When you combine the mic with DI signal, make sure to add some time delay (you can determine the number of samples to delay it by measuring the distance between the start of each wavefile and adjusting by ear [it will sound fatter when in phase]) to the DI track because the Mic'd sound will track slightly behind the DI track and cause some phase issues.
i thought of this as well. It's easy to estimate the delay though, as the speed of sound is practically constant at 343m/s, which makes 34,3 cm (or roughly a foot, where he put the mic) the equivalent of 1ms. so in this case, a good starting point would be to delay the DI by 1ms and go from there.
@philipconradmusic it was a bit jarring at first, almost like the in ears were struggling with the amount of low end. Very hi-fi, which was quite inspiring.
@@eliasthury425I’ll usually cut a little low end on my in ear mix for that reason. The subs in the room will compensate for cutting lows in your mix in most cases.
As a sound engineer I’d say Di is for the body of the tone the only time I really bother with using a mic as well is if the bass amp has a lot of character like distortion but I’ll highly recommend cut the Di to like 150/200hz and hpf the mic to the same frequency
I used to use a di for church too. And I remember being really against it at first, I wanted an amp. But as I kept doing it, it felt like it fit the room better. Now I’m not playing in churches anymore but I also use amps. I’m planning on using the di as an amp signal through and mic the subs from the cab. Best of both worlds
I’ve played in a heavy metalish type group for the last 30 years, so my approach is different but always evolving. DI for demos or sending ideas with band mates. When tracking actual songs, it’s two mic’d cabs and a DI. SS power into a 15 and tube amp into a 4x10s with a bit of dirt from an OD is the basic tone. The choice of a tube through a 15 is too muddy for my application most of the time. Though I’ve been playing with more country and bluegrass musicians locally. It’s really opened my eyes to a new world. I now own a fender p bass with flats so it’s growing on me.
For that kind of track I think the DI-only version sounds better. the extra high-end and tightness work better for that electronic vibe. sometimes I do both but 'fake both'(tm). So, DI and then DI + amp sim + cab sim and mixing those two together.
I paused at 6:42 to answer your question... From what I've heard so far I'd probably go around 80/20 Mic/DI for this track.. Get the warm and roundness from the mic (though I probably would have chosen a different mic) and a bit of clarity and attack from the DI... Those are initial thoughts before watching further... Pressing play 🎧
Did you try switching phase? Sounds like there was some issues when you combined them. I'm stoked though that I preferred the DI only as that is all I got! lol
Usually a DI and mic won’t be perfectly time aligned and you can lose high frequencies due to phase cancellation. You can correct it with some sample delay.
When you listen to D.I. on it's own, and when playing through one, it can sound a bit excessively clicky and detailed in the treble in a way that puts more focus on artefacts than the actual bass tone. In a mix, that changes quite a lot, though I would say it still sounds a little to present in the highs, especially in isolated sections and on higher notes. So I prefer the amp, because it puts the focus on the growly midrange. The mix of DI/Amp would be my second choice, it's less dull but not too clicky, and more importantly fuller in the subs than amp alone. If you were using just one, then saturation on the bass amp might be my choice. If I was using DI only, I might gently filter the upper highs slightly, maybe even using automation in the exposed sections, and apply some tube compression, or an emulation of, to reduce that spikey/pickiness and give more of a blooming sustained tone.
I've been running an active bass into the fx loop of my amp lately and it's pretty incredible what you can get out of some powerful pickups and EQ knobs pushing a speaker.
Blend of both always for me, definition in the notes from the DI and cool low end or sometimes distortion from an amp. I really like figure of 8 on a mic in front a bass cab. Cool vid ✌🏼
this is super helpful, should be doing some recording with a band tomorrow. im gonna use a sansamp VT preamp/ DI and just get a cab sim straight into DI, and maybe put a raw DI signal under it. thanks for the informative video as always !
Been running DI into an Ampex 601 (modded by Electric and Company and then into their ec5b compressor and absolutely loving the sound and feel.
День назад+1
A digital camera with an old manual focus lens is underrated tbh. I mean, film is cool (really analogous to tape haha), but personally I gave up on it after a while. Focusing manually is so fun, makes you feel like you really make the photo.
One thing I would love to understand more about are what are the differences (when recording) between a dedicated passive DI box, and plugging direct into a preamp/interface with a High-Z input?
