up there
@bobbyjonesmusic: 700HZ is magic for bass recording.
@RecordingBlogs: My very limitted experience with bass on the cheap – bit.ly/qbYfqt – although you sound a lot more professional 
@pakit0_Q: Low threshold plus a 4:1 ratio plus high output equals a pretty tight bass
@MrTonyDraper: P-bass into Ampeg! Split into two amps, one clean, one distorted. U47 and U67 both really nice, not too close.
@timgosden: make sure they only play one note at a time with tight note starts AND endings.
@seankalaras: if using DI and amp, calculate and adjust for the delay between the signals. About 1ms per foot off the speaker is usually ok.
@817audio: I once used this configuration on a 10′ speaker. Provided a super punchy sound. #D2 #SM57 yfrog.com/nuwg5fj
@lucesdaniel: you could emphasize the difference of amp versus plain DI, many people go the easy way then struggle to fit a DI in the mix.
@recordinghacks: bass guitar: steve albini uses one of these: is.gd/BFYX0M (not sure that’s useful information though!)
(more…)
Bass doesn’t always get the attention it deserves in a recording situation. I see a lot of home recordists rush through bass recording, only to later be frustrated with the bass when it comes time for mixing. It’s really too bad because it’s the foundation of the song. A great bass will groove tight with the drums and support the guitars. Fitting it in the mix will take minimal effort and you will be loving life.
A great recording starts with a great source. When it comes to tracking bass guitar, the source is comprised of many factors:
Musician:
- Technique and playing position – Playing with a pick or with fingers or thumb. Intensity, Playing close to the bridge, in the middle or close to the neck. Choose what is appropriate for the song
- What is played – playing bass lines that serve the song and don’t clash with the drums or guitars rhythmically or melodically.
- Tuning – Check the tuning often
Bass:
- Strings – new strings usually sound best and give you the brightest tone to start with.
- Electronics (Pickups and EQ) – The pickup selection and tone settings
- Wood and construction – The wood used in the neck and body really effect the sound. Maple and Ash are bright and punchy, mahogany is thicker and darker.
Over the past several months I’ve been struggling with my bass guitar tones when recording, fighting with amp sims and trying out every combination of preamp and DI, finally coming to the conclusion that it was largely the bass that was really holding me back from getting the sounds I’m looking for. The bass I had been using for the past year or two was an [amazon_link id="B003UFRWYY" target="_blank" container="" container_class="" ]Ibanez SR 500[/amazon_link], a mid level bass, Mahogany neck and body, rosewood fingerboard and active Bartolini pickups. A nice easy to play bass, but what it was missing is some excitement for lack of a better term.
I guess I can define excitement in a bass guitar as plenty of punch, growly mids and highs, a controlled low end and dynamically responsive. When I’m recording I want as much excitement as possible.
One of the characteristics of Mahogany and Rosewood (read all about guitar tonewood here) is a compressed midrange and reduced highs. That was really working against me in the worst way. So Mahogany was out, and possibly Rosewood fingerboards as well.
Time for a change. That bass went up on Craigslist and was quickly sold. I went down to my local independent guitar shop, The Guitar Shop and started playing everything. I was open to anything not made from Mahogany. I tried several Fender & Squire Jazz basses, a [amazon_link id="B003HDSMM0" target="_blank" container="" container_class="" ]Squire Classic Vibe P-Bass[/amazon_link], a Yamaha BB414 (Actually quite good for the price too), almost all of which would be an improvement tonally, but perhaps not in quality. Then I noticed a couple Sterling basses. Sterling is the new, more affordable line of basses and guitars from Music Man. Music Man makes some seriously badass basses, but they can be pricey. The Sterling line is assembled in Indonesia and inspected in America, this allows them to use quality parts for half the cost.
In the shop there were two very similar basses, they were both [amazon_link id="B001RIY5NM" target="_blank" container="" container_class="" ]Ray 34[/amazon_link] models (MM Stingray design), one was [amazon_link id="B001RIY5NC" target="_blank" container="" container_class="" ]black with Rosewood fingerboard[/amazon_link], and the other was a natural clear gloss finish with Maple fingerboard. Same price. The Ray 34 model has a single massive humbucker, Volume, 3 band active EQ (High, Mid, Low with center detents). Tonally they fairly were similar, but the natural finish one was a couple pounds lighter and had a touch more excitement. With Swamp Ash I think it’s better to go with lighter (lower on the tree). After going back and forth between those two and the Yamaha I made my decision, made a deal and walked away with the Ray 34 Natural.
It looks just like that, but the color is just a shade lighter, less yellow. Because this is an import model you’re probably guessing that there are some quality or quality control concerns. Well there are, but in this case there are only two very small issues with this particular bass.
As with many brand new guitars the fret edges (especially in the winter) stick out a bit and had to be filed down. They did this at the store for me free and most shops will do this for you if you ask.
The second minor issue was a couple of the screws for the tuners are not in fully and the screw heads are stripped. I don’t think this will affect anything as nothing is loose.
Very minor things IMO. You will want to try these out because the density, weight and tone of Swamp Ash can vary quite a bit.
Included with the bass is a soft gig bag, padded and faux fur lined and 3 hex keys.
Alright, to bring this long post to an end. This bass is SWEET/SICK/AWESOME/ADJECTIVE/CAPSLOCK really it is. A massive improvement.
I highly recommend this bass for recording. Most people will say Fender P bass or Jazz bass…NO, get this one. LOL
Note – This review is after just 1 day owning the bass. I’ll update if I run into any problems or change my mind about it. I’m having a ton of fun with it so far.
[amazon_link id="B001RIY5NM" target="_blank" container="" container_class="" ]Check out the Sterling Ray 34[/amazon_link]
Any questions?
