Live/Recording setup

T

thegermof86

Joined
Dec 14, 2007
Messages
30
Reaction score
5
So I wanted to start a topic where everyone can share what they use on their live and recording set ups to add that extra touch on their bass sound. Aside from using a Warwick, which already gives us that amazing sound, what other equipment do you use? Any DIs, compressors, pre-amps, etc. What does your live and recording set up consist of?
 
Right now I'm having the most fun just using an SWR Workingman's 10 with a Digitech BP250. Real simple set-up, but easy to get great sound out of. For recording, same bass set-up, just got a Roland Edirol UA25 and a couple of AKG mics. Again I've gone for something simple, that's highly user friendly. I'm not a pro, so a hyper complex rig and recording gear would just make it easier to screw things up. Good quality gear will give good quality sound. And an Everyman, like me, will likely get much better results with easy to use stuff.
 
I use the Bass Pod xt Live from Line 6. It models tones, so that you can reproduce the sounds of vintage cabs and amps, tons of stomp boxes and other effects (reverb, etc) plus an excellent tuner. You can also switch to a pure, clean tone with no modeling or effects or pre-amps when you want to show off the pure growl of the Thumb, but with the options I have I can bring out the growl much better than Bubinga alone.

I use this with a Behringer stack (4x10 and 1x15, 475 Watts).
 
Live: bass-preamp-poweramp-cab (sometimes add a compressor)
studio: bass-preamp-board (also sometimes add in a comp if the preamp doesn't already have a built in one...)

sometimes I will link up two preamps and do my take through both to see which sound I prefer or use different tones for different parts of the song

Basses: PNUT II, Thumb NT 5, Fender Victor Bailey 4, Squire Jazz Dlx 5
Preamps: EBS MicroBass II, Fender TBP-1, Eden Navigator, Hartke VXL, Boss GT-6B
Compressor: Dbx 160A
Poweramps: Fender MB-1200, Yamaha PS2500
Cabs: 2xHartke 4.5XL or Schroeder 310212

I am however still not happy with my recorded sound and am constantly working at improving it...
 
My secret weapon is a Shure Beta52 kick drum mic....it absolutely KILLS for recording/live mic'ing bass, as it fully captures the intensity of those low notes, and still manages to keep the highs scorchingly focused.

Basically, it's like the difference between a cheap/crappy cable and a good quality one, X10.

Highly reccommended!
 
live i just use my thumb and amp. the comp and effects in my rach spend their time these days bypasses. my favourite mic live the the beyerdynamic M-88 (i cant say enough good things about this mic - except i've only got one and i love it for vocals too)


in the studio ive used loads of stuff. played though plenty of amps with plenty of mics. played direct (my preference at the mooment). sadly, ive used plenty of neve stuff (big analogue 80's desk and seperate neve preamp), but with my yamaha, so no idea what that would have turned out like with the warwick. future tracks will be direct but maybe re-routed through my rig
 
Son of Bovril you sure got some set up there man! When I go to record DI I'm never able to turn my bass knob up all the way or even past half for that matter cuz it starts to clip. Should I buy a good DI box and then plug that into the console, because I want to conserve that great Warwick sound...obviously why we play Warwicks in the first place. So it would be pointless if I can't get that sound through onto my recordings! Any suggestions on DI boxes?
 
thegermof86 said:
Son of Bovril you sure got some set up there man! When I go to record DI I'm never able to turn my bass knob up all the way or even past half for that matter cuz it starts to clip. Should I buy a good DI box and then plug that into the console, because I want to conserve that great Warwick sound...obviously why we play Warwicks in the first place. So it would be pointless if I can't get that sound through onto my recordings! Any suggestions on DI boxes?
Click to expand...

Check out the Tech 21 SansAmp Bass Driver DI and the MXR M-80 Bass DI+...
 
thegermof86 said:
Son of Bovril you sure got some set up there man! When I go to record DI I'm never able to turn my bass knob up all the way or even past half for that matter cuz it starts to clip. Should I buy a good DI box and then plug that into the console, because I want to conserve that great Warwick sound...obviously why we play Warwicks in the first place. So it would be pointless if I can't get that sound through onto my recordings! Any suggestions on DI boxes?
Click to expand...

My advice? Don't go DI if you can't get the sound you want doing it. Mic'ing up a bass amp works far better than some folks would have you believe!
 
Tv IV Dogs said:
thegermof86 said:
Son of Bovril you sure got some set up there man! When I go to record DI I'm never able to turn my bass knob up all the way or even past half for that matter cuz it starts to clip. Should I buy a good DI box and then plug that into the console, because I want to conserve that great Warwick sound...obviously why we play Warwicks in the first place. So it would be pointless if I can't get that sound through onto my recordings! Any suggestions on DI boxes?
Click to expand...