For this track, I thought the mic-bass got swamped in the soft sound of the synths. That might be the right sound if there was a vocal or some bright guitars. But as it was, I preferred the articulation of the DI or the mixed bass. Also: cool video effects and production!
Couple of notes. The relatively low impedence of any transformer DI will roll of the high frequency detail of the signal. The loud speaker in the Ampeg fliptop is very dark.
Last full album I recorded we went with both an active DI (tube one from Focusrite… ISA might be?) and blended a condenser mic in front of an Ampeg in its own room. Jazz with old rounds and the tone rolled off just like you did here. It was AMAZING
I think it would be cool to use the clean punchy low end of the DI with the warm saturated mids and highs of the amp. Maybe even a third track with an uncompressed full spectrum of the DI sitting lower in the mix.
Great video! I'm definitely more of the DI persuasion, but always play with an amp, for me if nothing else. I play better when I can feel the vibrations and the air moving around me. That being said, I've been blown away by how far amp and cab sims have come. Depending on the software you're using, you can even choose which mic to simulate and exactly where you want to put it in the virtual studio. The only thing you miss from micing an actual cab are the organic noises it picks up: finger/string/fret noise and the ambient sounds and reverb of the studio itself like in Vulfpeck's Sky Mall when the leg falls off the Wurlitzer. Completely makes the song for me haha! At the end of the day, I feel like the only one who knows/cares is us, but those little things do add up. It's like they say: the difference between ordinary and extraordinary is the extra.
the feel of an amp is definitely an important thing that a lot of people don’t consider. i often plug into my amp when i’m recording bass, even if i’m just taking a di not miking it up. the physical feel of an amp in the room helps a lot, even just as a “monitor”
Combo sounds best to me in this instance, but DI if I had to only choose one. I usually use an amp sim (Fractal Audio FM3) which has a built in DI, but I go DI into my interface for latency free recording which unfortunately the FM3, as amazing as it is, doesn’t offer.
My first impression is I like the mic best, combined second, and straight DI 3rd, but I don’t dislike any of them. I also agree that it ultimately depends on the song.
Love the warmth of the cab and mic. In the mix, I like the addition of the DI to get some of the articulation and some zing as you said, in some applications can be useful. Overall, I totally agree with on the better feeling we get from the amp sound when performing. The DI being skinnier sounding, just makes the groove harder to obtain
I bought an SM-57 because I wanted to hear "the standard" mic... and also because I'm a newbie, and struggling to find local musicians. I've been considering trying to find some online gigs, but I'm timid because I've only been playing for a year.
IMO amps and mics were made for capturing signal - antiquated technology when you can capture digitally - I use my interfaces JFET DI and dial in the sound I want with amp sim and EQ - Not as fun as playing through a vintage amp of course
The amp sound in the combined example filled out the landscape of the mix a bit more, adding some warmth. For this arrangement, I thought that was really nice, if you were adding more overdubs, I think I would pull the amp out a bit to make room for the other information.
i really appreciate what youre doing with these comparisons and nuanced commentaries. could you please disclose sponsors earlier in the video? it comes off as somewhat deceptive, even if i dont think thats your intention.
Nice video, love the artwork. In this context, a mic and a passive DI works just fine. As a live-soundengineer I come across a lot of bass-players who are using pedals, from a simple chorus to amp- and cabsims. Where do you place a DI in that signal-chain? Wanting to capture the artist's choise/flavour I'd say after all the pedals, wich more then often results in a less favourable bass-sound. So, I try to capture a clean bass-sound with a DI and translate the "artwork" with a mic on the cabinet. With more and more bands playing in-ears completely, sometimes there's not even a cab to put a mic in front. If they let me, I put a clean bass DI and a post-pedalboard DI as the prefered signalchain.
My concern with recording a bass amp mic’d up is I always get the best tones at high volumes which would cause my entire house to shake… low to medium volumes it all sounds anemic and muddy.
As live engineer, i always prefer both: - Passive DI for the low end (heavily low-passed) - Dynamic mic (M88, 421, D112) for the mid-high end (the grit of the mids and the clarity of the highs). If you plays often overdriven or distorted, i prefer the direct out of the amp (if it's post-everything) rather than an external DI, but also in the combo with the mic!
