Recording Log #2

Upright Bass Session For The Emily Vescovi Project

I pulled my good friend Corey Jackson in on this project.  Not only is he a great muscian, but he embodies the retro feel.  He covered a lot of bases on this project by playing piano, organ, mellotron and upright bass.

Having recorded his upright several times in the past, I knew the exact setup I was going to use.  I generally like to rest a 57 on a piece of foam or, in this case, a tea towel right on the bridge of his bass (this also works well on a cello).

I also like to use an AT 4047  about 16″ back from the finger board.

Both mics ran through vintage Neve mic pres and into Apogee converters.

The 57 picks up a lot of the natual vibrations and resonance of the instrument since it is resting on the bridge and is located right next to the f-holes.  This translates in a really cool midrange as well as a decent amount of fretboard/finger detail while providing some sub 60hz low end.  The 4047 is more of a mid-scooped type of sound and has most of the usable low end.  Blended together, they make the perfect combination of midrange detail and low end punch.