My advice? Don't go DI if you can't get the sound you want doing it. Mic'ing up a bass amp works far better than some folks would have you believe!
Click to expand...

A good DI can easily be one of the best investments a bassist can ever make IMO

I would suggest both if you can though... mic'ing lets you get the sound of the amp and cab you use which is really great if those play a big part in your tone, but the DI also captures a much cleaner sound which can be blended with the mic'd sound to add some of the nuances which can get lost with the mic.

if you are new to recording, I would start off with just a DI as that is the easiest, cleanest sound you are gonna get. Micing a cab starts adding a whole bunch of other variables to the equation, such as the room, the mic, the position of the mic etc. so it can get quite tricky if you aren't getting the sound you want and you don't know what is causing it... which makes fixing it a bit of a problem

But I do agree, the best bass recordings I have heard have been a blend of mic and DI

you can also use a DI to capture a clean sound to underlay beneath effects if you are using them...

I only wish I had had a better understanding of recording bass when we had done our albums, as there are very few engineers in SA who actually know much about recording bass unfortunately.

As mentioned above, the Sansamp BDDI is also a great DI/preamp to look at cause it will let you adjust your sound via eq if it is not sounding quite the way you would like :lol:

I suppose there are many different theories and techniques when it comes to recording, but at the end of the day, as long as you get the sound you are looking for, then it doesn't really matter how you get it :idea:
 
Live:

1) Smaller rooms: SWR 350X through a dbx compressor ( 66% wet) and into an SWR Goliath III 4X10.

2) Larger rooms: SWR Power 750 slaved off the 350X / compressor above and running the Goliath III 4X10 and an SWR Big Bertha 1X15.

3) Outddoor: Same as #2 but with the 350X running an additional 2X12.

Studio: Almost limitless combinations, but generally two signal paths:

1) Radial DI into an Avalon pre-amp and into the board.
2) Through the DI and into the SWR 350X, dbx compressor and 32-band eq with effects blend set around 50% wet. XLR line out of the 350X and into the board.

Depending on the needs of the song, the two signals are blended, or one doesn't get used at all. I also tend to go easy on the bass frequencies when recording to prevent muddiness. Experienced mastering techs can bring the bottom back in much nicer with a quality multi-band compressor, and that's why they make the big bucks, right?
 
Live- Hellborg's DI + an SM 57 mic. Bass drum mics generally are good to reproduce lows and treble, but I use a mic really for the mids. That's where the "meat" is.
Studio- endless possibilities, depending on the wanted sound, but in general a blend between a DI and one or two mics. The second mic in general is a bass drum mic in the cabinet's port.
 
Florin said:
Live- Hellborg's DI + an SM 57 mic. Bass drum mics generally are good to reproduce lows and treble, but I use a mic really for the mids. That's where the "meat" is.
Studio- endless possibilities, depending on the wanted sound, but in general a blend between a DI and one or two mics. The second mic in general is a bass drum mic in the cabinet's port.
Click to expand...

hey, that sounds interesting, I've never heard or thought of micing the port!? :shock:
 
Florin said:
Live- Hellborg's DI + an SM 57 mic. Bass drum mics generally are good to reproduce lows and treble, but I use a mic really for the mids. That's where the "meat" is.
Studio- endless possibilities, depending on the wanted sound, but in general a blend between a DI and one or two mics. The second mic in general is a bass drum mic in the cabinet's port.
Click to expand...

Sounds like an interesting setup....I was initially thinking of bass drum mic's being kinda limited to the low end too, but after using one for a while, I've found them to be incredibly dynamic....even when I'm up past the 12th fret (happens a lot!), it still captures my playing with remarkable clarity, and I really don't feel I lose anything on the high end. Give it a go sometime - you might be pleasantly surprised!
 
Live, see my sig. Use a DI and a bass drum mic and the soundguy mixes the signals. I run a compressor too for some tapping stuff.

Studio, DI box and straight in. Our sound engineer said he didn't want to mess with the sound of my bass ;)
 
I plug into an Avalon U5 DI-preamp running straight to the board. Variable gain preamp makes it easy to dial in the right amount of presence whether I am playing an active or passive bass. Tone selector gives me that extra mid-range bite that I like. I use this both live and in the studio.
 
Thanks to everyone for the great replies. You all have given me tons of stuff to research and look into so I can find out what works out best for me. Sounds like many people are digging that Avalon U5!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top