Yip, similar, in the studio I use the DI signal from my Ampeg Portaflex PF-20T. Then to mic the cab (usually an Ampeg SVT210AV, 2x10"), I use an Electro-voice RE-20 to slightly more often to the 421 (prefer the older U for bass). Otherwise, I often use a Beyerdynamic m201, which is suprisingly good too. That is, when it's not being taken up on snare, where it really excels, for me. If the 421s, m201 and RE-20 are being taken up by the drums, I'll use an Audix D4 (kinda similar to 421 but a bit darker) or Audix D6 (subby, dubby, kinda similar to D112) and both are nice too. M88s and also 441s are a great mics I would love to own.
@compucorder64 totally agree, and I find really interesting how different people can describe the same thing. I usually say that the D112 sounds to me like an SM57 but with way more bass freqs 😂 I've never tried the D4, but I always thought that the tom mics sounds better on bass cabs rather than kick drum mics! If you have the DI for the bass freqs, It do a great job also the e906. The proximity effect is a friend in those situations 😁
I think the DI on it's own has absolutely nothing wrong, and the mic sound alone has a lot missing as far as clear note beginnings and endings, the two of them together does have something really special that the DI doesn't have (probably the tube saturation on the sustained parts of notes). I view the use of several outputs on any instrument as an advanced form of multiband processing, and it makes sense to pull together a sound from several pieces of gear that shine in different frequency ranges rather than try to force one thing to hold it all. I personally wonder how the DI might sound getting the saturation from something like a compressor or a microphone preamp emulation. In the example track, I favored the blend of DI and mic'd cabinet. I personally love my Colour Box (all the benefits of a DI but with the added option for saturation and tone-shaping) but would run an amp purely to push the sound of my preamp through a speaker cabinet if it were necessary for other people in a band to hear what I'm playing or to fill out the stage sound for audience down in the front where a PA might not reach. I might be more inclined to pick the option that highlights the more attention-seeking high frequency parts of a bass sound and I'm a little biased as a Jazz Bass fan and as a bass player myself. If I were thinking from an overall producer's standpoint of what serves the song best, I might choose something more understated. Purely as a listener, I've been enjoying the bass sounds from King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard which are a short-scale Serek bass into a Hiwatt 200, which has a swampy richness that still comes through so clearly both in electric and more acoustic contexts - it might be time to take my ears own advice and at least try a fully tube amp.
Even tho I love your warm tones I challenge you to make some music with a zingy roundwond tone Might be a fun “out of comfort zone” experiment and a cool video
My favorite amp is my Ashdown CTM-30, all tube bass amp, through an RM-210 & RM115. It's my most used amp, and it has a tube/output transformer driven line level DI. Tis type of DI can impose a third possible sound. How do these sound in comparison to a mic'ed cab and/or an inline DI? Back last June you did a review of the CTM-15, where you drew the signal from the amp's DI output. I know you borrowed that amp from Ashdown at the Sweetwater Gearfest show. That runs the same as my CTM-30.
Always record DI if you can. DI will always be higher fidelity than a mic on a cab. You can always process and re-amp etc., but it is impossible to gain fidelity after capture.
as always.. very instructive video ! Thanks. And .. i have a question. What kind of strings do you use on your mustang JMJ ? I realised that since the strings go through the body on this one, the regular Labella flatwounds shortscale strings are too short ... have you encountered this problem ? Long scale strings must be ok, except for the E string which will be a little too long. Maybe you have already talked about that somewhere ? Have a great day.
Great video brother! I have an interesting question for you (well interesting to me anyway lol). When I record guitar, I run my guitar through my amp, but my amp is DI'd into my interface. The amp has XLR so I am able to route direct to my recording software. Simultaneously, I am able to turn my amp up and feel the sound in the room through my amp and my desk monitors. So to your point about having it live through the amp in the room being a preference (which I pretty much agree with you on), do you think a setup like that would be even more beneficial? Like best of both worlds, I guess? Thanks Phil! Great stuff as always my guy!
Just wondering if you know of a good budget bass guitar microphone, the cheapest I could find the one you used from Sweetwater is $800. I can't really justify buying that one for that price. I have used an SM58 in the past and I am ready to upgrade, but not an $800+ upgrade. I know it's also from your past video, but I would like to put in my vote for an updated DI video,, it's the one that I was searching for at the time and brought me to your channel. Thank you so much for the content, I know I've said it before, but yours is my favorite bass related channel.
I want to hear more clear, more confident, more resolute bass performances instead of just sitting in sub bass range. Doesn't matter if it's an amp, di, sims or anything inbetween. It's more of a tonal choice, leads to different performing choices within the whole band/song.
