Recording advice/equipment/techniques

[dflateau]

Hi all,

I just purchased a '74 4001 (Mapleglo, just restrung with SM66s) that I want to do some recording with (going after the classic picked Squire sound), but Im starting from scratch with recording equipment. I've done a bunch of internet searching, and of course, there seems to be many opinions about the best way to record, but wanted RR's take on it. What's your most successful technique for recording, processing, and mixing Rics?

I've read that many people go with DI, with maybe the best way via Rick-o-sound into two DIs. People seems to like the Line 6 Bass Pod (not made anymore? is the Pod HD any good?), Markbass Superbooster, Tech 21 Sansamp/RBI, and others as their DI, with a variety of other compressors and outboard preamps in the mix.

If you were going to invest in one setup to try first, what would you recommend?

Thanks in advance!

D

[jps]

Welcome, David!

You will find there is no one best way to get there. Enjoy the journey of discovering what will work best for you.

[antipodean]

I agree 100% with Jeff, but will recount my favoured equipment any way....

I retired my trusty Bass Pod this year in favour of a Pod X3 Live, which I'm using live in front of my GK as well as for recording.

Pros:
- Built like a tank;
- Huge range of usable amp and FX models;
- Flexible outputs (stereo/mono, balanced and unbalanced);
- Interfaces well with a range of recording software (particularly Reason).

Cons:
- User interface can be non-intuitive due to huge number of variables you have to play with (amp models, FX, cabinet models, blah blah blah....);
- Huge model universe can make it hard to find exactly what you want (the "spoilt for choice" syndrome).

These are no longer made but a used one should not be a big risk, particularly given how cheap they are on ebay...

[dflateau]

Thanks Evan and Jeff.

Evan - is the X3 Live the successor to the XT Live? It looks sturdier, at least than the XT live.

[cjj]

Welcome to the RRF, Davin!

I can't say I've done a lot of recording with them, but I do like the SansAmp products. I run separate SansAmp RPM units in a Rick-O-Sound setup, one for each pickup. It gives you the ability to set the tone/drive, etc. for each pickup separately. I used to run with an RBI and an RPM, but went to 2 RPM units, mostly because I found it easier to deal with two units that were the same and I like the sweepable midrange.

The RBI is a great unit too, a little more tailored for bass than the RPM...

[woodyng]

I've used the Line6 bass pod,and thought the results were "ok". I bought a Tech 21 VT pedal to use as a master tone for my Markbass amp,(and which i find indispensible now). When I recently was asked to re-record bass tracks for a couple of songs i thought to try out the VT pedal plugged direct,and it sounded fantastic. I also don't use any compression when playing live or recording,although i am sure at some point in the mixing/mastering stages the bass track will have some compression added.

[jps]

Oops, sorry about misspelling your name Davin!

I have used a lot of stuff over the decades for recording my basses; probably the closest I have gotten to a Squire type of sound was with my former '08 4003 that had a scatterwound toaster and a magnetic horseshoe pickup in it (no surprises, there ) run through a Sansamp VT Bass into an Aphex Punch Factory and then to the recorder (ADAT). I had TI Jazz Rounds on the bass.

[dflateau]

Thanks again for your input everyone - very helpful!

Does the Sansamp RBI or RPM contain the same sound/features as the VT pedal, or is the pedal completely its own separate thing in terms of sound?

[woodyng]

I imagine the VT pedal,with only 5 controls for gain,frequencies,etc,is a lot less complex,but i think Tech 21 products all work similarly. I have a Landmark 300 head that has 2 differently configured channels,but it is somewhat similar to the VT in setting up sounds. The beauty of the VT is in its simplicity in getting myriad tones set up.

[antipodean]

Thanks Evan and Jeff.

Evan - is the X3 Live the successor to the XT Live? It looks sturdier, at least than the XT live.

I believe so. I skipped a couple of generations of Pod so I'm hazy on the Pod 2.0 and XT.

My favourite setting at the moment is a custom job based on the normal channel of an AC50 which saves me dragging my AC50 to gigs (or across the home studio). Great sound for swing and 60s pop using flatwounds (pretty cool for dub too...). I like the GK and Eden models for a more "sinister" rock sound with rounds. Versatility is the strong point of the line6 gear, possibly at the expense of focus when compared with Tech 21. If you want access to a broad range of tones for not much $$$, the X3 is the go. If you're after a very specific tone that falls within the Tech 21 palette, then the appropriate Tech 21 unit will be better IMHO.

[johnhall]

The Line 6 X3 is absolutely brilliant. I have both the rack and Live (floor board) versions. They have essentially the same software and functions, except that the Live unit has appropriate selector buttons and volume/wah pedal. But they both have a USB port, not only for direct digital recording but also for full access to the tone banks. We often dial in the sounds we want during recording using the computer to the rack unit, then later save the final result to the floor unit, identifying it by song name. Also, since the bank switches on the floor unit support access to multiple memory locations, we store several tones for each song, for instance an embellished tone or more drive for the bridge section. I also usually add a couple of "higher energy" variations to the spare buttons so that Bob can choose to bump things up a bit live if need be.

As stated before they don't make this unit anymore- while there are newer floor units, currently there's not a "matched pair" like this anymore, making the current product less attractive to me. (The rack unit also has phantom power and some very nice preamps for both acoustic guitar and mics, so the newer floor-only units simply aren't as versatile.

By the way, the X3 Live floorboard fits in our mandolin case perfectly, as if it were a custom-made case!

[dflateau]

John,

Wow - thanks for the recommendation! I didn't know it could send audio via the USB.

I ended up picking up a Tech21 RPM and the X3 on ebay - looking forward to putting them through the paces.

John - do you do a lot of recording these days? Sounds like you've been in the studio a bit!

Davin