As I’ve oft-lamented in the past, when it comes to the priorities of the average recording engineer, bass is often near the bottom. The reasons are practical: Unlike drums, piano, and other acoustic instruments, bass is easily recorded with a direct box (DI), eliminating the need for a microphone. Even our closest instrumental cousin, the electric guitar, is almost always recorded via a miked amplifier, due largely to the integral role of the amp in creating the guitar’s tone. As a studio owner and engineer myself, I know well how much time and energy is dedicated to carefully choosing and placing microphones, constantly checking for unwanted phase cancellation, inadequate frequency response, HVAC noise, rattles and hums, and the other nagging little annoyances intrinsic to the process. This all occurs before the additional (and significant) complexities of choosing the appropriate mic preamp, making corrective EQ and compression adjustments, and ensuring suitable gain staging. Gi