you get a sense of it at the end when they're all run back to back, plus she's not changing up playing style so it's not that different! But it's more of a list of possibilities anyway, there's so much gear you could use for each approach
Clarification for everyone about the DI thing - no matter what, your DI signal from your bass guitar is going to have to go through a preamp! The output from the DI signal is balanced, low-impedance, mic level. This signal has to be preamplified before it can be recorded. What I think they meant to imply is that using an *external* preamp (as opposed to the built-in ones on an interface) will yield a sound with more "character" (for lack of a better term).
Note that with AXE I/O you get the Z-TONE control on the first input that give you flexibility for setting the impedance plus the controls for pure vs JFET and proper settings for passive or active pickups.
This is my bias, because I prefer the attack sound of a pick, but I'd prefer to also hear these options picked. They all kind of sound the same to me played finger style, I like that high mids of a pick attack where I think we'd likely hear a lot of differences in the options. I think in a mix, these will all sound basically identical.
the best mic for bass is the well placed mic, anything can sound boomy in some notes in some positions. Also for mixed techique, di + mic that sometimes i low cut the mic for phase issues even a normal dynamic mic can make better results than a large bass drum one cause it gets more low mid definition (no mid scoop) and different frequencies than your bd ( be carefull only with the proximity effect)
What a good idea it was to use a stingray with 20 year old flats for this kind of demontration...the dead sound will greatly reduce the subtle differences otherwise audible between the different recording methods. The feather soft playing on top of all that doesnt help either.
one of the best bass tones ive recorded as far as closely it matched the room sound was with an m88 8-10" off the grille cloth of my 80s fender bassman compact pointed straight at the center of the speaker
Thanks, really helpful while I'm self-producing and engineering NICU's first album. I don't actually have a bass amp anymore, but I do have a variety of modern options for going directly into the mix (preamps, DI, and plenty of plugins in the box) of all the instruments I work with, Bass is by far the simplest (thank god) but even then, there are just SO many choices and decisions to make on every track. so, it helps having your overview to organize my thoughts before I start tracking bass
While I'll use both a DI an mic'd bass amp (SM57 mic off-axis works for me) blended in the the mix down, you really can make a great track by mic'd amp/cab alone... While recording engineers like to play around with DI and mic'd tracks, guys who are old school.. can still get it done, only mic'd and with great results.
The best way to record bass is have a great player, great sounding bass, and run it direct in for low noise. Mix the bass per song and sidechain with a kick. It's tough to beat that formula no matter what level of engineer that you are.
I plug my bass into a Line 6 Bass Pod XP ...send the mono signal output straight into a Zoom R-24 recorder...adjust the levels...press record and play. Simple as that. After I've recorded all the tracks I need, I transfer all the files (on a memory stick/flash drive) into my ancient DAW.. Adobe Audition (1.5) See...it needn't be complicated and expensive
TanDokuDemon I wasn’t even watching the video and it sounded like the most lifeless playing ever. It all made sense when I saw how her hands were moving-it’s like she’s afraid to hurt the strings
It's still not clear to me why you would choose to record with a microphone when any missing 'air' or 'ambiance' can be added to the direct signal. Bass amp and speaker sims are very effective. Recording a miked-up cab in the room makes more sense for guitar.
Sometimes you want to capture and use the sound that you have in the room because it is the sound that you want to use. Yes you can use amp and cab sims during mixing, but that adds time to the mix and in a studio that costs. If you already have the right sound with a mic on the cab there’s no point wasting time with amp and cab sims. If I DI the bass and mic a cab usually a mix of those gives me what I need. If it doesn’t I’ll use amp and cab sims. As a professional recording engineer I always go for trying to capture the sound I need when I record because it makes mixing a lot easier. I appreciate that is a slightly old fashioned way of doing things, but if a band can play well and sound good it can be a very quick way to record by having them play live in the studio. The mix will come together really easily because it will just sound like the band. Just a bit of EQ, compression and reverb on things and you can have a bunch of songs demo’d in a day.
@@PeterNiallLancaster Thanks for that insight. The need to save studio time makes sense. If the combination of DI and microphone produces good results most of the time, I can see why it might be preferred.
