Different Recording Techniques For Bass

[Silverhealer]

My signal path for recording bass is for my electrics, to go into my Sansamp Bass Driver or Samson active DI box, into my Focusrite Saffire interface using phantom powering. My Dean Performer acoustic bass has an XLR and puts out a wonderful clean signal straight into the Saffire. Afterwards I generally use compression, with occasionally some amp simulation from Logic's Bass Amp plugin or Studio Devil.

Having said that, I was listening yesterday to some assignment recordings a student of mine had done. I played a ratty Precision copy with some really dull strings , with the D string missing (and upside down as I'm left handed and hadn't brought my own bass) into a small practice combo whose make I can't even recall. The signal path was into a Mackie 8 bus, then into a MOTU 24 I/O interface and Logic in the studio I teach in.

We tried an AK D112 (generally a bass instrument mic, but particularly for kick drums these days) and a Shure SM57, both off-centre to the speaker and about 3/4 inches away. We also did a DI into the desk via a Behringer active DI box. The D112 sound was deep, but sharper than the SM57, which was nicely round and a little 'woolly'. Blending the two produced a huge sound, a little dirty and satisfyingly retro in a sort of early 70s way. Some of this is down to the bass, as the DI sounds quite 60s/70s itself, something like the sound of Andy Fraser of Free. This is to digital too - I can imagine the sound to 2 inch 24 track would be even better.

There are so many sounds you could get - it just shows experimenting is well worth it.

[charic]

I based my dissertation on microphone placement, it really does make a huge difference to frequency content. Much more subtle changes than anyone i know could be bothered with, however the subtlety is across the entire spectrum so it makes a fair difference audibly. Personally I love the AKG D112 close centre mics (about an inch off centre of cone). With a Neumann TLM103 or similar about 6ft back from the cab. Still central to the cone though.