recording DI bass

[art_z]

I need to run a compressor due to my bass players style to prevent clipping on my HD24. I'm running bass into Whirlwind DI box and then into Yamaha MLA7 preamp and then into HD24.

My question is should the comp go before the preamp or after. I'm not clipping the preamp, just the recorder, so wondering if I should keep all the headroom in the preamp and then compress and then print it.

compressor is a Yamaha GC2020. I'm recording punk rock so a fat steady tone is what I want, not really concerned about alot of dynamics.

 

[TAVD]

Generally, the compressor is inserted after the preamp.

 

[JMulhollan]

I would put the compressor after the preamp. To me, you get a better sound than you would amplifying a compressed sound instead of compressing an already amplified sound, but it's all a matter of taste, if you like the way it sounds, go for it

 

[art_z]

Make sense to me, thanks!

 

[loudboy]

Unless your bass is active and REALLY hot, or you're using a stompbox compressor, it's not really possible to put it before the preamp.

Why don't you just turn down the pre? Then you can compress, to taste, later. If he's got that much of a problem w/his dynamics, you'll probably have to hit it way too hard on the way in for it to sound any good.

 

[meterman]

I have the same compressor (Yamaha GC2020IIB) and use it alot for recording bass. I use it as an insert on my Great River preamp but if you don't have an insert jack on your pre just put it between the pre and the converter. I don't squash it too much though, just enough to prevent big peaks when my technique gets uneven. I generally run a ratio of around 2:1 or 4:1 and set the threshold so that I'm getting just about 3dB gain reduction on the loudest parts. Play around with the attack and release until you get the feel you want. You want the input gain control at 12:00 (for +4dB line level signals which is what you're getting from your pre) and use the output gain to add a couple dBs to compensate for the gain reduction and get the proper signal level to your converter.

Keep in mind that you don't want to record as hot as possible without clipping your DAW. You actually want to have 15 to 18 dB of headroom on your signal going in, it seems low but shoot for an average signal level (RMS) of -18 to -15dBFS with peaks around -9dBFS. You'll get a cleaner better sounding track and minimize the risk of digital clipping. Then you can add more compression, EQ, gain etc with plugins during the mixdown process....

 

[art_z]

Thanks meterman, that is very helpful. I'm mixing ITB (Cool Edit 2.0) but obviously want to get as good a signal down first.

 

[meterman]

Thanks meterman, that is very helpful. I'm mixing ITB (Cool Edit 2.0) but obviously want to get as good a signal down first.

No problem and yeah good source tracks make everything else easier. I recently learned I was recording everything too hot and bringing the input level down to preserve more headroom has improved the overall sound of everything from my hardware to my plugins. If you want to learn more read this http://www.studio-central.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=130&t=34078 and good luck with it!

BTW I am relatively new to all this so my comp settings are just what's been working for me, YMMV....

 

[MichaelK]

Why don't you just turn down the pre?

I agree. Although you said you're not overloading the preamp, you might want to check again. It's very likely that you're overloading both.