Recording Bass Guitar - The Basics
Simple Things to Consider When Recording Bass Guitar
To achieve a high quality audio recording, you will need good musical equipment and quality recording gear. When you are incorporating music equipment like a bass guitar, you will need to know the various types of guitars and materials that are used to make them in order to pick the most suitable guitar for your style of music.
Having substantial musical knowledge and guitar handling expertise is a huge plus when aspiring to record and produce quality music, however regardless of your experience, there are a few things you need to consider when recording bass guitar.
Bass guitar is also known as an electric bass, it is played using the fingers. Just like most guitars it is played by plucking though the cords, but you could also pop, tap or thump using a plectrum. A plectrum is a small, flat tool commonly used to pluck stringed musical instruments. The bass differs slightly in appearance with the electric guitar. The main difference from an appearance standpoint is that the bass guitar has a longer neck and has thicker strings.
Features of a Bass Guitar
Bass guitars are usually made using soft woods such as Ash, Mahogany and Maple. Wood is a great material for bass guitars because it enhances the tone, bass and resonance of the guitar. This is important to know because different woods are going to give the guitar a different tone and consequently give the recording a different “vibe”.
For the fingerboard, hardwood like rosewood is the most preferred material mainly due to its aesthetic appeal in comparison to other hard woods. If wood is not your ideal material, you could choose a bass guitar made from synthetic materials such as graphite and luthite. The major advantage of these materials over woods is their consistency and near perfect appearance.
If you want a guitar neck that will withstand tension from the strings, you should then opt for hardwood materials like maple. Necks are named according to the number of pieces. There is one piece guitar, two piece, etc.
Power Option
An electric guitar needs to be plugged into a power source in order to enable transmission of sound from the guitar to the bass guitar amplifier. There are magnets on a bass guitar which pick up the vibrations of the metal strings. This works by the magnets creating a magnetic field, when this happens, a signal is sent to the amplifier causing audible sound to be produced. The strings are the most essential part in sound production so you will need a well structured bass guitar with good quality strings.
Another essential feature to observe keenly would be guitar pick ups. Pickups are mostly rectangular in shape and found under the guitar strings. In the pickup boxes there are small magnets which pick up sound vibrations. There are two types of bass guitar pickups; active and passive pickups.
Active are powered by batteries unlike passive pickups, and also different in sound output and tone then its passive counterpart. Passive pick ups allow you to cut on the bass frequencies produced while active enables you to cut and boost the frequency. One thing to consider with passive pick ups is that they have a tendency to pick up noise. The active pick ups also have their drawbacks for example if the battery dies when recording you would not be able to proceed. However, you could maneuver around the problem by carrying extra batteries. Both pick up types have their positive and negatives, and it is important that you experiment in order to find the right fit for you.
Setting the Pickups
In order for a bass guitar to produce a quality sound for recording, bass guitar pickups should be placed according to the kind of tone you want to play. If you want a thin and bright sound then ensure the pickup is placed near the bridge and for a warmer and fuller tone the pickups should be placed near the neck of the bass guitar. If you want a wide range of tones you should get a P-J configuration or a guitar with two pickups.
Ensure that the bass guitar has volume adjustment knobs for all of the pickups and at the very least has a selector switch. The adjustments could be via one master adjustment knob or more knobs that control different pickups. All bass guitars should have a tone knob. It is essential when adjusting the desired amount of treble and bass frequencies.
Control Knobs
When using active bass guitars, you are bound to encounter more than one knob. There should be a knob to adjust treble and bass. On more sophisticated guitars, you will find an added knob to adjust the frequencies ranging between the two frequencies. Knobs are a more convenient way to adjusting frequencies but EQ settings could suffice if you need to set them on the bass amp.
Strings
Another concern when recording bass guitar would be the strings. Bass guitar strings differ based on your genre or music and the style in which it is played. Most common bass guitar strings are wrapped in silver or bronze. They offer varying tonal qualities. The best thing about them is that you could change them whenever you need or want to. It could be either for different tone or if you are seeking a different sound out put.
Conclusion
Regardless of how good a guitar you have, you will still need the skills required to play the bass well. As the old cliché goes “practice makes perfect”. Spend time with your bass guitar, learn it nuances and connect with it.
Overall, in order to make great audio recordings with your bass guitar, you will need to constantly practice and experiment with your technique and craft. There is no plug-in or technique that can magically make your recording better. Although musical skills and good recording techniques serve as the foundation for creating great recordings, experimentation and creative understanding will go a long way in ensuring that you not only producing good recordings, but also good music.