Phantom Power: Mo' Better Bass
Jul 1, 2008 12:00 PM, By Doug Eisengrein
WISE MIC SELECTION, RE-AMPING AND SOUND ISOLATION HELP CAPTURE THE LOW END
Last month's Phantom Power focused on recording and miking tips for bass, but with only one page, much was left unsaid. So without further ado, dig into these additional tips for capturing this all-important sonic ingredient.
illustration by Skope 2-OSR
CHRONICALLY AMPED
As was discussed last month, recording a bass' direct signal through a quality active DI (direct injection) box or preamp is nearly always a good idea. Not only does that yield a largely uncolored bass sound as a foundation, but capturing a clean, direct signal provides a key ingredient for an often overlooked, yet very cool technique: reverse-amping, or re-amping for short. (Note: while commonly used nowadays, the term “reamp” is a registered trademark of legendary recording and mastering engineer John Cuniberti, the man behind the original reverse-amping device, the simply named Reamp). If you're not familiar with this concept, think of it as the opposite of a DI box. A DI receives your high-impedance unbalanced instrument signals and translates them to low-impedance, balanced mic-level signals, ready to be amplified into the mix. A re-amping device, such as Cuniberti's Reamp V.2 ($199; www.reamp.com), Radial Engineering's ProRMP ($115; www.radialeng.com) or X-Amp ($220) typically receives a +4 balanced signal (or signals) on XLR or ¼-inch jacks and converts them to unbalanced Hi-Z output signals, impedance-matched and ready for your amps and effects. That can serve a number of purposes. On the purely practical tip, once you get good bass takes recorded, the player doesn't have to keep recording take after take while the engineer makes minor tweaks to mic choices and positions, effects parameters and so on. Because re-amping does allow you to tweak all night or all year, the creative possibilities are endless. Want to sample 100 different bass amps or effects on the same bass track? Can do. Want to run the dry takes back through your favorite Ampeg, but mic the cabinet from the other side of a heavily reverberant room or tunnel to impart extreme space and texture? Not a problem. You get the picture.
MAX ISOLATION
In many a rehearsal, live gig or recording session, bass players are to drummers what small metal shards are to a magnet; they insist on sticking close together. This has its advantages and disadvantages when the red button lights up. On the positive side (as many a bassist will tell you), bassists and drummers really feed off one another and have certain synergies, sometimes creating complex sonic dances and other times simply locking tightly together, as in power rock or reggae. The downside, however, is often found in the mics — literally. In a close, shared space, there will inevitably be some bleed from the drums into your precious bass tracks, rendering them to some degree less mixable because you'll need to accommodate for that extra bleed-over in the mix. Worse, unless you're really going for something wild and experimental, it might mean no mixing the recorded bass tracks with alternate drum takes later. So what is an engineer to do?
On the practical side, try having the bassist and drummer run through a few takes in the recording session. Only after they seem really warmed up, record a few takes, either with the drummer in an isolation booth or by playing a prerecorded drum track through headphones for the bassist (preferably, a take from the warm-up that just finished, to retain that vibe). Also, do your research and acquire mics with a sound you like but that also provide really tight off-axis rejection. Before recording, walk all the way around the drums, find the spot where they seem the least loud and set up the bass there; consider putting the bass on the side of the drums nearer the floor toms, away from the oft-hit (and especially loud) hi-hat and snare. Start by positioning the bass player such that the most critical mic is facing 180 degrees from the drums, but also try different angle variations to discover the point of maximum isolation in the recordings. After doing that a few times, you will then know the best isolation angle for that particular mic. Finally, when the drummer and bass player insist on being in the same room when recording, do whatever you can to isolate the mic itself; put a large box, unsecured bass trap or anything else at your disposal (even a person) between it and the drums.
PSYCHED TO MIC
Choosing mics for bass is a very subjective decision, and in a crunch anything can do; of course it depends upon the particular bass being recorded. However, there are some mics considered by many to be staples for bass, ranging from run-of-the-mill dynamics to the most expensive vintage tube condensers. As an all-around workhorse, the Sennheiser MD 421 II ($598; www.sennheiser.com) will often fit the bill, especially on bass cabinets. Its high sound-pressure level (SPL) capacity and unique five-position bass roll-off switch, which can be helpful with close-proximity use, make the ubiquitous 421 quite a useful dynamic cardioid. Another sweetheart in the dynamic realm is the Shure Beta 52A ($336; www.shure.com). Most commonly used on kick drums, the Beta 52A sports a supercardioid pattern, which is useful for two things. First, it is really good at rejecting nonintended sources from the rear and side, and second, it is particularly sensitive to proximity effect, which means you can tailor your sound quite effectively just by moving it in and out. If you're lucky enough to either own or have access to one, you practically cannot go wrong with a classic Neumann U 47 fet (discontinued; www.neumann.com). If you are looking for warmth and rich harmonics, look no further than this supercardioid large-diaphragm condenser. Finally, if your wallet isn't quite big enough for one of those oysters, never fear; check out the more affordable (and still in production) Blue Microphones Mouse ($1,699; www.bluemic.com). A cardioid condenser, this 20 Hz to 20 kHz-rated mic boasts emphasis on the low frequencies, but is very versatile, as well.
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