How to Record Electric Bass Guitar

Nothing holds the bottom end in place like the bass guitar. It's what creates a foundation and a groove for the song. Establishing a tight performance with the drummer is what separates the men from the boys.

Here I will show you a few techniques for getting the most out of recording the electric bass guitar.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Bass guitar
• Direct box
• Bass amplifier (optional)
• DAW
• Computer

1. Determine which bass guitar will work best for the song. Often the bass with fewer options is more beneficial in the studio.
   
   It's not uncommon for a bassist accustomed to performing live to come into the studio with a bass that has every little do-dad available. This can often become detrimental to getting the best bass sound on record.
   
   The most common basses used are the Fender Jazz and Precision. These are very simplified and stripped down in terms of on-board processing.

2. Determine whether you intend to utilize a bass amplifier, direct box or both.
   
   Using a bass amplifier is great for most types of music. It will give a warmth, punch and girth that most would associate with a stage amplifier. Though for the past few years I have gotten some of the best bass sounds from just a direct box or the D.I. input on a microphone preamp.

3. For amps I like the Ampeg B-12. It's a small combo amp with one speaker. It's very easy to control and has everything we need to get a big, punchy sound.
   
   I tend to gravitate toward the A-Designs REDDI for the bulk of most bass recordings. It is a passive tube direct box, that when sent to the D.I. input of a clean, fast preamp, will sound like it's on steroids.

4. If you choose to mic the amplifier, a couple of good options are the AKG D112 and the EV RE-20.
   
   I have had luck with both of these.
   
   Usually placing them directly in front of the amp's speaker cone will result in more punch.

5. I seldom use any EQ or compression when recording bass guitar. It's much easier to dial in a solid and stable sound using just the controls on the bass, amp and mic preamp.
   
   Now press record and lay down your groove thang!

Tips & Warnings

• Try to avoid adding excessive EQ when tracking bass. It is quite common to expect to hear more bass frequency, though there are various physical anomalies that can play a part in what you are hearing. If the control room is not acoustically treated, then what you hear can be deceiving. Keep it simple. If more bass frequencies are needed, they can easily be added later in the mix.