Bass recording suggestions for portable setup

Rasmus Faber · 16th March 2008

Hi

I am going to record bass (a Fender Jazz bass), on a portable rig. The setup is a macbook pro, with apogee duet.

Looking for something to put between the bass and the apogee input, that also should be at least fairly portable.

Any suggestions?

/Rasmus

baikonour · 16th March 2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rasmus Faber

Hi

I am going to record bass (a Fender Jazz bass), on a portable rig. The setup is a macbook pro, with apogee duet.

Looking for something to put between the bass and the apogee input, that also should be at least fairly portable.

Any suggestions?

/Rasmus

Bass POD XT...Honestly it rocks.

Nu-tra · 16th March 2008

did you want a bass amp simulator or a good di box? My DI box choice would be a radial jdi.

js1 · 16th March 2008

For uncolored sound, any good DI (Radials sound good, reasonably priced).

For a more "amp" sound, a SansAmp BDDI.

js

beyarecords · 16th March 2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rasmus Faber

Looking for something to put between the bass and the apogee input, that also should be at least fairly portable.

REDD DI

Kiwiburger · 16th March 2008

By portable, do you mean battery operated? You wouldn't be trying to get away from AC hum with that Jazz pup perhaps??

That would rule out a lot of AC powered equipment - not a bad move in my opinion, because I struggle to eliminate hum all the time.

A Radial JDI (passive Jensen transformer) works great with a good preamp, and obviously needs no power. I don't think you would go wrong. If you need to improve your preamp, and stay portable, the Neve Portico modules can run off a car battery.

If you need more color, or real tubes, you can reamp back in the studio. At that point, the clean pickup sound is locked in, so no worries with hum.

I don't really understand the much love for Sansamp BDDI. I have one - and admit there was a time I liked it enough to get rid of my Bass Pod Pro. But I find it untolerably noisy when used as a DI in front of a mic preamp. It can provide a bass boost and some mild distortion, and chops out a lot of midrange. It's fairly amp-like, in a noisy, smeary sort of way. I wouldn't want to commit to this as my only DI track.

Something i've found to be very real is that bass requires good headroom (voltage) and good power reserve (current). Small things that can starve a circuit of high transient power peaks - even "power conditioners" can make a bass sound gutless. If using portable DC stuff, I would want large batteries that can deliver the current. I would be suspicious of low voltage stuff - and prefer 18V to 9V options. The Neve Portico can run on 12V because it converts it internally to 70V, and it has a high current draw (Class A - runs warm) and needs a car battery.

Just my 2 cents.

16th March 2008	#1
Rasmus Faber Gear maniac Joined: Jun 2007 Posts: 260 Thread Starter	Bass recording suggestions for portable setup Hi I am going to record bass (a Fender Jazz bass), on a portable rig. The setup is a macbook pro, with apogee duet. Looking for something to put between the bass and the apogee input, that also should be at least fairly portable. Any suggestions? /Rasmus

16th March 2008	#3
Nu-tra Lives for gear Joined: Oct 2005 Posts: 3,305	did you want a bass amp simulator or a good di box? My DI box choice would be a radial jdi. __________________ http://www.nu-tra.com

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16th March 2008	#4
js1 Lives for gear Joined: Nov 2003 Posts: 619	For uncolored sound, any good DI (Radials sound good, reasonably priced). For a more "amp" sound, a SansAmp BDDI. js

16th March 2008	#6
Kiwiburger Lives for gear Joined: Feb 2006 Posts: 4,075	By portable, do you mean battery operated? You wouldn't be trying to get away from AC hum with that Jazz pup perhaps?? That would rule out a lot of AC powered equipment - not a bad move in my opinion, because I struggle to eliminate hum all the time. A Radial JDI (passive Jensen transformer) works great with a good preamp, and obviously needs no power. I don't think you would go wrong. If you need to improve your preamp, and stay portable, the Neve Portico modules can run off a car battery. If you need more color, or real tubes, you can reamp back in the studio. At that point, the clean pickup sound is locked in, so no worries with hum. I don't really understand the much love for Sansamp BDDI. I have one - and admit there was a time I liked it enough to get rid of my Bass Pod Pro. But I find it untolerably noisy when used as a DI in front of a mic preamp. It can provide a bass boost and some mild distortion, and chops out a lot of midrange. It's fairly amp-like, in a noisy, smeary sort of way. I wouldn't want to commit to this as my only DI track. Something i've found to be very real is that bass requires good headroom (voltage) and good power reserve (current). Small things that can starve a circuit of high transient power peaks - even "power conditioners" can make a bass sound gutless. If using portable DC stuff, I would want large batteries that can deliver the current. I would be suspicious of low voltage stuff - and prefer 18V to 9V options. The Neve Portico can run on 12V because it converts it internally to 70V, and it has a high current draw (Class A - runs warm) and needs a car battery. Just my 2 cents.