Anyone who plays with distortion has had the experience of sounding like broken glass because sound guys can't be bothered to deal with a microphone. The natural high cut of a speaker is crucial to bright and distorted bass sounds
Usually at the end of the chain. But it depends on what you want and what you like, of course. No rules, only recommendations. I (as a bass player) usually treat it like this: get the basic sound I want from the pedalboard, then go into a DI. In live situations, I like to split it there: the balanced signal from the DI goes to Front-of-House / the mixing console / interface and the through-signal goes to my (clean) amp.
I was literally up late last night looking for bass recording techniques and blending both DI and Amp sounds and thankfully you drop this gem.
Always love hearing your perspective on this stuff. I also love that we have a lot of the same gear and use it so differently! -Carson
Thanks Carson! Would love to hear how you are doing things. Love how there is no right or wrong with this stuff.
When you combine the mic with DI signal, make sure to add some time delay (you can determine the number of samples to delay it by measuring the distance between the start of each wavefile and adjusting by ear [it will sound fatter when in phase]) to the DI track because the Mic'd sound will track slightly behind the DI track and cause some phase issues.
i thought of this as well. It's easy to estimate the delay though, as the speed of sound is practically constant at 343m/s, which makes 34,3 cm (or roughly a foot, where he put the mic) the equivalent of 1ms. so in this case, a good starting point would be to delay the DI by 1ms and go from there.
I went DI for the first time this last Sunday for church, it was kind of an eye opening experience.
How’d you like it?
@philipconradmusic it was a bit jarring at first, almost like the in ears were struggling with the amount of low end. Very hi-fi, which was quite inspiring.
@@eliasthury425I’ll usually cut a little low end on my in ear mix for that reason. The subs in the room will compensate for cutting lows in your mix in most cases.
As a sound engineer I’d say Di is for the body of the tone the only time I really bother with using a mic as well is if the bass amp has a lot of character like distortion but I’ll highly recommend cut the Di to like 150/200hz and hpf the mic to the same frequency
I used to use a di for church too. And I remember being really against it at first, I wanted an amp. But as I kept doing it, it felt like it fit the room better. Now I’m not playing in churches anymore but I also use amps. I’m planning on using the di as an amp signal through and mic the subs from the cab. Best of both worlds
Great content Philip as always! Your videos are both insightful and entertaining. Cheers from Germany! 🇩🇪
I’ve played in a heavy metalish type group for the last 30 years, so my approach is different but always evolving. DI for demos or sending ideas with band mates. When tracking actual songs, it’s two mic’d cabs and a DI. SS power into a 15 and tube amp into a 4x10s with a bit of dirt from an OD is the basic tone.
The choice of a tube through a 15 is too muddy for my application most of the time. Though I’ve been playing with more country and bluegrass musicians locally. It’s really opened my eyes to a new world. I now own a fender p bass with flats so it’s growing on me.
For that kind of track I think the DI-only version sounds better. the extra high-end and tightness work better for that electronic vibe.
sometimes I do both but 'fake both'(tm). So, DI and then DI + amp sim + cab sim and mixing those two together.
Nice!
I paused at 6:42 to answer your question... From what I've heard so far I'd probably go around 80/20 Mic/DI for this track.. Get the warm and roundness from the mic (though I probably would have chosen a different mic) and a bit of clarity and attack from the DI... Those are initial thoughts before watching further... Pressing play 🎧
Did you try switching phase? Sounds like there was some issues when you combined them. I'm stoked though that I preferred the DI only as that is all I got! lol
Usually a DI and mic won’t be perfectly time aligned and you can lose high frequencies due to phase cancellation. You can correct it with some sample delay.
When you listen to D.I. on it's own, and when playing through one, it can sound a bit excessively clicky and detailed in the treble in a way that puts more focus on artefacts than the actual bass tone. In a mix, that changes quite a lot, though I would say it still sounds a little to present in the highs, especially in isolated sections and on higher notes. So I prefer the amp, because it puts the focus on the growly midrange. The mix of DI/Amp would be my second choice, it's less dull but not too clicky, and more importantly fuller in the subs than amp alone. If you were using just one, then saturation on the bass amp might be my choice. If I was using DI only, I might gently filter the upper highs slightly, maybe even using automation in the exposed sections, and apply some tube compression, or an emulation of, to reduce that spikey/pickiness and give more of a blooming sustained tone.
