Recording bass guitar is slightly different from recording electric guitar. Although we can record electric guitars using a DI and use some plugins to change the sound of the guitar, such practice is more common when recording bass. A well-played and well-recorded bass is vital to the sound and feel of a track; therefore it is vital to choose the right sound and best recording technique.
The first thing that we need to do is decide how to record the bass. We can mike up the amp, record it through a DI or combine these two techniques. When recording it through a DI, we are recording the natural sound that the bass is producing. Therefore, we will need to use some plugins to get the sound we want, as well as a compressor, limiter and an EQ. If we want to mike up the amp we are playing through, we can use a dynamic microphone, a condenser microphone or both. If we are using a dynamic microphone it is a good idea to use an SM57 or an AKG D112, usually used to record the bass drum. As explained in the previous blog, Recording Electric Guitar, the position of the microphone influences the sound we get. Therefore, if we want to enhance the low frequencies a good idea is to place the microphone close to centre of speaker. If we want to give some colour to the sound of the bass we can use a condenser microphone. This will add some brightness to our sound. When using this type of mic, it is important to have the -10dB switched on so that the sound doesn’t distort.
It is common to split the signal miking up the amp we are using, at the same time that we are recording it through a DI. Some amps have a DI that we can use. If that is not the case, we can use an external one.
It is a good idea to use an analogue compressor if we are recording music that includes slapping, such as funk. This will even the signal and avoid big differences in the level of the sound.
To find out more about recording bass click on the following links:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CEDwn9JTiE
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/mar99/articles/recordingbass.htm
The first thing that we need to do is decide how to record the bass. We can mike up the amp, record it through a DI or combine these two techniques. When recording it through a DI, we are recording the natural sound that the bass is producing. Therefore, we will need to use some plugins to get the sound we want, as well as a compressor, limiter and an EQ. If we want to mike up the amp we are playing through, we can use a dynamic microphone, a condenser microphone or both. If we are using a dynamic microphone it is a good idea to use an SM57 or an AKG D112, usually used to record the bass drum. As explained in the previous blog, Recording Electric Guitar, the position of the microphone influences the sound we get. Therefore, if we want to enhance the low frequencies a good idea is to place the microphone close to centre of speaker. If we want to give some colour to the sound of the bass we can use a condenser microphone. This will add some brightness to our sound. When using this type of mic, it is important to have the -10dB switched on so that the sound doesn’t distort.
It is common to split the signal miking up the amp we are using, at the same time that we are recording it through a DI. Some amps have a DI that we can use. If that is not the case, we can use an external one.
It is a good idea to use an analogue compressor if we are recording music that includes slapping, such as funk. This will even the signal and avoid big differences in the level of the sound.
To find out more about recording bass click on the following links:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CEDwn9JTiE
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/mar99/articles/recordingbass.htm
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