Advice - first attempt recording bass

[nat whilk II]

To get some expressiveness into my home-brewed tracks, I've decided to give playing bass a try. Sequencing soft-synth parts for bass just won't cut it anymore - I'm tired of struggling with iffy results with that option.

 

I'm experienced on keys and acoustic guitar and such, but never really given bass a try either playing or recording, so I could use some tips and pointers.

 

What I've got is this:

-my son's Ibanez bass: SD-500 I think it is...active electronics. A pretty thing, but not a subtle beast.

- Basspod

- also a Yamaha fretless BB200F bass borrowed from a friend.

- a Crate BX-50 amp borrowed from the same friend...

 

I record into Sonar through an Emu 1820m. Also got a Presonus MP20 preamp. No mics very suitable for bass, I don't think. An AKG C3000 is the closest thing I've got and that's not very suitable for bass, right?

 

For my first attempt at a track, I want a dub-like bass tone. Nice and soft and full but not boomy or blurry or uneven. The fretless or the Ibanez? Fretless needless to say is a lot harder for me being a beginner on bass, but I'll give it a go if it works tone-wise.

 

I'll post up some clips later, but for starters - where would you start? Like I said, this is all new stuff for me. Should I forget about the Pod? Go direct? Try micing the amp? Run through the Presonus on the way to the 1820m? Go back to sequencing soft-synths????

 

Any advice appreciated...

 

nat whilk ii

[Neonfacelift]

Don't even mess with the amp. Just go straight form the BassPod to the line input. Try the "sub dub" model for that tone your going after.

[Lee Knight]

Yeah... I've put Sub Dub to good use many times. It's a nice preset.

 

Here's a tip: The best way to get great tone from recording bass is to listen to the effect your right hand fingers have on the tone. Move from the bridge to the fretboard and listen for the tone you want. That will effect things more than anything else. Once you've found the spot you like... train yourself to keep a steady volume from that right hand.

 

The more you can make it happen in the fingers... the more it'll sound like the great bass tracks you love.

[elsongs]

For dub bass, pluck the strings at the base of the neck rather than over the pickups. Also try playing through an envelope filter but don't trigger it via dynamics.