CraigyJ Posted March 19, 2012 Author Share Posted March 19, 2012 [quote name='charic' timestamp='1332147966' post='1583774'] You can get a real warwick for that second hand... [/quote] Good call...hadn't considered second hand but I guess that would get me the best bass for the money...!! [quote name='redstriper' timestamp='1332163687' post='1584065'] what kind of bass are you using? sorry if you've already said. [/quote] I'm using a P bass clone...only cost £110 new so was never expecting much...but now I'm getting a lot better at mixing it really isn't up to the job..!! [quote name='Lewk' timestamp='1332166345' post='1584119'] a musicman sub.. great on a budget and versatile.. [/quote] Will check it out...thanks... CraigyJ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassmachine2112 Posted March 20, 2012 Share Posted March 20, 2012 Musicman SUB is a great bass and discontinued,not to be confused with the new built outside USA one. Epiphone t-bird pro iv not the standard one If you have a p-bass clone and it feels good to play maybe a Wizard thumper pick up or phone Andy at Wizard and tell him what sound your after. Vintage brand basses are pretty good out the box. A good pre-amp DI box makes basses come alive.Behringer do a good one-bdi21,get one s/h and if you don,t like it sell it on,doubt you will though and DI straight into board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shizznit Posted March 20, 2012 Share Posted March 20, 2012 A P bass is a staple choice for many players for recording and for 400 sterling’s you can pick up a decent one. They are no fuss, no nonsense...what you see is what you get basses. J basses are also very good to use as you have a bit more tonal flex. For direct recording you don’t need to spend a fortune on a bass, but make sure you find one that is comfortable to play for long periods as a cramping hand can really ruin your recording session. Depending on the job, 8/10 I will record with a passive tone and keep the EQ flat on the desk. Fresh strings, good quality strings are a must and make sure you have a spare set if you are recording continuously over several days (you may need to change them after 2 or 3 days when they start to darken in tone after you break them in). Also, make sure that your bass is well set up. The intonation bang on and try to avoid very low action heights. You can’t do much for a rattling bass and dead notes during the mix down, so you may have to sacrifice some comfort for a clean, workable tone. I am a firm believer in starting with a blank canvas, delivering a good performance and let the studio kit and the engineer do their magic in the mix down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CraigyJ Posted March 20, 2012 Author Share Posted March 20, 2012 Some more good info...thanks guys. After 20 odd years of playing guitar it's weird knowing nothing about an instument...I'm usually giving out advice in the guitar forums but I must confess I know nothing about bass..!! I think from what you guys have said a decent pick up and a good set of strings would be the first thing to try. Being a guitarist a new set of strings is even alien to me...I will often leave a set of strings on a guitar for a year or so...but it would seem with a bass they fade very quickly...something I didn't know...!! I think this P bass clone will be ok with some new pups and strings and a decent set up...I have to say for £110 the build quality is actually really good...!! CraigyJ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pinball Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 Hi, I'm recording at the moment and from my limited experience would like to plug Schecter Custom 4, which I bought cheap and has a good clear sound with active EMG hz's. I think these are great value as there are a few Custom or Stiletto's around. Ignore the cheaper models. I also liked a yamaha BB and a squire P bass I played recently. The owner pointed me to the P bass as the best good value guitar he had and I couldn't disagree. On another thread the Ibanez SR's were getting praise. I just scored a Spector Legend 4 Custom unseen so will be include my thoughts on that soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norris Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 [quote name='CraigyJ' timestamp='1332270407' post='1585914'] ... Being a guitarist a new set of strings is even alien to me...I will often leave a set of strings on a guitar for a year or so...but it would seem with a bass they fade very quickly...something I didn't know...!! ... [/quote] Some strings fade quicker than others. I've always used [url="http://www.stringsdirect.co.uk/products/8377-ernie_ball_4_string_bass_slinky_nickel_strings_50_105_regular_slinky_50_105"]Ernie Ball [/url]strings which are relatively cheap, readily available and hold their tone a lot longer than a lot of others I could mention. Going back to the bass, if a string and/or pickup swap doesn't sort your issues, maybe look at P/J basses - which have a precision-style humbucker neck pickup and jazz-style single coil bridge pickup. That will give you a good range of tones to play with. If you search for 'fender aerodyne' you'll see the sort of thing, although Squier and other makers do similar affordable basses of reasonable quality. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 Although not recording, I saw a music event on Sat, in which all the bassists were using a provided Peavey stack with a 2x15 cab. Only one bassist had problems with the sound, and that was the only bassist not using a Precision (nor a Fender). May not be the flashiest of basses, but they get the job done, and easy to dial in workable sounds quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brensabre79 Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 +1 on Precisions, there is a reason they are on more records than any other bass. I would get a proper setup and change the strings first (and always use the same type of strings after that). Thats just getting your bass playable and recordable. Always record dry, straight in to the desk (or via a pre-amp if you need an outboard) and don't do too much with effects/amp simulators - its really easy to overkill. I would also consider that the room you're mixing in - or the speakers may be giving you a false impression of where the bass is in the mix. Most home studios will have a resonance in the bass region that can make some notes BOOOOM and some vanish. Have a walk around, even leave the room with the track playing - you might find its not sitting badly in the mix at all, but the room/setup is making you think it is! My home studio gets boomy on certain notes, but having listened to CDs through it (and checking mixes through headphones) I've learned to deal with it. Even with a £110 bass, the pickups shouldn't be all that bad - it's not like you're doing bass solos etc. that require a more hi-fi sound is it? My favourite recording bass, out of all the ones I have (see below!) has a pair of Wilkinson pickups in it that cost me £20 (for both) and I usually just use the neck pickup. P.S. For what its worth, I used to use Amplitube, but I found that the bass sounds on it were generally not working for me at all. Now I use Ampeg SVX (after recording dry) in the way Simon said above, blend the DI track with the effected track. Most important of all... COMPRESSION - not too much, not too little. Good Luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeFRC Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 what brand cheap copy is it? It's just some basses (like the Ryder or SX) that cost less than yours but folk rave about them. I would think a setup would be the first step before spending money- and setting up a bass isn't too different to a guitar. Also it it is the E string that the problem is on watch you are not hitting that harder with the right hand. Try moving the hand back slightly towards the bridge- it's a different tone but may suit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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