New strings for recording?

[Thunderpaws]

Hello all,

We are recording at the moment. Should I be using new strings? Would it help me cut through more? I use elixir nanoweb at the moment and they are about a year old.

Cheers, g

[RockfordStone]

the advice ive always had is that you should restring before recording.
from experience it really can make a difference on record

[Thunderpaws]

Thanks RockfordStone....haha, next question....any string recommendations? Like my Elixirs but they are getting more expensive.

[TheButler]

[quote name='Thunderpaws' timestamp='1379878963' post='2217766']
Thanks RockfordStone....haha, next question....any string recommendations? Like my Elixirs but they are getting more expensive.
[/quote]

Depends on the sound you're wanting, shirley? i'm getting a string 101 on another thread, but I think if you need it to be brighter and zingey-er then wouldn't do any harm.

Noticed you're in Bo'ness. I'm just over the hill from you, Edinburgh originally. The band all come from Bo'ness though.

[chris_b]

Do you have intonation problems due to the age of the strings? Do you want to sound like the Stranglers?

If you like your sound enough to gig with these strings then why not record with them?

If you change the strings no one will believe its you playing on the track.

[paulbkeeves]

Recently finished recording an album with a band with my 69 Precision. Strings are over 30 years old! Depends entirely on what sound you are after IMO.

[Chrismanbass]

depends on context but for most things yes absoloutely its easy to eq out tones you dont want but its impossible to put them in if they're not there

[xilddx]

[quote name='Thunderpaws' timestamp='1379878963' post='2217766']
Thanks RockfordStone....haha, next question....any string recommendations? Like my Elixirs but they are getting more expensive.
[/quote]

Cleartone EMPs, I much prefer them to the Elixirs and they feel and sound fantastic. They keep their brightness for a long time and don't feel coated at all. I've tried loads and the Cleartones are the best for me, comparatively cheap too.

I don't play knacked strings so I don't change them before recording, I change them when I feel they've lost their bounce and tone. I like them to settle in before recording or playing live, a few days on the bass and a few hours of playing.

Edited September 25, 2013 by xilddx

[discreet]

[quote name='xilddx' timestamp='1380098121' post='2220636']
I like them to settle in before recording or playing live, a few days on the bass and a few hours of playing.
[/quote]

Me too. Recording and gigging are times to think about your playing, not worrying about tuning issues and so on.

[shizznit]

I use Elixirs for both recording and performance. They are awesome strings. But, like any other string brand, they are bright and supple for the first hour or two of use then settle into a more rounded, but still very bright and manageable tone. The tone and intonation from the strings are consistent for a very a long time, which is what you want when recording. I have used other brands in the past whereby the tone of the strings have fallen off dramatically over just two days.

The strings on my J are D'Addario half wound and I use those strings for that bass only for sessions whereby I need a bit more classic thump in my tone which I can't get from fresh Elixirs. Plus, there's a little less string squeak with half wounds which some engineers love. Flats are good for a nice warm mid range and work really well for a classic tone. They will last for a very long time, but they will eventually lose their intonation over time.

It all depends what approach you take and which result you want. If you want a clean, flat and hi-fi tone...use fresh strings. If you want a more classic and rounded tone...older strings are fine, but half wound strings are becoming quite popular for recording these days. Give them a try. I don't like using old strings for hygiene reasons more than anything else.

[51m0n]

From the perspective of a mix engineer, new strings every time for every genre.

I can easily eq out harmonics, I cant eq them in. With more and more music listened to on laptop speakers as well as TVs and tiny radios (telephones speakers even) I need plenty of 3rd and even 4th order harmonics to get a sense of the bass line to pop out on these speakers and systems.

If the harmonics arent there (old strings) then the bass will not stand a chance on any of these systems. If the harmonics are there I can dial them down to remain pretty much masked by other instruments on a 'big hi-fi' set up, but still pop out enough on the poorer end playback system because the low end is not there at all.

Help your local mix engineer, use new strings when recording! Your mix will translate better if you do....

[wateroftyne]

Do you like the sound of the bass as it is? Crack on as you were.

Do you think it sounds too dull? Need more zing? Change 'em.

[brensabre79]

I'll echo what some have said, it really depends on what you want. Someone asked Bernard Edwards what strings he used on the Chic albums once, he said he didn't know what strings a Music Man came with - he never changed them.

However, new strings are not just about brightness, although that is the most noticable thing. a lot of sustain and tone in the midrange and even low frequencies can be affected by the age of the strings, especially roundwounds.

Also, brand new strings will change tone dramatically for the first hour or so, so if you put on a fresh set, then do several takes, you may hear the tone change between each one. If you're recording several tracks or an album the tone will change between the songs too! And like Simon says, you can always EQ and compress/expand to get rid of stuff that is there, but you can't put back in what isn't.

I've always preferred new, but played in, for recording. Bright but not brittle. Easiest way, is to change them for the practice session before the recording session. They always seem more consistent to me that way when dropping in and doing takes.

[51m0n]

It may shock some of you to learn that a lot of the time if a mixer cant get any upper harmonics out of a bass then they will mix in a large dose of saturation (possibly frequency specific) to your precious bass tone, using any of a number of VSTs rather than some esoteric tube device.

Yes even the most Motown of dull string sounds work in the mix because they have plenty of saturation (back in the day from a B15, a tube desk and who kjnows where else in the signal chain).

If you have the harm

[lowdown]

If you feel happy with what you got (any age) go with that.
When you feel comfortable, you will play better.
The thing to watch out for with older strings, is that it is more likely they can/will have intonation problems.

[chris_b]

[quote name='51m0n' timestamp='1380100247' post='2220671']
....With more and more music listened to on laptop speakers as well as TVs and tiny radios (telephones speakers even) I need plenty of 3rd and even 4th order harmonics to get a sense of the bass line to pop out on these speakers and systems....
[/quote]

That was also the case with recording in the 50's 60's and early 70's. Most music was listened to on transistor and car radios and on very small and bad Dansette type record players. That's why a lot of the bass lines at the time were played up the neck. They would mix to the main monitors but also run the track through a 2" x 4" speaker to check the final mix worked on a tranny.

As Simon says it's easy to take stuff away but it's more difficult to add. I would put new strings on a couple of weeks before the session, which will add more life to your sound and take the excessive twang out.

Bass players used to put foam under the strings which would even out the sound of the strings and playing. I haven't been asked to do this since the 70's but you could take some foam and see what it does to your sound.

[jeid]

I think it really depends. I think most mix engineers will cry if you turn up with rusted old strings. It's easier to dull down a sound than it is to add sparkle. I always ask bands to turn up with new strings on their instruments no sooner than a day before recording so they can play with them a bit and settle on their instrument.