How to Record Heavy Bass - Plug in into a GUITAR AMP! | SpectreSoundStudios TUTORIAL

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There's nothing wrong with someone challenging your methods, especially if it forces you to consider alternatives. Circle of Tone made a compelling argument to record bass with a tube guitar amp...and i put that idea to the test!

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About Spectre Sound Studios:
I'm Glenn Fricker, engineer here at Spectre Sound Studios. I love making records, and after doing it for sixteen years, I want to pass on what I've learned. On my channel you can find tutorials on how to record guitar, bass, real drums and vocals. There's reviews and demos of tube amps, amp sims, drums, mics, preamps, outboard gear, Electric Guitar, Bass Guitar, and plugin effects.
We've covered Moon on the Water, played Bias FX, given you the absolute best in Stupid Musician Texts, ranted & raved about bass guitar, and this channel is where The Eagle has Landed.
Everything you've wanted to learn about recording Hard Rock & Heavy Metal can be found right here on this channel!

I also respond to your comments & questions: The best make it into the SMG Viewer's Comments series of videos. Loads of fun, lots of laughs.

Thanks for checking out my channel & please subscribe! mesa contrabass kemper mesa boogie

[Shambles]

Hell yeah can't wait to try this with my line 6 spider

[CIRCLEOFTONE]

Thanks for being cool about it Glenn!

I realized most DIYers = SM57 + Vintage 30 in an oversized cab (or a Kemper derivative of that setup) + DI bass + EZdrummer. So it’s easy to fall into that trap.

You are helping the community get out of cookie cutter metal land by preaching real drums etc. I wanted my channel to do the same for guitar, by utilizing multiple mic types/speaker types/rooms etc.

Plus doing the same thing with bass takes it further away from cookie cutter land.

I think your original bass DI/distortion technique can still be used a lot for impact because it DOES sound heavy. It can take songs over the edge for a savage ending/drop etc. That technique is legit. Just perhaps not for an entire album where that nasty distortion can grate on the ears.

Again...Thanks for being open minded with the response. I’ve been a sub for years. Bought the t-shirt, put the “bass player c**t” sticker on my guitar and waved it proudly in my bass playing brothers face.

Cheers!

[brianmillerspeaks]

This is why I love Glenn. It's so rare to find someone who can truly accept constructive criticism. It's the most intelligent people who adjust their positions/beliefs/actions based on new evidence, rather than cling to dogma or "That's the way we've always done it." Awesome video.

[dionr]

This comes full circle, because the Fender Bassman was originally designed as a bass amp, and guitarists started using it shortly thereafter. The first Marshall amps just so happen to be modeled after the Bassman.

[malnourishedband]

What's that? You had an open mind and you grew as a musician? That's why I love this channel. You give people shit when they deserve it, but when you're wrong you own it and advance.

[nicholasfornshell]

Seriously though, great video Glenn. Mudvayne had some of the heaviest mixes I have ever heard in metal. This was due to the bassist being an absolute monster on his instrument and he became the foundation for the entire band. Preach it to all the drooling bass players!

[jasonfrazier]

As a bassist, when I record, I use both the d.i. box and the amp. Separate channels, and I blend the two different tones together for a real thunderous thick tone/ sound. Hope this is useful for you Glenn. Rock on!!!

[genebennett]

The Pixies Bass sound (a la Gil Norton) was achieved with a bass amp and guitar amp in parallel...

[markosvafeas]

What you can do to get the best of both worlds is use the bass pedal for tight low end and do a high low split with the tube amp covering the high end

[philsmith]

More low end and clarity through the guitar amp. Guess this shatters my belief that a bass through a guitar amp would blow out the speakers...

[cameronjenkins]

The thing is, I feel like too many bass amps nowadays have gone in the high-fi direction. I think what we need is a widespread revival of the all-tube bass amp and have the whole idea of high-fidelity thrown out the window. I built my own bass amp by modifying a guitar amp kit to have better low-end response. The result? I never want to go back to solid state.

[ametalguitarist]

Lemmy was definitely on to something playing through a Marshall. I saw that video as well and it sparked something. Thanks @Circle of Tone.

[adi]

The lack of bass player jokes in this video disappoints me 😐 lol

[counterignition]

It's not just the air, there's also the saturation you get from the tubes. I used a JCM 800 to record the bass for our album, because it has a similar preamp circuit as Ampeg SVT (but a very different poweramp), and it worked.

[numero]

Hi Glenn, you may not read this comment. nevertheless I wanted to tell you how I appreciate how you take other people comments with an open mind, put it to test and recognise that you can improve. This gives me some hope in human kind! So many after 20 years of experience and so many channel followers would have just ignored this little channel. So keep on the good work, I hope amping bass in guitar cabs won't damage speakers (there are urban legends about it).

[J_THOR]

Big daddy G - I'm coming back to this video 5 years later to let you know, this is my favorite video you've done. So helpful it was

[MarkBayfieldvillageidiot]

How to record heavy guitar? Use a bass amp!

[joshsinclair]

Newfound respect for Glenn for being so cool about this

[clinttaylor]

Yup. Discovered this years ago. As a dual set-up mentioned in previous comments, I used an SVT rig for the "standard" bass tones with splitting the signal into a Marshall DSL half stack. Nowadays, since I don't play live (or have a vehicle large enough to haul around a massive rig), I record a Bass Driver direct track and through a Mesa combo plugged into a miked single 15 cab. Blend as desired in the mixer. Works for a lot more than metal.

[zwolinux]

So much respect for this video. Here's what makes difference between typical vloger and true professionalist one who makes video about his job... Not only able to take criticism, but use it to learn and progress