9 Best Bass Amp Sims For Recording - Apartment Recording (2023)

FAQs

Are amp sims better than real amps? ›

Amp simulators offer realistic tones, more convenience, less cost, and more options for guitar tones due to amp emulation software. On the other hand, recording a real amp provides the true experience but costs more for analog gear while being less convenient and flexible.

No, you don't necessarily need an amp to enjoy playing or recording bass, but there are plenty of situations where an amp makes sense.

A bass amp with 20-30 watts will be more than enough to fill the room with sound. However, if you're playing in a larger venue, such as a club or a bar, you'll need a bass amp with at least 50 watts of power.

If the gain is too high, the amp sim will sound over-driven and distorted. If it's too low, the amp sim will sound weak and thin. Just as you would with a real amp, spend plenty of time getting the tone right with the EQ controls on the simulator. Don't resort to parametric equalizers and other EQ plugins in your DAW.

Class A design is the least efficient but has the highest sound fidelity. Class B design is a little more efficient, but full of distortion. Class AB design offers power efficiency and good sound. Class D design has the highest efficiency and smallest footprint.

Amp sims produce guitar tones comparable to real guitar amps, especially at low volumes. Real tube amps give better-quality sounds at higher volumes. Amp sims provide many more sounds than real amps. Amp sims are ideal for recording, whereas on balance real amps are still better for live use.

Without a compressor, each bass note fades out quickly, causing a loss of bottom end and fullness in between each note. But with the right amount of compression, that fullness is always there. Plus, it makes volume balancing ten times easier, because each bass note is around the same volume.

Is it OK to mic a bass amp? ›

We definitely recommend using a mic on your bass amp. This can help you to get a quality recording of your amplifier, and pick up the sound of your amp and pedals as well as your bass guitar. There are a lot of different aspects of the sound that don't come directly from the instrument.

A 100 – 150 watt bass amp is the bare minimum to use for rehearsals and small gigs; 300 watts is better since it allows the amp to push out the same or louder volume with less effort or strain. A louder amp doesn't have to work as hard, which means less chance of overheating, blowing a fuse or damaging a speaker.

200 to 300 watts is a good range for smaller venues; 300 to 500 watts can get you to cut through in midsized rooms; 500+ watts is plenty of power for loud bands and larger spaces. One other thing to keep in mind is that bass amps, unlike guitar amps, sound their best when they're not being pushed too hard.

A rough, general rule some players use is to make sure your bass can keep up with the guitar, you want your bass amp to put out anywhere from two to four times more wattage than the guitar amp.

To get started with amp simulators, you need an audio interface, a computer, and the appropriate software. You can connect your guitar to your audio interface, install the necessary software, and configure your audio interface.

I'd recommend getting an amp first. When you play electric guitar, the sound of the amp can be as important as the sound of the instrument. Cheap amps are a great place to start.

If you don't have a powerful enough amplifier to reach the volume levels you want, you can damage the speakers by feeding them too much high-frequency energy by driving the amplifier into clipping. It's the extra power in these harmonics that damages speakers.

The best class of car subwoofer amplifiers is D because of its high efficiency and significant power output. Class A, B, and AB amplifiers are examples of analog amplifier classes, making Class D the only switched amplifier class commonly used in-car audio systems.

Bass Frequencies and Other Instruments

While the fundamental range of the bass extends up to around 400Hz, most bass playing occurs with fundamentals below that between 40Hz and 200Hz.

This means either turning it up as loud as it can go, or—if your amp has a master volume control—turning up your “gain” knob but leaving the volume fairly low. (On some amps, there are separate knobs for “volume” and “master.” To get overdrive, turn the “volume” knob way up, but leave the “master” knob fairly low.)

What amp settings does ACDC use? ›

Quick Guide AC/DC Amp Settings

Gain: 5-6. Bass: 4-5. Mids: 5-6. Treble: 6-7.

The majority of practice amps are solid state, and have around 20 watts. This is definitely enough to get good quality audio, at pretty high volumes. If you're looking at tube (valve) amps, then around 10 watts is usually enough.

Typically, a guitar amp is close mic'ed to capture the most direct sound. Placing the microphone roughly 4 inches from the grill and aiming it directly at the center of the speaker will produce the most “edge”. If you move the mic further away, it takes away some of the edge and mellows the sound more.

Higher amps mean that electricity is flowing more quickly and delivering more power to your device.

What amps did Black Sabbath use? Black Sabbath's guitarist Tony Iommi used a modified Laney LA100 BL amplifier for much of his career.

To get the Arctic Monkeys guitar tone, you'll need a crunchy overdriven tone by either having the gain setting on your amp midway, or use an overdriven pedal through a clean amp. Have the gain, mids and treble higher for lead sections and then decrease the gain and mids lower for rhythm sections.

Slash has always been associated with Marshall amps and has used various models over the years including two signature heads: the Marshall JCM 2555 Slash and the Marshall AFD100 which is supposed to capture the tone from the Appetite For Destruction era.

If you have the preamps, mics, and tracks to do it, you might want to record as many as four bass tracks — a DI and three mics — and somewhere in the blend of those four individual tracks, you'll find the tone you need for each song.

The bass should be loud enough that the low end is big and powerful, but not so loud that it overpowers the kick drum. Remember to check your reference mixes often to make sure you're staying on course.