I've been running an active bass into the fx loop of my amp lately and it's pretty incredible what you can get out of some powerful pickups and EQ knobs pushing a speaker.
Blend of both always for me, definition in the notes from the DI and cool low end or sometimes distortion from an amp. I really like figure of 8 on a mic in front a bass cab. Cool vid ✌🏼
this is super helpful, should be doing some recording with a band tomorrow. im gonna use a sansamp VT preamp/ DI and just get a cab sim straight into DI, and maybe put a raw DI signal under it. thanks for the informative video as always !
Been running DI into an Ampex 601 (modded by Electric and Company and then into their ec5b compressor and absolutely loving the sound and feel.
A digital camera with an old manual focus lens is underrated tbh. I mean, film is cool (really analogous to tape haha), but personally I gave up on it after a while. Focusing manually is so fun, makes you feel like you really make the photo.
One thing I would love to understand more about are what are the differences (when recording) between a dedicated passive DI box, and plugging direct into a preamp/interface with a High-Z input?
For this track, I thought the mic-bass got swamped in the soft sound of the synths. That might be the right sound if there was a vocal or some bright guitars. But as it was, I preferred the articulation of the DI or the mixed bass.
Also: cool video effects and production!
If you've got a DI track, you can always re-amp. That gives you the flexibility to try different head, cabinet, and mic combinations.
Couple of notes.
The relatively low impedence of any transformer DI will roll of the high frequency detail of the signal.
The loud speaker in the Ampeg fliptop is very dark.
You can eq the DI to sound more like the mic but you're right, playing with the amp will inspire you to play in a certain way.
Last full album I recorded we went with both an active DI (tube one from Focusrite… ISA might be?) and blended a condenser mic in front of an Ampeg in its own room. Jazz with old rounds and the tone rolled off just like you did here. It was AMAZING
I run my Amp with a bit of dirt in front (always on). For me its both: Clean D.I. for the lowend, miced amp for the dirt
That’s a great way to do it!
I think it would be cool to use the clean punchy low end of the DI with the warm saturated mids and highs of the amp. Maybe even a third track with an uncompressed full spectrum of the DI sitting lower in the mix.
Great video! I'm definitely more of the DI persuasion, but always play with an amp, for me if nothing else. I play better when I can feel the vibrations and the air moving around me. That being said, I've been blown away by how far amp and cab sims have come. Depending on the software you're using, you can even choose which mic to simulate and exactly where you want to put it in the virtual studio. The only thing you miss from micing an actual cab are the organic noises it picks up: finger/string/fret noise and the ambient sounds and reverb of the studio itself like in Vulfpeck's Sky Mall when the leg falls off the Wurlitzer. Completely makes the song for me haha!
At the end of the day, I feel like the only one who knows/cares is us, but those little things do add up. It's like they say: the difference between ordinary and extraordinary is the extra.
Video for reference...too good not to share! ruclips.net/video/KaBBWWj5h_c/видео.html
the feel of an amp is definitely an important thing that a lot of people don’t consider. i often plug into my amp when i’m recording bass, even if i’m just taking a di not miking it up. the physical feel of an amp in the room helps a lot, even just as a “monitor”
Mic sounds awesome! As a player I'd wanna here mostly mic with some DI, probably 70/30. A producer might say otherwise. Thanks for sharing Phillip.
Thank you!
Combo sounds best to me in this instance, but DI if I had to only choose one. I usually use an amp sim (Fractal Audio FM3) which has a built in DI, but I go DI into my interface for latency free recording which unfortunately the FM3, as amazing as it is, doesn’t offer.
My first impression is I like the mic best, combined second, and straight DI 3rd, but I don’t dislike any of them. I also agree that it ultimately depends on the song.
Love the warmth of the cab and mic. In the mix, I like the addition of the DI to get some of the articulation and some zing as you said, in some applications can be useful. Overall, I totally agree with on the better feeling we get from the amp sound when performing. The DI being skinnier sounding, just makes the groove harder to obtain
Well said!
Awesome! For this track, I think the amp complimented the mood/style better. Do I see a mic'ed B15 x plugin comparison on the future?
I bought an SM-57 because I wanted to hear "the standard" mic... and also because I'm a newbie, and struggling to find local musicians. I've been considering trying to find some online gigs, but I'm timid because I've only been playing for a year.
