It's difficult to comment on this without hearing it. Does it sound good on the amp or are you not using one at all? The recording gear looks good. As the ASSR program suggests, great bass sounds are produced not only by the equipment but also by the player. Perhaps the bass instrument itself is lacking or you're using the wrong pickup combination and tone settings for the sound you want. I almost always put a limiter on bass guitar with average gain reduction of about 5-8 dB - are you limiting? If it's not deep enough try adding bass EQ at 100Hz with a fairly wide Q. If it's too clicky try a low pass filter.

Have you tried different DI boxes? Is the cable between instrument and DI good and short?

Hope this helps.

Thanks for writing,

Alan

Hello Paul,
I hate to tell you this, but the player is the key.
Most of the tone comes from the player.
A good DI box allows you to get a good clear signal from the bass,
( although I actually prefer to mic the cabinet and skip the DI.)
and a good amp can enhance the player's interaction with the bass,
but if their tone doesn't suit the music, then it is them, not you.
If the player isn't creating a clear deep tone, then you are not
going to recording one. ( Although I am sure you are done tracking
by this point.) Also, if your monitors can't reproduce it, you won't
hear it. This also my be obvious, but the bass end has to be
reserved for the bass instruments, and they need to work in
harmony, i.e., is the bass being obscured by low end from reverb,
room tone, kick drum, piano, etc. Maybe you are getting the tone
and it is being lost in the low end wash. Lastly, if you are using
master buss compression, try removing it.

I agree with S-139, it is mainly in the hands. I do in fact plug directly into the console. I will be happy to send a clip of how this sounds if you message me.

As far as compression, this is also in the players hands and vast experience. Muting the unused strings, knowing the dynamics of your bass and not playing like a robot but using multiple positions during the chart will show you the vast level of harmonics, details and nuances that can be created with the instrument. One practice technique is to place the gain very high and play with a feather touch until you can master your dynamics. I can go on and on about this but depending on the musical style you are seeking, being able to know what not to be playing is key. (like exciting the instruments mechanics in obstrusive ways)

I think id have to disagree with the last too, the player will have a touch and a tone, but you should still be able to get a nice deep warm bass sound with the right equipment.
What kind of bass are you using? A fender jazz bass sounds allot diffrent that a rickenbocker(spelling? Sry!)! Plus the amp? And or di box? An ampeg amp sounds diffrent than an acoustic or a fender, etc...

I guess the best advice I can give is experiment, if I knew more of your bas rig setup id be able to say more!
Goodluck!