Filter and shape your sound

For deep bass, you're going to want to use a low-pass filter to cut out the higher frequencies of the bass notes, and then shape it with the filter and amplitude envelopes. Using the low-pass filter cutoff, we cut the higher frequencies out.

What sound is best to block out bass? ›

Foam earplugs (and some reusable earplugs) in combination with customized dark-brown noise. If the intruding bass is not too loud, dark-brown noise or ocean underwater sounds alone.

Hard-knee compression slams the compressor on fully, as soon as the threshold is crossed (usually best for percussive sounds). Soft-knee compression kicks in gradually, as the threshold is crossed. Soft-knee is a smoother sound. It's probably the setting we'd choose on bass.

During sessions, drums are traditionally recorded first as they're the backbone of any song (along with bass guitar). A strong drum beat will inevitably give you a solid foundation to build upon no matter what band, genre, or type of session you're participating in or hosting.

The microphone should be within 6-12 inches of the amp. This means that you are picking up all of the sound you need but also that you are avoiding getting too close and falling foul of the proximity effect and other issues around overloading the microphone.

While it certainly may work for some people and in some locations, as having an amp coupled directly to the floor often makes your bass tone feel more powerful -- in the context of a live performance, decoupling your rig by getting it even a few inches off the floor provides many benefits.

Playing an electric guitar through a bass amp will not cause any damage because the frequency response of a bass amp covers the mid and high-frequency guitar notes. What is this? The high tones of a guitar are not capable of damaging your bass amp.

How's it measured? Bass, as with most things, demands a comparison of quality vs quantity. More bass does not necessarily mean better bass. The power is determined by the wattage of the subwoofer in question, where a higher wattage demonstrates a more powerful subwoofer.

Yes, it's true that the higher the power (watts), the louder and cleaner the speakers will play. Small differences in power, however, don't make much of an audible change. In order to perceptively hear a difference (a 3dB increase), the power would have to double.

However, 500 watts should be enough power for most bass applications. If you are looking for a compelling bass sound, consider an amplifier with more watts, but 500 watts should be sufficient for most people.

If it's just for practicing in your bedroom, you can get a perfectly adequate little practice amp for under $200. If you'll be playing in a band or gigging out, yeah, you probably should expect to spend in the $500-700 range at least.

Is a 30 watt bass amp loud enough? ›

A 30-watt amplifier will produce an insane amount of sound. You can bury it with 150 watts or use 20 watts. It's not super loud, but it's definitely loud enough for most situations. Effects pedals can also have a significant impact, as some of them can severely deplete your signal chain.

Your band's preferences determine whether you can gig with a 100-watt bass amp: If you can get PA support, you can rely solely on your cab to handle the volume for stage volume. If that's the case, 100 watts can be sufficient. The bare minimum power supply for rehearsals and small gig performances is 100 watts.

So, does a bass guitar need a special amp? Since bass guitars produce much lower frequency sounds than bass guitars, so you will need an amp that's built specifically for a bass guitar. Bass amps support a high power output and low frequencies without distorting the sound.

250 watts may be more than enough, but a little combo isnt going to cut it. That same 250 watts on an 810 or super efficient 215, and now you are talking. Power is important, but the cab you are using is the real determining factor for how loud you will be.

A modeler and a guitar amp simulator are similar but ultimately different. An amp modeler is like an AXE FX III, a Kemper, or a Revv D20. It's a piece of hardware with digital technology that can imitate many amps and sounds. A guitar amp simulator is more like a plugin that's downloaded on a computer.

Depends on what speakers you're driving. An expensive pair of speakers will sound great with a cheap Chinese amp. It will sound better when you upgrade the amp. A cheap pair of speakers will sound underwhelming with a cheap or expensive amp.

The reason why tube amplifiers sound better is that they introduce even-order harmonics into the signal. These harmonics are closer in frequency to the original signal, so they sound more natural. The higher you crank them, the better the sound gets – and that's not something that every bit of equipment can boast!

Any guitar amp can be used for recording. Whether it's a vintage classic or a minuscule practice amp, you can place a microphone in front and capture the tone.

Max power is the highest amount of power that can be safely sustained. RMS is continuous power handling at sustained listening level. The RMS power rating will be the closest to the amplifier or speaker's actual capabilities.

Why are bass amps more expensive? ›

Bass amps can be expensive if they are tube amps. Tube amps use vacuum power tubes to amplify the signal, which is costly on their own. Secondly, tube amps have more components and generally larger in size, requiring more materials to house all the components.

If you are a complete beginner, spending around $100-150 on a guitar amp will get you a good model to practice with. If you are looking to use your amp for gigging or recording, you will likely need to spend between $300-600 for a better amplifier.

YES! A tube amp always sounds better over time. However, one must assume a certain level of quality to begin with. A well constructed cabinet will flex and breath over time with the reverberation of sound adding to the warmth and depth much like an acoustic guitar does.

Tube amps are generally more expensive than solid state amps, and they require more maintenance. Tube amps also tend to be more delicate, and they can be damaged more easily if they're not used properly. Despite their drawbacks, tube amps are still widely used by many guitarists because of their unique sound.

So, why is it that many players still choose tube amps today? Tube amps are more responsive than solid-state amps, enabling you to play more dynamically and expressively. Due to their natural compression and harmonic distortion, they also tend to sound warmer and more musical.

As such, tubes maintain signal integrity better than transistors. Linear devices like vacuum tubes produce a far more natural sound and provide a much deeper emotional connection to the music. Less-linear transistor devices tend to sound leaner and less natural.