How to get a bass cut through love mix

bassman312 · #1 10-22-2006, 05:15 AM

How do i get my bass to cut through a live mix when im up against two guitar players playing power chords? espesially when im doing slap stuff... ?
Thanx for comments

mchildree · #2 10-22-2006, 05:31 AM

The very thing that bassists in much of the newer music cut out of their eq is EXACTLY what you need to cut through a mix.....

MIDRANGE

These guys all go for that mid-scooped tone and then end up being just a click/boom at either end of the freq spectrum. Drum sounds! The best thing you can do is try to get an idea of what areas your guitarists are covering the the freq spectrum and find a niche.

::::BASSIST:::: · #3 10-22-2006, 06:14 AM

Boost low mids... say around 200K.

mikafdn019 · #4 10-22-2006, 04:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VEGANBASS

Boost low mids... say around 200K.

200K? I think he means 200Hz. Also, try boosting somewhere around 800Hz for clarity, and around 2-3K for the pop slap stuff.

lemur821 · #5 10-22-2006, 11:43 PM

This "love mix" intrigues me....

Bass. · #6 10-22-2006, 11:58 PM

i reaaaallyreally like800Hz to be boosted and the 2k to be cut .. for fingerstyle tone that cuts through

Petebass · #7 10-23-2006, 12:47 AM

Not really recording related, so I'm going to move this to misc.

However I'm also going to contribute because I once again find myself battling with ever increasing stage SPL. Boosting mids helped for a while but the volume kept creeping up to the point where EQ changes make no difference at all. And quite frankly I don't want to have to push my equipment, or my ears that hard.

The increasing SPL is a combination of very large PA's with lots of spill on to the stage, a guitarist who isn't loud but has a lot of lows in his "dirty" sound, and lots of low stuff in the keyboards. Between these three things, there are moments where there's so much lows rumbling around my ears that I can actually stop playing and no-one even notices.

I think it's time I sit down with the band and the sound crew and have a chat because the next step is in-ear monitors and I don't want to have to spend that much money.

::::BASSIST:::: · #8 10-23-2006, 01:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikafdn019

200K? I think he means 200Hz. Also, try boosting somewhere around 800Hz for clarity, and around 2-3K for the pop slap stuff.

Yeah, I meant 200HZ... oops!

BrandonBass · #9 10-23-2006, 03:23 AM

some bass cuts better than others. string is also a huge factor, fresh steel roundwound strings r the best for cutting. u can try say rotosound swingbass, sheehan and entwistle uses those

u can experiment with pickstyle too

B-NoteCowboy · #10 10-23-2006, 10:30 AM

Mids, picks, and a bass arrangement that doesn't neccesarily follow the guitar patterns all will help you stand out.

A sansamp bass driver or some other adjustable preamp will also help you contour your sound and presence. Ultimately you want well defined midrange "punch" if you are trying to be heard in the "big guitar" mix.

Now... love mix... that's a totally different question.

kalle74 · #11 10-24-2006, 03:37 AM

you´ll have to figure the guitars´ sound into the equation, too... if everything else is "smiley-face", then, to cut through, you need mids. mixing shouldn´t be about soloing stuff, and getting a "killer" scooped-out sound for everything. give everything space... slapping usually demands a scooped bass sound, so you need to cut lows from guitars (where lows do no good anyway...)

good arrangement helps too, as posted above...

having your dynamics together, and using a compressor helps too.

Son of Bovril · #12 10-24-2006, 07:33 AM

yeah, in a heavy mix, a compressor will help even out the dynamics and bring up your overall volume, but there really is no substitute for a decent rig with some headroom in situations like this...

bassman312 · #13 10-24-2006, 08:58 AM

thanx guys...ur the best

B-NoteCowboy · #14 10-24-2006, 09:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Son of Bovril

...but there really is no substitute for a decent rig with some headroom in situations like this...

Well that too.

Great advice too about working with your guitar players on the overall mix. Too often, people in a band just focus on their own favorite sound - which is usually mixed to their taste for playing by themselves. The result is often MUD.

**baba** · #15 10-24-2006, 11:58 AM

800Hz boost baby!

ihateusernames · #16 10-24-2006, 01:17 PM

lots of okay suggestions here so far.

from my perspective as a former guitar player the problem is most likely related to several factors. pigeon-holing any one fix without truly addressing the real issues isn't going to get anywhere, except maybe higher SPL's, dissent among band members, an irritated sound engineer and less work from dissapointed booking agents.

from the limited information provided i'd say to first analyze why it is the bass is 'up against two guitar players playing power chords'. a band should be group working together delivering a piece of music, not a bunch of people playing parts of songs in unison. the most often overlooked component is working together.

like every issue in life, the only way to develop a solution is to first have an accurate definition of the problem. the problem you are having may or may not be inside your own box.

i'd venture a stab that it has less to do with you/your gear/your settings/your technique and more to do with not enough space in the spectrum for what you're trying to deliver.

charic · #17 10-30-2006, 01:32 PM

Just a small point that hasnt really been mentioned.. try panning the guitar left and right and leave the bass central. Keep moving them until the bass is nice and clear in the middle. Good compressor and EQ work really should do the trick too. Maybe try an enhancer but not too severely

Rik

bassman312 · #18 11-01-2006, 01:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ihateusernames

lots of okay suggestions here so far.

from my perspective as a former guitar player the problem is most likely related to several factors. pigeon-holing any one fix without truly addressing the real issues isn't going to get anywhere, except maybe higher SPL's, dissent among band members, an irritated sound engineer and less work from dissapointed booking agents.

from the limited information provided i'd say to first analyze why it is the bass is 'up against two guitar players playing power chords'. a band should be group working together delivering a piece of music, not a bunch of people playing parts of songs in unison. the most often overlooked component is working together.

like every issue in life, the only way to develop a solution is to first have an accurate definition of the problem. the problem you are having may or may not be inside your own box.

i'd venture a stab that it has less to do with you/your gear/your settings/your technique and more to do with not enough space in the spectrum for what you're trying to deliver.

I've only been playing for a year...give me a break.. :P

DanGouge · #19 11-01-2006, 06:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by B-NoteCowboy

Well that too.

Great advice too about working with your guitar players on the overall mix. Too often, people in a band just focus on their own favorite sound - which is usually mixed to their taste for playing by themselves. The result is often MUD.

+1
Set up your rig in a band context. What sounds nice solo may be lost in the mix. Settings that really cut through may often sound mediocre solo.

ras1983 · #20 11-01-2006, 06:21 PM

slapping isn't known for cutting through very well. listen to any recording where there is a full band and the bassplayer is slapping, it becomes a lot harder to hear the bass.