Recording Bass....

[Simone]

Hi Folks,

not sure if this should be here or in a different category, anyway here is my question/doubt.
I'd like to start recording my own backtracks and I'm not really ionto investing money into buying a Bass guitar but surely I'd like to have bass in my tracks so I was wondering what is the best option. It can be anything from pedals to plugin for my DAW (although I do not have a midi keyboard).

I'm sure many of you around here have come across this problem so I wanted to know what are your opinions and suggestions.

Cheers everybody!

 

[artyman]

A lot of modelling amps would have a facility to pitch shift, so set that a couple of octaves down and use your regular guitar to play a bass line into your DAW

 

[Jack]

My first bass was a Rogue, which cost $100 brand new (though now it looks like they're at least $150). I even played in a band with it lol. It was functional.

Otherwise you can program a bass line using the MIDI editor in most DAW's:

 

[JeffD]

Hi Simone,

+1 on the DAW recommendation. I've recorded bass tracks with my guitar and then used the DAW to reduce the pitch an octave. I use Audacity and it comes with a pitch shift plugin. A backing track I posted to the virtual jam forum (that I think you played on!) was recorded that way.

I also have an Ibanez mikro bass that I play occasionally. I like it because it's not ridiculously heavy like most of the basses I've picked up.

Jeff

 

[PapaRaptor]

I have added bass guitar lines three different ways. All have their advantages and disadvantages.

My preferred method is to use a bass guitar. You can pick one up on the cheap at most pawn shops. If it's not a gigging instrument, it doesn't need to be terribly high quality. Cheap Ibanez basses are in abundance in most US pawn shops. To be honest, I started playing bass as a teenager and I still consider myself a bass player who dabbles on the guitar.

Like @artyman mentioned, there are plug-ins available for DAWs and conventional stompboxes that will pitch shift a guitar into the bass range. To my ear, most of these sound pretty artificial, But I have used them from time to time.

MIDI is another opportunity. Depending on what DAW you are using, most come with a MIDI editor plug-in of some sort and an assortment of somewhat realistic instruments. The nicest thing about MIDI is you don't need a physical bass or even a MIDI keyboard and once you have a MIDI track written, you can swap it at will for the bass instrument of choice. If your samples kit includes them, you can even use an upright bass, baritone sax or a tuba as your bass instrument.

There are other alternatives, like the Trio+ pedal or Band In a Bos software that will do most of the heavy lifting for you. They both can produce satisfactory bass lines.

 

[Elwood]

Hey Simone, Like Papa I am a recovering bass player, so I am biased. Anytime that I have a choice between making music with an instrument or messing with some gizmo, I take playing. The way you play exploring a bass is just another door. You said you do not want a bass, so I guess I'd go with some pitch changing device for the guitar. I can't imagine getting a bass feel that I would like out of that but it might meet your needs.
If you go out cheaping for a bass, don't get one so ratty that you are bound to hate it. You will. I don't know anything about anything but Fender basses and a little upright. If you ever saw a Fender Mustang for cheap don't put it down till it's yours.
Good luck!

 

[PapaRaptor]

If you go out cheaping for a bass, don't get one so ratty that you are bound to hate it. You will. I don't know anything about anything but Fender basses and a little upright. If you ever saw a Fender Mustang for cheap don't put it down till it's yours.

You simply can't go wrong with a Fender Precision or Jazz Bass. Short scales, like the Mustang are a lot of fun, too!

 

[Elwood]

You simply can't go wrong with a Fender Precision or Jazz Bass

Amen. I just thought that guitary hands might do better on the shorter scale (and mustangs seems much cheaper). I have seen those Beatle basses on the cheap now and then, never even came close to wanting one.

 

[PapaRaptor]

Amen. I just thought that guitary hands might do better on the shorter scale (and mustangs seems much cheaper). I have seen those Beatle basses on the cheap now and then, never even came close to wanting one.

I have a Danelectro Longhorn bass that is a 30" scale, like the Mustang. I think the Gibson SG Bass is also available with a 30" scale, not to be confused with the identical EB-3, which is a 34" scale. For someone who identifies as a guitar player and infrequently picks up a bass, the shorter scale is definitely easier to manage, although your fingers are still going to get tired very quickly.
Fender pretty much set the original standard scale for the electric bass guitar back in 1951 at 34" when they introduced the first Precision Bass. Just about everyone else has followed that "standard" over the years. If memory serves me, there are a few six string basses out there with a 36" scale, but I've never played one.

 

[CaptainMoto]

I'm sure you'll get lots of good ideas.
Here's one more to consider:
Gives you Bass & Drums:

You run your guitar through it and play a simple chord progression.
It listens & learns from your playing and then generates Bass & Drums to accompany you.

You can have it play the Bass/Drums through your amp, mixer or DAW.

The Original version just does Bass & Drums, the newer Plus Version does that but also includes a lopper, which is a great tool.
With the looper version the pedal can play Bass & Drums and it can play back your chord progression, allowing you to play lead guitar parts pver the band.

Here's a link to a recent post here in BGU from @MikeS testing out his new Trio Plus

Pedals/Effects - First Shot at the Trio+

Well after about an hour of skimming the manual and watching the the Anderton's demo of the Trio+ here's a quick down & (Very) dirty. https://www.dropbox.com/s/d32mpywlu7qbi8a/Trio%2B%20Test%20Run.wav?dl=0

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