Login

Signup

• Home
• Learn
  • Articles
  • Dictionary
• Blog
• About Us
  • What is Audio Mecca
  • Why We’re Here to Help You
  • How We’ll Help You
• Contact

  Recording bass guitar in your home studio isn’t all that much more complicated than recording any other instrument.  However, as with any type of home recording there are definitely a few tips and tricks out there that can make the entire process go a lot smoother – and help you achieve the exact results that you are looking for.  Making sure that you are working with the right gear, and in the right space before you start recording can save you significant headaches down the road.

There are two main camps when it comes to recording bass guitar at home:  going with direct input (DI) or choosing to mic one of your amplifiers.  Which of these methods will give you the best results depends on your own personal situation.  Let’s take a look at the major differences between each when recording bass guitar.

At first, it might seem as though simply using a microphone to record yourself playing through an amplifier is the simplest home recording solution, and in many ways it is.  After all, you just stick the mic on a stand, hit record and start to play, right?  Not so fast.  While it might be easy enough to record your bass playing with a simple mic setup, actually getting the exact sound and quality you are looking for is much, much more difficult.  

Essentially, the sound captured by the microphone you are using is going to be influenced by three things.  The first is the brand and style of mic you choose to use.  If you thought buying a bass and choosing what type of strings would best suit your sound was complicated, then prepare to be overwhelmed by the sheer number of microphone options out there on the market.  Each mic will sound different on the final recording, and while the differences might be subtle they are definitely there.  Ultimately, you will need to audition several different microphones before deciding which one offers you the type of results that you are looking for.

This leads us directly to the next issue – the room you are recording in.  It is very common to try out a microphone at a gear shop, be satisfied with what you hear, and then take it home to discover that it gives you completely different results in your own studio.  The reason for this discrepancy is that the room you are recording in plays a huge role in shaping the sound of your bass guitar.  There are many home recording enthusiasts who think that merely soundproofing a room is all that is required in order to get the best results when using a live mic.  While keeping out external noise is indeed important, there are other aspects of sound design to consider when putting together a home studio – particularly when it comes to recording bass instruments.

The biggest obstacle when it comes to room design and bass guitar recording is dealing with standing waves.  While acoustic foam might absorb high frequency noise and reduce echo in a room, it doesn’t have much of an effect on low-frequency bass sounds.  This means that when you play your bass, the low-end frequencies produced will bounce from wall to wall, creating standing waves of sound that move across the room.  These waves interact to change what the microphone hears depending on where in the room it is located.  While you might be happy with the tone of the bass guitar that you can hear over at the mixing console from your monitors, it might not line up at all with what the microphone actually captured, which could lead to your mix sounding either very thin or too booming when listening to it outside of your studio.

Standing waves are usually a bigger problem in studio spaces with parallel walls, as found in rectangular or square-shaped rooms.  Given that most home studios share this type of layout, if you choose to record your bass guitar with a live mic – or even mix over monitors – it is important to install bass traps.  Bass traps can be built out of plywood and insulation, or purchased from audio equipment shops, and they are framed panels or wedges of varying shapes and sizes that absorb bass frequencies and prevent them from reflecting around a room and causing a standing wave problem.  They are typically mounted either in the corners of a room or the ceiling, although each studio will be different and in some cases the three walls facing the amplifier or monitor speakers will need treatment as well.

Still interested in using a live microphone to capture your bass guitar playing?  Then there is one last thing to consider:  microphone placement.  Where you put the microphone in relation to the amplifier will play a huge part in shaping the final recorded sound.  You will need to experiment with distance, angle and microphone height in order to get the best results for your desired tone.

The DI route eliminates many of the above issues, with the exception of dealing with standing waves when it comes time to mix your recording in your studio.  A direct input recording makes use of a special box that replaces your usual amplifier, allowing you to line your bass guitar in directly to the soundboard.  Don’t try lining in your bass guitar to your recording console or computer setup without a DI amplifier – your pickups do not produce the level of signal required to make a good recording without some help from the box itself, and your results will sound tinny and hollow.

The simplicity of this type of setup is easy to understand – there is no need to audition microphones, worry about exterior noise or fiddle around with microphone placement or amplifier settings.  The quality of your recording, however, will be strongly influenced by the DI box itself.  You should definitely try out a number of different DI boxes before settling on one which replicates the tone and sound that you prefer.  You will also need to make sure that it offers the kind of EQ or FX settings that are important to you, if you are not interested in tackling these kinds of issues in post-production.

A popular DI method is to use an external sound card and record directly to a computer’s hard drive.  The advantage of this type of DI over a standalone recording is that it is often easier to manipulate the recorded sound using a software suite than it is with traditional gear.  Not all bass guitar players are comfortable with the extra costs associated with software recording, or the quality of digital sound editing, so as with all equipment, make sure you get the chance to try before you buy.

DI might seem like a ‘magic bullet’ for simple bass guitar recording in your home studio, but it does come with some caveats.  While a DI box eliminates the complications that come from micing a live environment, it also cuts out the atmosphere and ambience that are so important in a good recording.  In order to avoid a sound which is too ‘dry’ or thin, you will need to simulate a live room using echo and reverb effects.  This can be done on the DI box itself, using effects on your recording rig or during post-production.  Unless you are specifically going for an artificially dry sound, it is crucial to recreate the sonic characteristics of a live room to give your bass guitar track the vibrancy it deserves to really stand out in the mix.

Recording your bass guitar at home might not be a simple plug and play experience, but it’s definitely a rewarding one.  It is important to keep in mind that whatever route you decide to take when committing your bass lines to tape or digital files, you should always make sure to experiment and to have fun in the process.  Some of the most innovative bass guitar sounds have come from unexpected sources, and you might find that deviating from tried and true methods while recording can yield exciting and impressive results that you had never planned for.  Music is about creativity, and you should never feel that you must follow a paint-by-numbers approach when recording.  Try something new – you just might surprise yourself.