Bassists futz with tone just as much a guitarists do, and sometimes a DI signal can be too sterile compared to what the bassist usually has their amp set to. IME changing what any musician is comfortable with can make them feel more reserved in the studio and less likely to play “like themselves”
@@220_hz4 Interesting point. Of course, any alteration at the desk to the sound at the mike changes the bass player's 'true' sound in the same way as any alteration to a DI signal. I don't know what proportion of completed bass tracks sound exactly as the real instrument sounded to people in the room, but I imagine it's quite low. Making the musician comfortable with the process is a necessary skill, of course.
I'm a little disturbed by how lifeless and boring the DI only and software amp sounds to me and how no one else seems to notice or think its worthy of comment. (The amp with the large condenser and tube preamp sure did it for me!) I guess it's subtle, but then so's bass guitar - if you love bass, why wouldn't you covet a more organic sound?
5 ways, really? Looks to me like you mixed up the DI and preamp, then overcomplicated with usb di, preamp with di and transformer di. Whats with the shaking of the soundcard, is this the program for kids?
How has noone addressed her constant tapping of the pick up w strings It's driving me Nuts 🥜 It's the only consistent part if this video. He bad, and bland playing.
Some of those takes would be unusable regardless of how they were recorded because of the constant microphonic clicking and thumping caused by plucking directly over the pickup and tapping the pickup itself. Once you've heard it, you can't unhear it.
I have to agree with this comment here. one of the trickiest and most humbling things I've had to do is learn how to toggle these kinds playing habits I have myself, especially when recording. it's funny really because nobody teaches that you should rhythmically tap your string and pickup as you play a funky line, but it is something a lot of us end up doing by instinct
I see you with that vulfpeck bass line
RUclips commenters are acting like their life depends on this video today.
it has been said, bass players live and die by their di tone
It would have been nice to have the same part played for each test. Hard to compare so well with differing input.
you get a sense of it at the end when they're all run back to back, plus she's not changing up playing style so it's not that different! But it's more of a list of possibilities anyway, there's so much gear you could use for each approach
*"Bass DI boxes start at around 80 to 120 dollars"*
Um...no. I use a Behringer BDI21. Works awesome. It was 35 bucks. 😁
thats what i was saying
Behringer’s are not known for their quality, if an engineer tried to record me through one I’d be extremely concerned
@@Viper-dz2kw fair
I'm getting one also
Supernautiloid what are the output? line or mic from the pedal?
I'm getting weirded out by the number of people who can't hear the bass
Must be dumbasses on their phones and laptops...
who was PHONE?
Nice video overview. The sound on the bass was sounding good. And I loved the recap playing all the samples back-to-back.
4:45 "You can gooo your owwn waaay, goo your own waaay" 🎶
Janice rocks. Her bridge hand is so smooth. Very nice.
Clarification for everyone about the DI thing - no matter what, your DI signal from your bass guitar is going to have to go through a preamp! The output from the DI signal is balanced, low-impedance, mic level. This signal has to be preamplified before it can be recorded. What I think they meant to imply is that using an *external* preamp (as opposed to the built-in ones on an interface) will yield a sound with more "character" (for lack of a better term).
Note that with AXE I/O you get the Z-TONE control on the first input that give you flexibility for setting the impedance plus the controls for pure vs JFET and proper settings for passive or active pickups.
A mix of a mic'd 15 and a clean DI is my favorite bass tone.
Personally love using the Solo 610 for bass, makes those mids pop in such a nice way
That's what I use and I love it!!
This is my bias, because I prefer the attack sound of a pick, but I'd prefer to also hear these options picked. They all kind of sound the same to me played finger style, I like that high mids of a pick attack where I think we'd likely hear a lot of differences in the options. I think in a mix, these will all sound basically identical.
Gotta love a bit of Vulf! Also y'all need to wear ear protection more often if you can't hear the bass, jeez...
