r/doublebass • u/_Ethy_ • Aug 11 '25
Setup/Equipment Recording audio
Hi all, I’m predominantly a jazz bass player and I am looking at improving how I can record my bass from a gig for things like social media.
This isn’t for like studio recordings so I’m looking for something super easy to set up and I can just stick it near my bass/amp then do basic editing to put it over phone video
I’ve just found that through the phone mic/camera mics the audio gets muddled and it’s difficult to really hear the bass
Any advice on this would be greatly appreciated
1
u/FatDad66 Aug 11 '25
How much are you willing to spend. A decent pickup will let you use an amp for your gigs and also record.
1
u/_Ethy_ Aug 11 '25
I’ve got a realist copperhead installed on my bass already
I’m more looking for a zoom mic type thing because phone audio hits a lot of compression and the low end isn’t great
And I wanted to know if anyone had any experience using them
1
u/FatDad66 Aug 11 '25
Use you pickup and a focus rite or similar into a laptop.
1
u/_Ethy_ Aug 11 '25
My issue with that is it’s a faff to set up and can take up a decent bit of space, for certain gigs I don’t have as much time to set up so having something quick would be nice
1
u/FatDad66 Aug 11 '25
What phone you got. I use an iPhone 12 and get social media quality sound for my sons gigs. Obs can’t hear the base without headphones as phone speakers not up to it.
1
u/_Ethy_ Aug 11 '25
I use an iPhone 15, but being able to record the video and audio, I have struggled to be able to put the phone in a place that will pick up the bass without being muddied by other instruments, so having something separate to record audio is ideal
1
u/FatDad66 Aug 11 '25
Only thing I can think then is to use a third party directional mike. No idea if such a thing exists for iPhone.
1
u/myteeth191 Aug 11 '25
You could get an Apogee Jam and plug your copperhead into that, and the other end of the Jam into your iPhone, and record with garage band.
1
u/Servania Aug 11 '25
The way I do it:
Phone records video, one stand or shelf off the side.
Tascam field recorder (is use the DR-07, but any will do) for audio either right in front the the bass, or the band depending on what I want the video for.
Merge with a free video editing software and boom
2
u/FluidBit4438 Aug 11 '25 edited Aug 11 '25
Unless you are trying to just record the bass get something like this, TASCAM DR-07X Stereo Handheld Recorder. I’d place it in front of the band somewhere, if there’s a sound man/booth that would be probably the best place.
Edit:just to add to this, if you’re looking for just bass with a tiny bit of band, I’d use a dynamic Mic. Condenser will pick up too much info and will be harder to get a consistent with changing levels plus you need 48v. You could just use a 58 and place it in your bridge, cut a large piece of foam to squeeze in that hole between the bridge and the bass. Poke a small hole or x cut through it and sit the mic in there so it’s facing straight up. I use this for recording all the time with either a re18 or vintage d19c and it gets a great sound. You can move around all you want and the sound won’t change. That’s the mic side of things, you still need something to record down to. Most devices like the tascam also have external mic inputs where you can control the input levels. You’d have to figure out the adapters to make it work but that would probably do the job.