SurferBill
Joined: Dec 20, 2009
Posts: 611
Jax, FL
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Posted on Jan 23 2010 08:41 PM
I was in Guitar Center today talking to the recording guys about various mics. I told them I use an Audix i5 for all my speaker micing. One guy said I should be using a DI box direct to my board for my bass. Does anyone here do that? Pros and cons? I guess it works for Geddy Lee.
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Mel
Joined: Feb 25, 2008
Posts: 321
Canada's Wet Coast
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Posted on Jan 23 2010 09:47 PM
SurferBill
I was in Guitar Center today talking to the recording guys about various mics. I told them I use an Audix i5 for all my speaker micing. One guy said I should be using a DI box direct to my board for my bass. Does anyone here do that? Pros and cons? I guess it works for Geddy Lee.
We've used the Radial JDI for both live and recording work. We found it one of the cleanest DI's that retained all of the bass characteristics for recording and also give a very clean, consistent signal. We've used it for both active and passive bass, and I've used it on passive and active guitars. Although many advise that the JDI is meant for active pickups, we find it works just as well with passive pickups.
We run the XLR out to a Soundcraft board. Should the bass need to be miked, once we have the raw JDI track, we can use a Radial XAMP to send the track back to the amp so we can mike it to get the sound required.
Live, it really helps because we run the signal in the FOH system, for recording it just makes it a lot easier than miking the amp and the bassist loves the sound of it.
The cons with using a DI is finding one that gives you the sound that is acceptable to you and that none of the good quality DI boxes are low cost. There are a number to pick from, many of which also alter the sound of the bass itself (like the BassBone series), or the SansAmp.
Mel
— Mel
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JakeDobner
Joined: Feb 26, 2006
Posts: 12159
Seattle
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Posted on Jan 23 2010 10:03 PM
SurferBill
I was in Guitar Center today talking to the recording guys about various mics. I told them I use an Audix i5 for all my speaker micing. One guy said I should be using a DI box direct to my board for my bass. Does anyone here do that? Pros and cons? I guess it works for Geddy Lee.
Do both DI and mic'ing. Why not? Also, remember the guys at Guitar Center just want to sell you stuff and that they likely have different tastes in music which involves engineering the mics differently.
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WoodyJ
Joined: Apr 05, 2006
Posts: 1544
Bethlehem, GA
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Posted on Jan 24 2010 12:23 AM
I've recorded bass both ways, with a DI box and mic'ing the speaker. I get a more natural bass tone mic'ing the speaker. But I doubt that a non-musician can tell the difference between a mic'd bass and one that was recorded direct.
The best results I've had are with a Shure Beta 52. This mic works great on kick drum as well.
— Jack Booth
(aka WoodyJ)
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Paisley
Joined: Sep 15, 2008
Posts: 110
Melbourne, Australia
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Posted on Jan 24 2010 03:59 PM
A DI is a much more convenient method & less prone to spill from outside noises, although I find a nice Amp mic'd up has much more "life" in the sound. Both ways will give different results, & can be used together to good effect. I've sometimes used a mic'd Amp signal & mixed in some mids from a DI; that was pretty effective.
Some of the better DIs I've found for Bass are the old Boss ones (reasonably priced), Countryman (expensive), & the Avalon U5 (ridiculously expensive...). Something you might want to consider is the Aphex Punch Factory; it's a combined Compressor/DI pedal. The Compressor is simple (2 knobs) & works particularly well for Bass; it also has a defeat switch in case you want to just use it as a straight DI (although a little compression can be very effective for getting a good signal down to your Tape/DAW.
Another one is the Sansamp Bass DI, which gives you some tonal control as well.
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dp
Joined: Feb 26, 2006
Posts: 3546
mojave desert, california
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Posted on Jan 25 2010 11:05 AM
When I record electric bass, I typically run two distinct tracks simultaneously: a DI track and a bass cabinet track. I find that the DI tends to present more "finger response" or "attack" sorts of sounds. Also the DI is very discreet and offers no real outside noise. My Gallien Krueger 800RB has an XLR out of the pre-amp section that works fine for my current DI needs. It's a little bit noisy, but not too bad for home recording.
In the past, I have had good luck with Sans Amp and Countryman DI boxes.
When I mic the cab(s), I find that much more of the full-bodied "bass-iness" comes through...as well as more "twang" and "boing"...
so, in short, the DI seems to provide definition and the mic(s) seems to provide body to the overall recorded tone signals.
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dp
Joined: Feb 26, 2006
Posts: 3546
mojave desert, california
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Posted on Jan 25 2010 11:09 AM
by the way, when playing live, I do the same thing: GK preamp XLR out to PA/ FOH sound system + mic the cabs...
If there's no PA system...well I just turn up the amps a bit more and surf it with pure live stage sound (ala Dick Dale)!
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surfer
Joined: Apr 12, 2007
Posts: 428
South Florida
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Posted on Jan 27 2010 09:40 AM
The Countryman FET 85 is the way to go. Live or studio, Mic (AKG D12) my fav, listen and combine in the mix.
— www.cutbacksurfband.com
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TsunamiFive-0
Joined: Feb 03, 2010
Posts: 9
Central Minnesota
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Posted on Feb 21 2010 08:29 PM
The SansAmp units are great and I had a Line 6 Bass POD which has a lot of cool tones in it.
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IK-Obi
Joined: Feb 22, 2011
Posts: 11
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Posted on Feb 22 2011 09:04 PM
I think it depends on the track and situation. Sometimes a DI works best and other times a mic on a cab works best.
With the mic you have your tone and done but with a DI you can take that and mangle it running it through Ampeg SVX or even layering it with the Mic'd bass after getting the phase right.
Best thing to do is experiment and then experience will help you decide.
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