Great vid. Janis got some chops!!
the best mic for bass is the well placed mic, anything can sound boomy in some notes in some positions. Also for mixed techique, di + mic that sometimes i low cut the mic for phase issues even a normal dynamic mic can make better results than a large bass drum one cause it gets more low mid definition (no mid scoop) and different frequencies than your bd ( be carefull only with the proximity effect)
What a good idea it was to use a stingray with 20 year old flats for this kind of demontration...the dead sound will greatly reduce the subtle differences otherwise audible between the different recording methods. The feather soft playing on top of all that doesnt help either.
This must be one of the best sounding Sting Ray's I've heard. Maybe it's just the player, or the old/flat/kind-of-dead strings, but I loved it.
AKG D12 + DI 👍
05:10 China Cat Sunflower by the Dead?
Yo, guys, go listen to Janis’s band Family Groove Company!!!
Kyle Goldsmith will do. Ty.
one of the best bass tones ive recorded as far as closely it matched the room sound was with an m88 8-10" off the grille cloth of my 80s fender bassman compact pointed straight at the center of the speaker
6:39 says that it is a Beta 52, but the video clearly shows the cab is miced with a KSM32.....
Thanks, really helpful while I'm self-producing and engineering NICU's first album. I don't actually have a bass amp anymore, but I do have a variety of modern options for going directly into the mix (preamps, DI, and plenty of plugins in the box)
of all the instruments I work with, Bass is by far the simplest (thank god) but even then, there are just SO many choices and decisions to make on every track.
so, it helps having your overview to organize my thoughts before I start tracking bass
The ksm32 is a medium diaphragm condenser, not large.
the little bit of 1612 in there got me :)
Fantastic demo guys, informative and the performances were so tight!
first 3 options are effectively the same thing...
China Cat at 5:10 ?
would it work to use a sansamp di preamp pedal?
Going straight into the recording console is sometimes the best solution.
I like using something like the Torpedo cab or the HX Stomp so I get some Cab IR on my DI. What do you guys think?
I use a usb preamp by art. So if anyone needs a cheap option that isnt awful you can find em used for 60CAD so probably 40USD
4:40 song name?
Fleetwood Mac - Go Your Own Way
While I'll use both a DI an mic'd bass amp (SM57 mic off-axis works for me) blended in the the mix down, you really can make a great track by mic'd amp/cab alone... While recording engineers like to play around with DI and mic'd tracks, guys who are old school.. can still get it done, only mic'd and with great results.
Got Fleetwood Mac stuck in my head now, thanks...
ok now go your own way!
What would Janis do?
6:32 Vulf!
Vulfpeck fans when literally anybody mentions it
The best way to record bass is have a great player, great sounding bass, and run it direct in for low noise. Mix the bass per song and sidechain with a kick. It's tough to beat that formula no matter what level of engineer that you are.
Janis is our silent protagonist.
Janis is pretty amazing! What a great sounding technique.
I hate the farts that come through the mic setups, is there a way to avoid those?
I was wondering the same. I mostly leave one track out of the recording because of the low buzzing. Annoying as hell.
Hi-pass and compression.
I plug my bass into a Line 6 Bass Pod XP ...send the mono signal output straight into a Zoom R-24 recorder...adjust the levels...press record and play. Simple as that. After I've recorded all the tracks I need, I transfer all the files (on a memory stick/flash drive) into my ancient DAW.. Adobe Audition (1.5)
See...it needn't be complicated and expensive
There an H9000 sitting back there. Poor thing looks lonely.
Low key sneaking 1612 in the demo... 😉
Maybe a tutorial on how to make a Musicman bass NOT sound like a hot, clacky, buzzing steaming pile?
Blech319 dont be an incompetent musician
May R NO SUBSIDIES FOR ACTIVE BASSES!
6:32 1612 bassline
Please make a video showing how to sound like Oasis
It was the less stingray tone I ever heard ! Ultra soft touch, almost no mids !
TanDokuDemon I wasn’t even watching the video and it sounded like the most lifeless playing ever. It all made sense when I saw how her hands were moving-it’s like she’s afraid to hurt the strings
@@QPatrickQ Yes , not my cup of tea ! But each one his own
yeah stingray with flats and the softest playing on earth is a big fail
@@Dinozzo1995 it could be good , but to really hear the subtilities of recording techniques such as frequencies and dynamics, not so much indeed
why did u use a music man for this? that bass has too much of a distinct treble to really get a feel for the difference between all the products
Forgot thru guitar amp
RE 20
These sounds were only marginally better than Mop Top's vid!
