Chorus Sounding

Interceptor · #1 01-26-2009, 08:50 PM

I don't know if this is a setup or an electronics problem. Mods, if I guessed wrong, help!

My primary bass is a MTD Kingston Heir with Bartolini pickups. Passive. D Addarrio XLs.

Last weekend, I tracked in a well equipped studio. Used my Ashly SC-40 as a DI, (eq bypassed) into an Amek TAC Scorpion II into ProTools. The TAC is a real hot rod, it has all the right chips in it and sounds fantastic.

On playback, it sounded like was running a chorus effect. Burned the session to CD, listened to it at my place where I have B&W monitoring. Sure enough, bass sounds like it has chorus added. Dang it. My live rig doesn't have the clarity to have shown me this. For a live rig, I use the Ashly + QSC + EBS 611 or a pair of EV TL606s.

Is that how MTD basses sound or have I done something wildly wrong in setup?

I also recorded a handful of track as alternates with my EMG-JV loaded SX, and they sounded big, fat and right.

Turnaround · #2 01-26-2009, 09:39 PM

Most often a chorusy sound is casued by the pickups being too close to the strings. The magnetic pull of the pickups interferes with the normal string vibration and can cause this kind of effect. You could try lowering the pickups. If that doesn't help, then the problem is something else (duh).

GeoffByrne · #3 01-27-2009, 03:16 AM

Have you done anything to the string recently? Sometimes a string with a twist in it will sound chorusy. I've had to slacken off the odd dtring & rotate the ball end whatever way it wants to go. This certainly reduces or even solves the problem.

Interceptor · #4 01-27-2009, 08:40 PM

It was pickup height. Problem solved. Once I knew what I was listening for, it sure was present in my live rig. My ears are a little better educated now thanks to this exercise!

Thank you very much for the help. I'm grateful for the assistance and happy to have learned a little more about bass setup.

Jim