| DonM,
I know what you mean, for me its upright bass. It just eludes me.....
Without wishing to sound flip, a good bass sound is one that works in the track. The question is so broad that I find it difficult to be specific.
However it depends on what you want the bass to do.
Do you want it to provide bottom, punch,melody, groove? Is so entirely subjective and it is more about what you want it to do in the track.
I will audition both an amp and di and commit to a direction when I hear how it is supporting the song. I will say that a simplier approach is often the best policy. A good DI and bass cabinet ( not to mention a good player ) can go a long way to realizing the sound in your head. If you find you are hitting the eq and the compressor and more eq and are still unhappy, then stop. Go listen in the room, see if you like that sound and then see if that sound is being translated into the control room. If not check your signal path and try removing stuff.
If the bass player feels like you are capturing his / her sound accurately, perhaps then the issue lies somewhere else. If not , then experiment with a differnt di box, mic pre.
These days most basses sound very good indeed, but if its sounds awful, try another bass.
I cannot discern from your question whether you have the problem in your own studio or every studio? If its the former, then perhaps your monitoring is inaccurate.
Are u happy when you are recording, but disappointed when you take it outside?
So many parameters.
Perhaps you could define the situation a little more and I could be more specific.
Kevin |