Great concept for a video, now just imagine if we could actually hear the bass.
I'm listening through my tiny laptop speakers and I can hear it just fine.
It's still not clear to me why you would choose to record with a microphone when any missing 'air' or 'ambiance' can be added to the direct signal. Bass amp and speaker sims are very effective. Recording a miked-up cab in the room makes more sense for guitar.
Sometimes you want to capture and use the sound that you have in the room because it is the sound that you want to use. Yes you can use amp and cab sims during mixing, but that adds time to the mix and in a studio that costs. If you already have the right sound with a mic on the cab there’s no point wasting time with amp and cab sims. If I DI the bass and mic a cab usually a mix of those gives me what I need. If it doesn’t I’ll use amp and cab sims. As a professional recording engineer I always go for trying to capture the sound I need when I record because it makes mixing a lot easier. I appreciate that is a slightly old fashioned way of doing things, but if a band can play well and sound good it can be a very quick way to record by having them play live in the studio. The mix will come together really easily because it will just sound like the band. Just a bit of EQ, compression and reverb on things and you can have a bunch of songs demo’d in a day.
@@PeterNiallLancaster Thanks for that insight. The need to save studio time makes sense. If the combination of DI and microphone produces good results most of the time, I can see why it might be preferred.
Bassists futz with tone just as much a guitarists do, and sometimes a DI signal can be too sterile compared to what the bassist usually has their amp set to. IME changing what any musician is comfortable with can make them feel more reserved in the studio and less likely to play “like themselves”
@@220_hz4 Interesting point. Of course, any alteration at the desk to the sound at the mike changes the bass player's 'true' sound in the same way as any alteration to a DI signal. I don't know what proportion of completed bass tracks sound exactly as the real instrument sounded to people in the room, but I imagine it's quite low. Making the musician comfortable with the process is a necessary skill, of course.
We're we supposed to be able to hear the bass?
This guy is pretty soft spoken and was three times as loud as the bass.
It's plenty clear enough
Sounds fine to me, were you listening through your phone speakers?
it's completely fine? My headphones aren't even that bassy and that kick mic is intense
It s something with my phone. Happening on my WWII aircraft game too. Sorry I blamed the video.
>more affordable
>$400
Ok
Smells like BROKE in here
Ever hear of JOBS?
@@shaneharrington3655 I meant you can get an audio interface for $60, calling a $400 audio interface "affordable" is dumb, as is your comment
If you want to annoy your audio engineer, just bring an acoustic bass.
Ampeg amps!
Voice 9billion db. Bass .005 db.
Well that was underwhelming
I'm a little disturbed by how lifeless and boring the DI only and software amp sounds to me and how no one else seems to notice or think its worthy of comment. (The amp with the large condenser and tube preamp sure did it for me!) I guess it's subtle, but then so's bass guitar - if you love bass, why wouldn't you covet a more organic sound?
5 ways, really? Looks to me like you mixed up the DI and preamp, then overcomplicated with usb di, preamp with di and transformer di.
Whats with the shaking of the soundcard, is this the program for kids?
Too soft
How has noone addressed her constant tapping of the pick up w strings
It's driving me Nuts 🥜
It's the only consistent part if this video. He bad, and bland playing.
1st
bet your mom is proud
Come on... this sounds really bad.
I've heard better tone going straight into a mixing board.
This is the most frustrating video to watch on an iPhone #nobass
yo it all sounds like shit
Some of those takes would be unusable regardless of how they were recorded because of the constant microphonic clicking and thumping caused by plucking directly over the pickup and tapping the pickup itself. Once you've heard it, you can't unhear it.
I have to agree with this comment here. one of the trickiest and most humbling things I've had to do is learn how to toggle these kinds playing habits I have myself, especially when recording. it's funny really because nobody teaches that you should rhythmically tap your string and pickup as you play a funky line, but it is something a lot of us end up doing by instinct
MATT JORDAN!!