Bass Chords Getting Lost

NOAH_FX · #1 07-12-2011, 08:17 AM

I've been working on a song with my band, it's a very rhythmic bassline using alot of chords on the D G Strings..

So far I think it sounds great, the band agrees. During the beggining theirs limited drums/guit but for the chorus it all picks up, and the chords are being lost in the mix. I was hoping because they sounded very full to me I could boost my low and mid mids.. But it's still hard to hear..

My current bass amp is umm.. Crap, Im hoping to replace it with something more customizeable, and just wanted to see if this could be the reason.. I was thinking of getting a BOSS EQ to see if it would help, but I still think im limited by my craptacular rig...

Any thoughts?

Dustin Teel · #2 07-12-2011, 08:22 AM

I play a lot of chords in my original band. I've found that while it may seem like the chords are being lost in the mix, that can be sort of an audio illusion. Recordings of the songs or shows where we were video-taped prove that the chords are clear, and carry much better further away from the band. I don't know what the theoretical explanation for this is.

If it is a gear problem, I would imagine the speakers on your rig would be the culprit. I've found that cheaper speakers lack volume on higher strings and have the potential to muddy up bass chords.

AcidFripp · #3 07-12-2011, 07:29 PM

OK, try this: re-record the bassline with single notes, no chords. Then listen and see the difference!

swooch · #4 07-13-2011, 02:31 AM

What the previous poster said. And give it a listen and see if you really need those chords. If they are drowned out, maybe your sonic lanscape is full anyway and you would add more by playing lower octave roots.

cracked_machine · #5 07-13-2011, 02:47 AM

You could try a fuzz pedal. They can add a good bass boost to your low end when the band picks up. I heard this recently in a Chili Peppers song....Don't Forget Me.

In the verse he plays clean chords on the D/G strings and then in the chorus he uses the pedal to give it a boost:

YouTube - ‪RHCP - Don't forget me‬&rlm;

jay tay · #6 07-13-2011, 03:18 AM

I use a behringer bass eq, and it helps define chords quite well, but when accompanied with a larger band, ie, two guitars, and keys, they still get lost a little, just too many notes in the same frequency to hear!

UnfortunateTony · #7 07-18-2011, 04:48 AM

Cut some lows, boost the mids a lot, highs a little. If you're using a bit of gain or distortion this is especially true. You need to lose some low end for the chords to come out clearly. If you've got a graphic EQ, or an EQ pedal, cut out the "sub-bass" frequencies like 80-90%

Hope this helps.