I am headed to record next week and I will be playing bass parts for a bunch of songs in addition to my guitars and vox. For the bass sounds I am going for, I plan to record DI and also record a driven amp sound

I don't have a legit bass rig (with 4 x 10), and I am looking for a clever and cheap setup. I have a Peavey 1 x 15 that is not taking the pedals to well because of speaker size. Just sounds to farty. I was thinking of just using a cheap SS practice amp with a 8" speaker and driving it with my Brass Master clone or a OD pedal. Any hot tips out there for a setup? I don't necessarily want to have a fuzz tone, but more of a broken-up aggressive tone to blend with the DI.

Thanks!

Is the Peavey a combo amp or head/cab? That should be working better unless your speaker is fucked. Knowing more about what it is would help.

If it's a speaker problem it would probably be cheap to replace it. Unless there's a problem with the amp itself.

weezy wrote: Thu May 27, 2021 11:26 pm Is the Peavey a combo amp or head/cab? That should be working better unless your speaker is fucked. Knowing more about what it is would help.

If it's a speaker problem it would probably be cheap to replace it. Unless there's a problem with the amp itself.

Combo. The amp works fine, I just don't love the sound with pedals. I am just thinking a smaller speaker would make it more snappy and less bottom heavy. I will have plenty of low end from the DI. It seems like I see more bass rigs where I dig the sound with a 4 x10 cab more than with a 15" speaker cab.

Curious about which combo it is.

I solely relied on DI-ing bass for a long time because space/time/whatever constraints. I stopped that after working out a good amp/speaker recorded with a reconditioned ribbon mic. With a good sounding combo and a good 15" you wouldn't necessarily need a DI too unless you really want it for mixing proposes i.e. enough lows from the 15. Maybe your amp settings need tweaking. I just wouldn't expect much from some cheap combo with an 8".

If a 15" speaker is sounding too 'farty' you might just need to find something more efficient. Peavey Black Widows are actually pretty good, as are a lot of Eminence models (Delta Pro, Kappalites, etc.) You can find one used at nearly any Musicgoround for under $100.

I have heard great recorded bass sounds from small combo amps. In particular, Bedhead used a Fender Deluxe, from memory, for their bass lines. Playing at a low volume doesn't matter in a recording environment, and careful selection and placement of mics can emphasize low-end to help prevent the sound from being perceived as light. I would avoid using an amp with a prominent "lead" voicing, and tend toward amps with open-back designs rather than a sealed cabinet, as this damps the speaker less, allowing for bass extension at low volumes. Good luck.

I'm always worried about speaking out of turn when it comes to "studio secrets". However, many years ago, I mastered a record by a pretty well known heavy bass/drums band. I had to do a second pass on the mastering with notes from the recording engineer. He let me know that they recorded multiple simultaneous bass amps, but the core of the sound came from a Peavey Minx 1-10 combo. It was a delightful "holy shit" moment. I'd always done recordings with weird amps, and budget amp... but a Peavey Minx sounded this great? Fantastic.

If there isn't an established "amp sound" for the bass being recorded and the DI will be the foundation of your bass tone, I would go for a low wattage Class A tube amp.
Doesn't have to be anything fancy - there is just something special sounding about the early breakup of inefficient single ended amps.

Countryman FET85 and valve jr with a ribbon about a foot away has worked for me, many times.

Thanks everyone. Based on budget, I am taking an old Fender Frontman practice amp to the studio. Today, I will be modding it to make it open back. I like Ben and Steve's take. I will be dialing in sounds a recording a lower volume. I'll report back later this week

benadrian wrote: Fri May 28, 2021 1:11 pm I'm always worried about speaking out of turn when it comes to "studio secrets". However, many years ago, I mastered a record by a pretty well known heavy bass/drums band. I had to do a second pass on the mastering with notes from the recording engineer. He let me know that they recorded multiple simultaneous bass amps, but the core of the sound came from a Peavey Minx 1-10 combo. It was a delightful "holy shit" moment. I'd always done recordings with weird amps, and budget amp... but a Peavey Minx sounded this great? Fantastic.

There's also the QUOTSA hit record where the main grindy bass sound was a tiny Peavey combo with a ribbon in front. as well. When recording it's not really about the volume of the amp+speaker, if the speaker is actually farting try turning down the amp.