Two quick questions

[danmyung5535544]

The first question i have: for some reason when im sitting down infront of my computer my picking is super clean and nice, but when i try to play standing it sounds so awful and scratchy! Should i be putting my bass strap lower or higher for picking?

2nd, i know this isnt technique but; I have a yamaha rbx375, pretty good bass with the new strings i put in but i have not gotten a set up, yesterday i picked up an ibanez sr250 that had an amazing factory set up, my question is will the setup really make such a huge difference that it would warrant not buying the sr 250? they are both in the same price range so i feel like they should not be as different, but is the set up THAT important in changing the feel of a bass?

[backup]

yes the set up has major impact on the feel of a bass. a week ago ive been to a music store to try out amps and played through a squier VM jazz (i own one) which had no set up at all and i was astonished at how bad it felt compared to my bass (exact same model).
especially for beginners it is a great improvement to have a bass that is properly set up

[bggeezer]

your strap should be set so its the same hight sitting down as standing up, mostly round your midriff.

[mjac28]

+1 on the setup it really makes a difference it's also important to get involved with the process some folks like their strings a certain way depending on how they play make sure you ask questions because not all setups are the same.

[DethByDoom]

Get a good setup.

As for the picking… sounds like you're not hitting the strings dead on. You're striking AND grazing due to your attack angle. Anchor your forearm or wrist to the body or bridge, respectively. Strap height is a matter of preference. Be conscious of how you're moving the neck (up or down) as it affects the angle the strings are at.

All that failing… you can hide a bit of that noise with some compression or less bright/treble in your tone. But there's a lot of tone in your hands so… find an anchor.