Recording bass guitar

[Ted]

I am going to use this thread as a tutorial/reference page at some point when I decide to not be so lazy and spend a bit more time getting a better bass sound.

Me too. Like for when my Micro BR inevitably dies, and I can't use BASS CLN anymore.

[Wombat1954]

I have been playing Bass for two years now. After getting a second hand Aria Pro II Bass and and Fender Rumble 100, I realised that I needed to record my practice sessions to analyze them (plus compare to previous sessions to hopefully see an improvement)
The Boss Micro BR has done this and more. When I am travelling (Grey Nomad Caravanner) I practice without an amp. I plug the guitar into the MBR, The output goes into the microphone input on my laptop to mix with a backing track, and I listen through the headphone output from the Laptop.
The Aria is passive, but using the tone and vol of both pickups, I can get the sounds I want.
The MBR also is my tuner, and when practicing with the band I record using it. I wish I could record in stero though.

[Ted]

I wish I could record in stereo though.

You can record in stereo on the Micro BR with a plug-in stereo mic, or with a Y-adapter (dual mono to stereo). I have done this in the past when recording my guitar through a stereo chorus. See page 41 of the manual. There's probably some tips on this site for recording in stereo too.

Happy First Post. Welcome to Songcrafters.org

[bostjan]

I typically have to use an outboard compressor if I'm slapping.  Other than that, I do the actual recording just like I do with guitar.  I don't want to notch out any EQ frequencies on anything until I'm mixing, because if you record anything scooped out, you can never "unscoop" it.

And mixing isn't just about the bass or the guitar, it's about how everything interacts.  So, probably the guitar tone I use in any given track sounds horrible on its own.  Maybe it's really focused on one band of EQ.  But once you add in bass and drums and maybe vocals or even keyboard, it has to all sound good to me in concert.

[hooper]

I put the kick into the control input of a compressor and the bass into the signal input, you can do this by making the bass track a double stereo track, putting the bass in tracks 1 & 2, the kick into 3 & 4. Add a compressor into the effects chain of the track and put the kick into the control input and the bass into the signal input. Adjust the threshold until the kick is compressing the signal, then increase the compression ratio until the kick cuts through the bass. You need a fast attack and fast recovery on the compressor and probably 6+ dB of compression.
Don't forget to properly compress the kick.

Very interesting, Mike and thanks!
I'm gonna have to play with this....

[Flash Harry]

I put the kick into the control input of a compressor and the bass into the signal input, you can do this by making the bass track a double stereo track, putting the bass in tracks 1 & 2, the kick into 3 & 4. Add a compressor into the effects chain of the track and put the kick into the control input and the bass into the signal input. Adjust the threshold until the kick is compressing the signal, then increase the compression ratio until the kick cuts through the bass. You need a fast attack and fast recovery on the compressor and probably 6+ dB of compression.
Don't forget to properly compress the kick.

My life is done. I have introduced The Production Master to a new technique.



Very interesting, Mike and thanks!
I'm gonna have to play with this....

[hooper]

My life is done. I have introduced The Production Master to a new technique.

Aw man Mike... Love the way your bass growls on some of those JK tracks!

[StephenM]

I just heard this great bass recording using one bass on the left channel and a different one on the right...
here is  link if you want to hear it....

https://www.bandlab.com/fabass2020/the-fourth-edge-of-the-sun-04706abd?revId=58f0861b-74d6-ec11-997e-28187831db02