Now we're gettin' personal (Evil Grin) this is what I play!!!

Watch your self with this part! Though I am the bassist I can't let that effect the way I approach
a recording project! I've heard alot of recordings that were done by the drummer or guitarist or whoever
in the band & guess which instrument is BLAZING over the top of everything else!!!

GETTING DIRECT

The way I usually record the bass is the direct route, I run a line from the "preamp out" of my
amp to a channel on the board. You can also use a "Direct Box" which is a box you plug your bass
into (not necessarily just the bass) to bring the "Line Level" signal down to a level that the
mic preamp on your board can handle.

You can also MIC the cabinet, but unless you have a really good dynamic, large diaphram microphone
you'll lose some frequency response. So if someone "really" likes the sound coming from the amp
(there's nothing wrong with that) & wants that sound, you can use the best dynamic mic you have & try
it. If it seems to be lacking some "ummpff" try mixing it with a "Direct" signal to get the lowest
frequencies from that. Sometimes you can get a more natural sound by mixing the direct signal with the
mic'ed cabinet. EXPERIMENT!!!

Also, try to make sure the bass player has at least fairly new strings on his/her bass...
Dead strings = Dead sound!

GETTING IT ON TAPE

If you have a compressor, I would definitly use it on the bass... I will compress the bass going to tape
because it smooths out the "hot spots" or "peaks" that most basses seem to have. It will also keep you
from overdriving your tape machine (if you go over "0Db" on a digital machine, your cooked!) So
watch your levels!

Watch your settings on the compressor when you use it on an instrument that has alot of bottom end...
If the release time is set too short, the compressor action can follow the individual cycles of
the wave form causing harmonic distortion. Some settings I start with are...

COMPRESSION RATIO = around 2:1 (2 to 1)
ATTACK TIME = around 10ms (10 milliseconds) set this shorter if bassist uses a pick.
RELEASE TIME = around 500ms (500 milliseconds)

Also, if your compressor has a "soft knee" or "overeasy" setting, use it... It's a little smoother than regular compression.

You can GO HERE for an explanation of compression

I also like to try to look ahead to the final mix a little... If you get WAY too much bottom end on the
bass, you won't have any room for the kick drum down there (more on this in the MIXING section) so
try to get a good balance on tape. Then when you go to mix down your project, you won't have to make
drastic EQ changes to get it to fit!

GOOD LUCK!!!