I got a Fender Jazz Bass 5 string. I guess I ought to get a combo like the one I have for my guitars (a VOX with some modelling capabillities and headphones out that I use to record it). But still, as long as don't have got around to buy that - how to make recordings of a bass less "flappy"? You know what I mean by "flappy"? I assume compression and distortion helps some, but I can't get at grib on which frequencies to cut or boost to make it sit better in the mix.
Try this:
EQ - cut a band of frequencies right around 300 hz... set the band with a "Q" of 2.0 or so, and cut them around 2db for starters, more if sounds better. You can also try boosting a similar band right around 4k.
Compression - you bet. Don't kill the dynamics: set your threshold just under the highest peaks, and squash them hard (4:1) or so.
No distortion!
When you're ready, I totally love my Bass POD. Totally.
(This is a starting point, there is no science to recording, do whatever sounds best, your milage may vary, IMHO, just guessing based on very little information, I don't know how your monitors sound, blah blah blah, etc.)
Gee.. I won't get to try that 'till midweek at earliest. Thanks for the answer!
Good stuff,Gravity Jim!
Also remember that each tune may require a different sound on bass to make it stand out---I run a Jazz Bass with flatwound strings right now for some stuff,while others get the roundwound treatment.
Also, some bass lines are mixed louder than others,up in the mix.One of the hottest mixes on a commercial tune I can remember was "Taking It To The Streets" by the Doobie Bros.Tiran Porter's flatwound tone was way up front compared to most mixes.
And finally,some bass lines really shine when you use a pick,although in the final mix you might not be able to tell. Using a pick doesn't mean you have to sound like Chris Squire,McCartney uses one.
Speaking of Sir McCartney,if I could get anywhere close to the tone (and phrasing ) on "A Little Help From My Friends" I would be happy.That is benchmark stuff,done on a Rickenbacker with stock Ricky strings (flatwound) and a pick,miking an Altec loudspeaker.
"My flesh and my heart fail...but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."
PS. 73:26
MY JAMS--
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/defa...&content=music
Also good stuff, refin.
Indeed, every tune calls for something different. Also agreed that McCartney's plectrum tone is remarkable. It's all in his left hand (that's right hand for the rest of you blokes) touch. You know, I'm happy with my one and only bass (an MIA Precision Deluxe with rounds) for everything I do, until I listen to "Abbey Road," and then I want a Rick. :)
Yo, mgade, did you ever get to try this? How did it work?
More or less - I haven't had time to figure out the Q-thing, but I read what you wrote on plectrum tone and gave it a whirl with fingertips and various EQ-settings yesterday, when I recorded some bass for Skips/Daniels drum jam-track. You know, on my Zoom pocket recorder I can choose to boost or cut both a chosen high and a chosen low frequency plus choose a "cab" and speaker, all of which is more or less just EQ-ing the sound. So I fiddled some and played with my fingers, and that took the "flap" out. I WILL try manipulating a "dry" track soon (hopefully in the weekend).
I'm buried in work till well after christmas, I'm afraid.
one thing i would like to add, you might just want to set a -3db or more cut on your eq and sweep thru the range of that knob. stop when it sounds right, and there you go. may be really simple but it does work. you could sit there and figure out what is the "opposing" frequency, but math is for nerds () and we have no time for that. but seriously, try it and do it slow. i do it a lot when i mix live, and has always worked for me. don't be afraid to spin those knobs and really mess with the sound.
"don't worry, i'm a professional!"
Got around to try it in Cool Edit. It took way more drastic manipulations than suggested here though, roughly -10 db above 200-300 K and +10 db below. I'm an frEQ :-)
Dude, that's a pantload of correction. Lemme ask a question or two...
What are you using as a DI? Or are you recording a bass amp with a mic And when you say "above 300 K..." do you mean above 300 Hz, or above 3,000 (or 3K) Hz? And do you mean ALL frequencies above that number were cut 10 db, and all frequencies BELOW 300 were BOOSTED 10db?
If I boosted the low end below 300 Hz on any bass track in my archives by 10 db, the mudflap would be unbearable. My monitors would plotz. I'm thinking there's something gnarly about the tone as it's being recorded if you have to EQ that radically.....
Yeah, I'm radical ;)
Looks like ('cept I took out some colors):
And it sounds like this (watch your moinitors!). EQ'ed from 7-23 secs, the rest is as recorded. No DI-box, and not through the VOX 15W guitar amp (that I occasionally uses to add color)
magade, I totally misunderstood what you meant by "flappy!" I figured you meant low-end mud was making your speaker cones flap. But you're not getting ANY low-end in your track... if you're not using a DI and not mic'ing an amp, how are you getting the bass tracked? Plugging it straight into a sound card or something?
Yeah close - I just use the "INPUT" jack on the:
Sorry, that was my lousy ænglish shining through :dead
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