getting a good bass sound

[brianburleson]

my band will be recording soon and i just want some feedback on what is the ideal way to record bass and get a good sound. i have a sans amp rbi i was thinking about using, but i'm not sure if it would just be better to run direct out from the back of my ampeg svt-4pro. would that be essentially the same as using a tube di since the svt-4pro ulitizes three 12ax7s in the preamp? also, should i mic the cab? any help would be appreciated.

[scarecrowX52]

Well, if it were me I'd try micing the cab AND running a DI signal from both the 4 Pro 7 the RBI. Assuming you have enough inputs/track to do this. Then you can blend and mix the different signals together till you're hapy with them.

If this isn't possible to do the whole recording you can try doing one song like this, and then comparing the different sounds from each track so you can decide what you like best. Or if inputs are really limited, you can record the same song three times, (once with each different method), and then compare the tracks to find what sounds best to you.

[drsecret]

I personally love pyramid gold strings. Smooth round sound.
I use them with an emg pj set and it is pure magic.

[Jazzmuffin]

I'd have to agree with ScarecrowX. If you have the inputs available to enable you to have more than one Bass track then lay them down and test them out.

I'd have to say I wasn't happy with my pure DI'd sound when recording because I felt it lacked depth and warmth.

We've recently been back to the studio and my Bassist Mic'd and DI'd his amp and as long as you have a good engineer at the helm, they should know how to blend the two to give you the tonal qualities you desire.

Mmm, tubey, thumpy, rolling, glassy Basslines.... :p

Good luck soldier!

[berarduur]

Yes, put as many tracks down as possible and try them out (wich one sounds best for wich part)

I also love to add a OD pedal to the bass (with a low gain and normal volume) set that you don't have a breakup, but some part of natural compression to the signal. It really makes the sound tighter, more aware and just more in the mix.

[homegrownchode]

I would blend the Direct out from the amp with a good bass drum mic on the cabinet. You can use compression and eq to make it a bit punchier. The direct out should give you a little more oomph, and the mic will give you more tone/warmth.