Keep putting yourself out there and I’m sure you’ll find some cool people. And the 57 can be great on bass as well. Good luck!
IMO amps and mics were made for capturing signal - antiquated technology when you can capture digitally - I use my interfaces JFET DI and dial in the sound I want with amp sim and EQ - Not as fun as playing through a vintage amp of course
Phil!!! I missed you and your videos! lol
I’m currently DI only, as I don’t have a bass amp atm. Though, after getting my first guitar tube amp, I’d love to get a bass amp again and mic it.
The amp sound in the combined example filled out the landscape of the mix a bit more, adding some warmth. For this arrangement, I thought that was really nice, if you were adding more overdubs, I think I would pull the amp out a bit to make room for the other information.
i really appreciate what youre doing with these comparisons and nuanced commentaries. could you please disclose sponsors earlier in the video? it comes off as somewhat deceptive, even if i dont think thats your intention.
Nice video, love the artwork. In this context, a mic and a passive DI works just fine. As a live-soundengineer I come across a lot of bass-players who are using pedals, from a simple chorus to amp- and cabsims. Where do you place a DI in that signal-chain? Wanting to capture the artist's choise/flavour I'd say after all the pedals, wich more then often results in a less favourable bass-sound. So, I try to capture a clean bass-sound with a DI and translate the "artwork" with a mic on the cabinet. With more and more bands playing in-ears completely, sometimes there's not even a cab to put a mic in front. If they let me, I put a clean bass DI and a post-pedalboard DI as the prefered signalchain.
The DI + Amp sounds great. Amp alone was good too. DI sounds a little sharper and more modern to me
My concern with recording a bass amp mic’d up is I always get the best tones at high volumes which would cause my entire house to shake… low to medium volumes it all sounds anemic and muddy.
Live gigs have been so killer since getting the punchline, sending that to FOH, and using whatever house amp to move a bit of air on stage.
As live engineer, i always prefer both:
- Passive DI for the low end (heavily low-passed)
- Dynamic mic (M88, 421, D112) for the mid-high end (the grit of the mids and the clarity of the highs).
If you plays often overdriven or distorted, i prefer the direct out of the amp (if it's post-everything) rather than an external DI, but also in the combo with the mic!
Yip, similar, in the studio I use the DI signal from my Ampeg Portaflex PF-20T. Then to mic the cab (usually an Ampeg SVT210AV, 2x10"), I use an Electro-voice RE-20 to slightly more often to the 421 (prefer the older U for bass). Otherwise, I often use a Beyerdynamic m201, which is suprisingly good too. That is, when it's not being taken up on snare, where it really excels, for me. If the 421s, m201 and RE-20 are being taken up by the drums, I'll use an Audix D4 (kinda similar to 421 but a bit darker) or Audix D6 (subby, dubby, kinda similar to D112) and both are nice too. M88s and also 441s are a great mics I would love to own.
@compucorder64 totally agree, and I find really interesting how different people can describe the same thing. I usually say that the D112 sounds to me like an SM57 but with way more bass freqs 😂 I've never tried the D4, but I always thought that the tom mics sounds better on bass cabs rather than kick drum mics!
If you have the DI for the bass freqs, It do a great job also the e906. The proximity effect is a friend in those situations 😁
I think the DI on it's own has absolutely nothing wrong, and the mic sound alone has a lot missing as far as clear note beginnings and endings, the two of them together does have something really special that the DI doesn't have (probably the tube saturation on the sustained parts of notes). I view the use of several outputs on any instrument as an advanced form of multiband processing, and it makes sense to pull together a sound from several pieces of gear that shine in different frequency ranges rather than try to force one thing to hold it all. I personally wonder how the DI might sound getting the saturation from something like a compressor or a microphone preamp emulation. In the example track, I favored the blend of DI and mic'd cabinet.
I personally love my Colour Box (all the benefits of a DI but with the added option for saturation and tone-shaping) but would run an amp purely to push the sound of my preamp through a speaker cabinet if it were necessary for other people in a band to hear what I'm playing or to fill out the stage sound for audience down in the front where a PA might not reach. I might be more inclined to pick the option that highlights the more attention-seeking high frequency parts of a bass sound and I'm a little biased as a Jazz Bass fan and as a bass player myself. If I were thinking from an overall producer's standpoint of what serves the song best, I might choose something more understated. Purely as a listener, I've been enjoying the bass sounds from King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard which are a short-scale Serek bass into a Hiwatt 200, which has a swampy richness that still comes through so clearly both in electric and more acoustic contexts - it might be time to take my ears own advice and at least try a fully tube amp.
