Not happy with my recorded sound. Advice needed.

[51m0n]

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1329200952' post='1538584']
I occasionally try some compression/limiting but not routinely (my recordings are never properly mastered either, just mixed down to mp3), Even though I know what it does, I can't really hear it. I mix through headphones mostly; maybe that's an issue too!
[/quote]

'Hearing' compression is a skill like hearing intervals (but different )

You dont need, and I wouldnt encourage you, to track with compression, since you dont find it easy to hear and aren't sure what you would want it to do (yet!).

Its well worth your while though, taking a recorded track of bass and with any of a number of the long discussions on compression on here fire up a compressor (it simply has to be a vst with all the controls and great metering, none of those two knob jobbies are going to teach you enough about the tool) and play with the threshold, ratio, make up gain, attack and release parameters to get a better feel for what it is actually capable of and what the side effects are with different settings.

Solo'ed you will really struggle to notice much going on, but in a mix you will find it far easier to hear the difference to the notes (more attack, longer sustain , more punch, evened out levels, smoothed attack, increased noise etc etc) that can be achieved with different settings.

Although compression isnt essential to recording and mixing bass, its about as close to it as you can get, alongside its natural bedfellow eq. Until you can really grasp the functions of both tools within a mix you wont be able to get clarity and seperation in your mixes and will continue to be unhappy about the quality of your recorded sound.

Mastering is a completely different subject and is not really relevant at all to this. Leave that for another (even more longwinded) discussion!

[Bilbo]

I so wish I had time to focus on all this. I retire in 19 years so will have a bit more time then . I will put some thought into the compression issue next time I get to record something. I could, of course, revisit older stuff (with the hum.....)

[grenadilla]

If you played with an amp and speaker , you could stay close to get added "live" sustain. Fatter bass EQ would add meat to your tone.

[urb]

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1329252461' post='1539712']
I so wish I had time to focus on all this. I retire in 19 years so will have a bit more time then . I will put some thought into the compression issue next time I get to record something. I could, of course, revisit older stuff (with the hum.....)
[/quote]

Just to follow on from what Simon very rightly says about compression and EQ - I'm no expert or top level producer, my frequency knowledge is fairly limited and I really don't go about music production with a boffin-like approach to mathematically adjusting things - I leave that to professional mix engineers and mastering pros - but what I do do is use my ears and my natural curiosity. I've been using Logic for about 6 years now and finally getting my head around a lot of the basics and one of those is adding compression and EQ to really add colour and enhance tone on my bass - I tracked a load of songs on my home studio set up and passed them to my mix guy for this album I've been working on - and all the bass parts sound great. While I did use some EQ on the tracks I left the compression off - but even using Logic's built in compressors you can great results - it's just about having a sound in your head and then searching for what helps create that sound.
New strings and decent cables help massively - especially with fretless as the m-wah is created by the roundwounds for sure - but a decent (cheap) DI box can also work wonders for cleaning up your signal from bass to computer....
I bought this one recently and it sounds great:
http://www.gear4music.com/Recording-and-Computers/Behringer-DI20-Ultra-DI-Box/297

[Cairobill]

DR hibeams recommended in this parish. Amazing strings.

[urb]

D'Addario EXLs make me a happy bass bunny

[51m0n]

If I were to suggest a DI it woul dbe a [url="http://www.bssaudio.com/productpg.php?product_id=17"]BSS AR-133[/url]

You can get them for less than a tonne and they are superb.

[Bilbo]

Wal's have a low impedance di built in......do I still need a box (I use the ordinary jack currently - never even thought about it )

[StraightSix]

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1329507035' post='1543693']
Wal's have a low impedance di built in......do I still need a box (I use the ordinary jack currently - never even thought about it )
[/quote]

You will get a benefit but only if you use an XLR - XLR lead and plug into a mixer of some kind.

[Bilbo]

I have the capacity to do that. Might give it a try.