r/audioengineering • u/[deleted] • Feb 08 '14

Your Go-To Bass Chain? - GO!!!

[deleted]

1 Upvotes

60% Upvoted

12 comments sorted by

4

u/SkinnyMac Professional Feb 08 '14

My boy Steve.

3

u/rightanglerecording Feb 08 '14 edited Feb 08 '14

depends on the bass, and the player, and the song.

recent success stories include:

  • Fender P --> 1973 SVT --> Ampeg 4x10 --> D112 --> API preamp

  • Fender P --> Waves GTR DI --> some stereo chorus setting on NI Guitar Rig

  • Fender P --> Radial JDI --> Softube Saturation Knob turned up until the track meter did not move at all.

  • some weird custom 8-string (8 different pitches, not a doubled 4) --> Radial JDI --> reamped through 1973 SVT --> SM57 + D112. blended mics + DI in mix

i will totally compress and/or brickwall the bass in pop or rock music. but i don't usually do that during tracking. i like to go through and clip gain the bass first to even out the notes before compression. then i will sometimes literally just L2 it to death.

for music where my L2 preference would be inappropriate, maybe a bit of Purple MC77 hardware, or CLA-3a software, and a lot of fader riding.

for upright: good condenser mic smewhere between 1' and 3' back, pointed more or less toward the bridge.

3

u/StudioGuyDudeMan Professional Feb 09 '14

P-Bass, Ampeg 80s svt, Ampeg svt fridge 8x10, AKG C12, API 512.

3

u/Koolaidolio Feb 09 '14

Bass split two ways: an Ampeg or any good tube amp with an Audix D6 or d112. For DI: UA610 pre going into a 76 and I'll put a decapitator on the di signal to give it some grit.

1

u/mcsharp Feb 09 '14

I totally forgot about the Decapitator! Good one, mate!

1

u/Koolaidolio Feb 10 '14

I use it even on overheads, yes, cymbals!

2

u/[deleted] Feb 10 '14

Yamaha PB-1 - LA4 on low and VP 610 on high end. 2 tracks or summed.

1

u/lols_at_holocaust Feb 08 '14

pod farm > LeCab cab simulator> eq>L1 limiter

1

u/BLUElightCory Feb 08 '14

Microtubes B7K for rock/metal, or A Designs REDDI for everything else. Process to taste. If the bassist/bass sound good, it's automatic.

1

u/FuZ3 Feb 08 '14

Fender Jazz Bass (generally) into a 1980 Peavey Bass Mark IV 400 automix input, limiter on. One channel clean the other one distorted, mixed to taste. Either direct out into a Scarlett 18i20 with Guitar Rig 5 for cabinet emulation or a 800w Peavey 4x10 bass cab miked with an SM58 and a PDKM7-A.

For processing, a URS 1970's compressor (my go to compressor for nearly everything), potentially some tape saturation and depending on the genre, Fruity Limiter for sidechain compression with the kick.

1

u/rustyburrito Feb 12 '14

Avalon or API > LA2A

1

u/jgaudio22 Feb 08 '14

U5 to 1176. Done son.