15/04/24
My plan today was to fully record bass with audio and video, but just as I was ready to sit down and play through after a few practice run-throughs, the bass started creating noise and intensified if I tried to change the volume or tone from the bass itself. I tried replacing the lead and testing my interface with other instruments to rule out other things that may cause problems, and all basses were either in the office for maintenance or being used throughout the day.
16/04/24
Positives:
To my ear, this tone was warm and smooth which is appropriate in accordance to the sound of the original bass. Additionally, I feel happy saying that my timing is great for recording, since this is something I used to struggle with.
The camera angle that I set up for this would have been ideal for the final video as it’s bright, saturated enough and shows everything necessary. It shows the set-up I’m recording on, my practical skills and presents me as a person in the way I dress and organise my hair.
Areas of improvement:
I didn’t know certain parts of the song at the time, which is why I stopped where I did. Additionally, I hadn’t listened closely enough to see that there is no bass in the first repetition of the main riff. For the sake of accuracy I should try figure out exactly what the original sounds like just for bass, which might be difficult because the guitar tone focuses on low and mid range.
How I should make those improvements:
I separated the tracks using Moises and isolated bass, looking at where the bass is in the song and then listening to learn by ear. I then practiced a little more unplugged and off camera, then re-recorded, which is what is below.
23/04/24
Positives:
Beside some minor hesitation caused by the scenario of recording, my timing is great and to click, ready to be put alongside other tracks, which will make it easier to mix. I think my tone could have been better and focused on more, like how the video above sounded, but generally I can accept that the tone is warm and clean so I would say it’s accurate enough to the original.
While my dynamic control is flat all throughout, I think this is a good thing as the original doesn’t change all that much besides in the chorus, but the guitar is what makes the most dynamic changes in that section and the bass isn’t noticeably louder so if absolutely necessary (though it shouldn’t be) I can adjust areas with automation. My technique on bass is generally always simple and uniform, with minimal effort put in to get accurate results.
I actually learnt the whole song in accordance to the original. You cannot find the ‘correct’ version anywhere online for tabs or cover videos, so as mentioned above I did this myself. A problem I used to face while recording bass in particular was fret ringing, which does not happen anywhere in this recording.
Areas of improvement:
There was a slow slide from 4th to 9th fret due to misplacing fingers onto 8th fret, but I had a quick recovery which made it less noticeable.
In terms of using this video as part of my split screen video, the lighting and angle wasn’t ideal and in future I would choose a more suitable space with better lighting and an area to rest my phone camera at a level and distance that covers the entire length of a bass and from my knees to my neck.
Another thing that I noticed was that while playing I have really bad posture which is awful for me long-term, but it also carries risk of transferring over to live performances or everyday activities, so I should focus on this more, starting with sitting posture in general and then with instruments specifically.