This week we worked on recording the bass guitar part for our multitrack recording project. We started by deciding how we want to record the bass, either through an amplifier or as a DI signal. We decided to use both and blend them together to get a better all round sound.
We started by setting up the DI box which allowed us to take the line in signal (the bass guitar) and split the signal into a thru connection (Bass Amp) and a line out (To the Desk). This meant that when playing the bass we would get a signal to both the bass amp and a direct signal to the desk. We turned the ‘ground lift’ switch on to eliminate the ground-related noise along the line. Once we had ensured that we were getting a signal into the desk from the DI signal we then moved onto the thru signal to the amplifier.
For the bass amplifier we wanted to experiment with different microphones to see which one gave us the best sound for our track. For this we used two microphones – an AKG D112 and an AKG C414. We placed the mics at equal distances from the centre of the cone so each mic was picking up a similar sound. We then went back to the control room and listened to each microphone on its own and with the DI signal. We decided that the AKG D112 was the better of the two as its large diaphragm offered a low resonance frequency that was ideal for capturing the bass sound we wanted for our track.
Once we had the amplifier and microphones set up, we set up a headphone mix using the guide tracks and drum tracks recorded last week and balanced the input signals from the DI and the amplifier. Once we were happy with the blend we recorded the bass guitar track.
Microphone List and Channel Guide
Ch. 13 – Bass Amplifier 1: AKG D112 (Close miking Bass amp)
Ch. 14 – Bass Amplifier 2: AKG C141 (Close miking Bass amp)
Ch. 15 – Direct signal from DI Box
