Bass Players: Direct Box vs Microphone
Music production is evolving at lightning speed, and, as a bassist, I ask myself all the time if technology is helping or compromising me as a musician. When I first started professionally in the mid 80′s, records, like Racer X’s Street Lethal, were still being released on vinyl. Shortly thereafter, CDs were the norm; now it’s all about MP3s and streaming. Although I’ve kept some of my gear from the early days (Boss CS-2, Hipshot D’tuner, drum machine), I always try to stay informed on the latest technology to see how it can enhance my skills and sound as a musician.
It’s not just about staying on top of what’s new, it’s about being able to compare new and old tools and techniques and figure out what (or which combination of things) will help you get the best results. In the past, sound engineers used both a direct box and a microphone when recording or doing live sound for bassists and other musicians. Sometimes I’d prefer to to have only the mic; later on I started liking the combination of both the mic and direct box. Now I find myself using only the direct box, scrapping the mic altogether and using an amp modeler. The thing is, I actually prefer the mic-only approach, because it- combined with a good bass rig and engineer- ultimately produces the best results. It gives you the most accurate representation of the sound you get from your bass rig (unless your “sound” is the combo). However, I have to keep asking myself if this is the best approach in all situations and figure out what works best in each.
Case in point: during a 2007 Mars Volta tour, we had a live engineer opted to ditch the mic on my bass rig. He instead placed a direct signal and re-amp’d it in Protools so he could have better control of where and how he would fit the bass into what was, at the time, an eight piece band. The issue is with big, loud bands like The Mars Volta is that there are several microphones open on stage to cover horns, keyboard rigs, guitar rigs and vocals, not to mention the complicated configuration of drum mics. Toss in the mic for my bass rig and the result is a hornet’s nest for live sound engineers because of all those mics on stage. He’s then faced with the challenge of trying to fit all that sound – a wall of sound, if you will- into the PA system. But what if you could eliminate/isolate some of that gear on stage?
When I saw the band Garbage in the 90′s as they were sound checking, I noticed that there were only cymbals and vocals being heard on stage. All of the amps were being input directly and the bass drum and toms were being triggered. This helped the engineer a great deal because he only had the task of getting the overhead mics sounding right for the room, then bringing in the rest of the band and and vocals directly. I see other acts doing this now, especially in the pop world. It really creates clarity among the instruments when going through the PA.
So back in the days when The Mars Volta was an eight piece band, this was the choice: use new technology, or try to convince the engineer to use a microphone? I opted for the direct input approach for one main reason- I wanted to make sure my bass sound came through on the PA system. In the past, I would get frustrated when friends would come up after the show and tell me the bass was washed out in the venue and they couldn’t hear it very well. Since adopting the direct/re-amp system, I have to say I don’t hear those comments anymore. I really have to thank technology for helping me be heard.
How can you achieve similar results? There are some really good plugins for bass available. Line 6 makes great modelers and you can dial in an Ampeg Portaflex or quickly switch to an Acoustic 360 in a second. It sounds great and you can use it for live or recording situations.
The future is now, so remember to keep an open mind to emerging technologies and choose the ones that enhance your sound.
I’ve always preferred both micing and d.i.’ing especially live and sometimes in recording but, this reamping after the d.i. is a new idea for me. Interesting.
Great read! I especially enjoyed the part about the cymbals and the vocals being the only mic’d parts of the ensemble, very interesting approach!!
I’ve always been way more a fan of micing my Ampegs than DI, ever since I started. However, I’m becoming a little more open to different approaches and I’ve even dropped the mic since getting a REDDI. But I will never understand why, when you’re on a stage with several drum mics, mics on the guitar amps, mics on the horns, and mics on the vocals, soundmen think the mic on the bass cab is going to be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. Please, spare me! I play in a 7-member band with horns where everyone sings, including the drummer, and I very rarely caused a problem in the mix using a mic’ed cab, and what few I had could always be fixed by EQ, moving the mic, or turning up or down a little. Get a good mic designed to do bass, get a good amp that’s worthy of being mic’ed, and I don’t see the problem with it myself.
I am a diehard VTBass user for years. Listening to live tape AB tests showed me that my DI sound is VERY similar to my miked sound (as I use my amp as an “amplifier” not a sound sculpting device anyway).