What's your thoughts on DIs with IRs, particularly if you can choose/ load several cabs, mics, and placements?
great video!!
Live I always prefer a good DI. In this case I would go for a combination of DI and mic … I forgot how good a jazz can sound 👍
Even tho I love your warm tones I challenge you to make some music with a zingy roundwond tone
Might be a fun “out of comfort zone” experiment and a cool video
My favorite amp is my Ashdown CTM-30, all tube bass amp, through an RM-210 & RM115. It's my most used amp, and it has a tube/output transformer driven line level DI. Tis type of DI can impose a third possible sound. How do these sound in comparison to a mic'ed cab and/or an inline DI?
Back last June you did a review of the CTM-15, where you drew the signal from the amp's DI output. I know you borrowed that amp from Ashdown at the Sweetwater Gearfest show. That runs the same as my CTM-30.
DI because I love definition
DI - gives you the most clarity for obvious reasons
Mic - you get a bit more warmth, it captures the cab and room
Both - that’s the way to go for me
Always record DI if you can. DI will always be higher fidelity than a mic on a cab. You can always process and re-amp etc., but it is impossible to gain fidelity after capture.
as always.. very instructive video ! Thanks. And .. i have a question. What kind of strings do you use on your mustang JMJ ? I realised that since the strings go through the body on this one, the regular Labella flatwounds shortscale strings are too short ... have you encountered this problem ? Long scale strings must be ok, except for the E string which will be a little too long. Maybe you have already talked about that somewhere ? Have a great day.
Great video brother! I have an interesting question for you (well interesting to me anyway lol). When I record guitar, I run my guitar through my amp, but my amp is DI'd into my interface. The amp has XLR so I am able to route direct to my recording software. Simultaneously, I am able to turn my amp up and feel the sound in the room through my amp and my desk monitors. So to your point about having it live through the amp in the room being a preference (which I pretty much agree with you on), do you think a setup like that would be even more beneficial? Like best of both worlds, I guess? Thanks Phil! Great stuff as always my guy!
I like both as individuals. I think that them combined doesn't sit nearly as well as one or the other
Just wondering if you know of a good budget bass guitar microphone, the cheapest I could find the one you used from Sweetwater is $800. I can't really justify buying that one for that price. I have used an SM58 in the past and I am ready to upgrade, but not an $800+ upgrade. I know it's also from your past video, but I would like to put in my vote for an updated DI video,, it's the one that I was searching for at the time and brought me to your channel. Thank you so much for the content, I know I've said it before, but yours is my favorite bass related channel.
Sorry, meant SM57, finding a good budget bass amp mic could even be it's own video. Thanks again.
mic, man; warm, a bit darker with lower volume, but it sounds fantastic
I like having both available.
Agreed!
Which headphones are you using Phil?
I want to hear more clear, more confident, more resolute bass performances instead of just sitting in sub bass range. Doesn't matter if it's an amp, di, sims or anything inbetween. It's more of a tonal choice, leads to different performing choices within the whole band/song.
A blend of both.
As a sound person, DI is always preferred.
I don't know why but the tumbnail made me think of Skate or Die
DI first and mic if needed, since the friggin 1980s, for bass.
The mic my favorite
Same
Anyone who plays with distortion has had the experience of sounding like broken glass because sound guys can't be bothered to deal with a microphone. The natural high cut of a speaker is crucial to bright and distorted bass sounds
I dont know why my church's DI just cannot reach a "Bass sound", but just a very "high" sound like strings sound.
Where would a DI or a Preamp with a DI sit on a pedalboard..? One that would be getting plugged into an interface..
Usually at the end of the chain. But it depends on what you want and what you like, of course. No rules, only recommendations. I (as a bass player) usually treat it like this: get the basic sound I want from the pedalboard, then go into a DI. In live situations, I like to split it there: the balanced signal from the DI goes to Front-of-House / the mixing console / interface and the through-signal goes to my (clean) amp.
3 distinct tones. All okay. For this song I liked the DI best.
Both
On this song, micrphone.
Mic if the sound guy likes it, in most cases they dont.
I use AI plugins for bass. No need for mics, DIs or slow bass players
Quad Cortex is better than any of this and way less work and equipment. I sold all y amps after owning it for a year.