The best and most consistent results come from close mic'ing a bass amp cabinet that is just off center a tad bit. You can and should also add a 2nd mic and set it about 4 feet back. Good mic's to use are the AKG 414 and a senheiser 421.

Compressor Settings:
Compression is needed for bass guitars because each string produces different dynamics and the dynamic range can get pretty big. Compression is used to smooth out that dynamic range so the bass track has that sonic backbone most songs desire.

To tighten up the low-end, set the ratio to 2:1 to 4:1, with an attack between 5ms to 20ms and a release between 120 and 250ms and a threshold between -5 and -10dB. Set the output to make up for the gain that was reduced.

Distortion:
Valve amplifiers are known for some of the best bass sounds and these can get expensive for a home studio budget. So adding a Tape simulator Filter or some slight distortion from an amp sim is a great idea. There are also valve DI boxes and using one of those is a great tool for beefing up your bass sound without totally distorting it.

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