As Jimmy said, the A-Designs REDDI takes my DI sound to yet another level. So no mike for me for a few years, now
I think the thing to take from this, is to realize the situation you’re in. IF you have a great engineer and IF you have a great bass rig the microphone is the way to go. In my band, I do a lot of the recording and some of our live sound (depending on where we are playing). I would say I’m a decent engineer, but not the best. I always record both a Mic and a DI (currently using a J48 or an old nameless Japanese tube one.) I’d say 7/10 times, I use mostly the DI signal. Why? It’s cleaner, easier to work with and tweak, and there’s much less noise. My bassist has a fantastic 70′s Ampeg Classic with a Classic 8×10, but I usually can’t get the sound that we’re looking for in a song. Some of the best tones we’ve gotten though, have been 70% clean DI signal, 30% Ampeg Classic with a bit of breakup blended together. MMM mmm.
Please also keep in mind that at the time this was all happening, we also were incredibly loud. The engineer once put a db meter in front of the guitar rig and it was 130db+… I had two SVT-VRs and two 8x10s blasting. There was essentially a PA for drum monitors. We were so loud up there.
Great read. Although I tend to like the mic and the d.i. blended, lately I just trust the sound guy or the engineer. If there is an opportunity, I will chat with an engineer and let him/her know that the mic might be a good option, but thats about it. You have to trust that they know what they’re doing.
I’ve also noticed, that the d.i. and my amp sound are very different. The d.i. signal has a lot more high frequencies coming through than my amp. So I try to keep that in mind when sculpting my synth sounds through my amp at home. Also wanted to say thank you Juan for the great site and great sounds!
Lower stage volume seems to be the key to good live sound. I like sending out a post eq from my amp DI, so at least I have some idea what the FOH will sound like.
I still opt for the trusty DI output on my bass amp… the GK 700 amp has always proved well for both live and recording. Throw in a sans amp direct box at the front of my signal and I’ve got the growling clear lows of a piano with my bass guitar. That setup works well but there’s still a part of me that NEEDS to play around with more options… but who’s got the cash for such experiments? If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
I just wanted to add that when playing small enough venues, it can be a good idea not to run guitars or maybe even bass through the PA at all, instead counting on the amps and speakers in your rig to do the work. I’ve gotten a lot of compliments not only for my guitar tone but for the overall sound of the band when doing it this way. Of course it’s impossible for a sound guy to make any adjustments during the gig, so make sure you get a really good soundcheck.
+1 on using only the bass & guitar rigs on smaller venue. Must be the most common configuration I have used over the years, with only the kick drum, the machines/keyboards and the vocals going to the PA. But it depends on the kind of gigs you’re playing the most.
When the bass goes to the PA, I certainly prefer the mic solution, but it’s true that most soundmen will have the reflex to go for a DI on bass … at least up until they notice that I use a lot of effects !!
And effects on bass being the subject of this site here, am I the only one to find that using effects (be it drive, modulations, synth or whatever) throught a simple DI won’t make it in most of the cases ?
The re-amp solution is a nice one. Amp simulators (Line 6, sansamp …) is an other good one. DI from the amp head is sometimes cool. What is important for me is getting some kind of “amp flavor” between the output of the pedalboard and the input of the mixing desk. I really think that the sound of my effects going direct to the mix is horrible.
@Juan: When you’re playing at such loud volumes how do you combat so much feedback? I play in an instrumental band, and we usually get to turn it up quite a bit more (and get our tube amps running a little hotter) since we don’t have to try to get a singer to cut through. However sometimes in the middle of a set I just get insane amounts of feedback and no matter how much I cut back my volume or try standing in a different place it assaults us. Suggestions?
@All: How does everyone like the A Designs Reddi DI for bass sounds live? I’ve heard of plenty of great engineers using them in studio. Would it be worth investing in a nice DI box like that for a live setting? I’ve also been looking at an Avalon U5
Been a while since I’ve been on, so I missed some stuff along the way. I suppose decibel level being that high could definitely cause some problems with bleed
My band isn’t anywhere near that loud!
Jeremy, the REDDI absolutely rocks live. I used to think that stuff like the REDDI was overkill for live and all the nuances would get lost. I was wrong. No matter whether I’m playing a small joint with a small PA or doing an arena with a state of the art line array system, I always hear the subtleties of what it brings to the table compared to a Countryman or Radial SS DI.
Biggest issue for me is that the sound of my speakers are a big part of my sound, as is the distortion from my amphead/preamp.
Coming late to this discussion, but yes, I completely agree with you. I was (and still am) one of the few bass players locally who use pretty much solely a modeler onstage. Mine is the Zoom B9.1ut. I’m able to do a great deal with it as a platform for different songs, and running in-ears allows me to be very precise with how I play. I prefer the in-ears because of this, and don’t really miss the big 810 cab behind me, as I get a TON of sub onstage from the venue to feel what I am playing. That being said, I still run my 810 at rehearsals.
Just so it doesn’t feel lonely.