fuller sound helpppppppp

[vinibass]

Hey gang
im almost embarassed to ask a question like this but im pretty much at a loss for possible answers.
im in a 3pc+vocalist band , and we sound fine except we are really trying to keep this as it is and not add other musicians to the mix. our sound in a number of our songs is pretty shallow or empty especially when the guitarist solos , is there anything i can add ie effects boxes or pedals that might be able to give us a more filled in sound we are a blues /blues rock band so it does not lend itself to certain effects. We really are trying to avoid loops and things that complicate the situation , any real help would be much appreciated, as far as equipt, we all have pro quality , i have mark bass, fender , ibanez .

thanks everyone
vin

[Marton]

Octaver and a light overdrive could do the job. Have you tried flatwounds ? In my experience, they fill more place in a mix than rounds.

[vinibass]

Hmm Thanks it least that gives me a start, i dont use flats.
any experience with a Chorus pedal ?? a buddy of mine wasnt sure but thought it might help , he is not a bass player so i kind of ignored his suggestion ,

[RNV]

A chorus will help a bunch. I use a Small Clone that I picked up on the bay for $40. I use it live for an intro, but I use it a lot when one of our guitarist can't make it to practice just to help out some. I dig it.

[Venom of God]

I'm in a three piece rock band and use a slow chorus, subleish octave and light overdrive as always-on effects. When our guitarist is doing a solo I then kick in a boost pedal to bring my volume up a bit and add a tiny bit more colour.

Works well for me!

[stflbn]

Octaver. Preferrably one with a Blend on it.

[Dbassmon]

+ 1 on the over driven bass in a Rock Trio

[WardEarth]

Many different effects may add to your sound and fill the space. I might recommend a compressor. I have a sansamp bass driver (compressor & driver) and it fattens the sound a bit. Also, putting more notes in the space, don't be afraid to play more rapidly whenever your guitarist is soloing.

[Hutzbordello]

bass vt pluss fuzz works for me

[gregwatts2008]

I use the Carl Martin Bass Chorus...not cheap...but definitely worth every penny.

[tom_ric]

In order to fill the space, I use an octaver, or a Pitchfactor to play power chords and even triads.

[iamdenialNJ]

To fill in the space I would add a bit of delay.

Originally Posted by tom_ric

In order to fill the space, I use an octaver, or a Pitchfactor to play power chords and even triads.

I don't mean to hijack this thread but what setting is that on the pitchfactor? I know there's lots of knobs but can you point me in the right direction?

[Joe Gress]

Filling in sound? Rock trio? Welcome to the world of dirt. Fuzz for heavy stuff, or even for tight synthy funky stuff with a gated fuzz. Overdrive for that extra grind for pretty much anything. Fuzz plus an octave makes stuff fat as all get out, and an octave up on clean rhythm stuff will help fill the space when your guitarist is soloing.

As far as which kind? Suggestions can be offered, but it is ultimately up to you and your choice what sounds the best to you.

[Lord Henry]

There are a number of things that you can try. The easist and cheapest ones are to find the right EQ settings and the right notes. If you have a full sound in a song but then feel hollow when the solos kick in it could be that there is a hole in the middle of the sound. I my experience a lot of blues/rock players will use chords/riffs covering the first seven fretts but solo in the 12-20 frett area. If you are mostly a down-by-the-nut type guy then this would leave a hole. Try upping the hi-mids and hi on your EQ. Then, when the solos are flying try moving your bass part to the 7-10 frett region to fill up some of the space that the guitarist has vacated.

Another thing to consider is that you might not be lacking frequency coverage so much as pure volume. When the guitarist goes from hitting six strings to hitting only one in a solo that's a big drop and you might need to compensate. Personally I like to keep the volume knob on my bass at between 6 and 7 as a standard so that if we do lose a bit of punch for whatever reason I've got a little bit more to dial in.

If you've got a bit of money to splash on a pedal then I think the four to look at have already been mentioned above. Each will of course have pros and cons:

A chorus, with the intensity set relatively high, will fill out your sound but it can lead to a lack of clarity. I don't really have call for a chorus in the stuff that I'm playing at the moment but when I have used them in the past I've found that they work better at low levels. When I've tried to use them to fill up sonic space (rather than just colour my sound) I end up soiunding like there is a pillow stuffed in my amp and the sound is distant and indistinct. However, this could be because I don't know how to use a chorus properly.

An overdrive/distort is something that I do regularly use but I'm not sure it's what you want. While it can give you a fuller sound it will, once again, lose you some definition. I find that this effect is worst when the guitarest is at his (or her) most distorted and as that it usually during solos I'm not sure that it is the solution that you are looking for.

My personal solution, whenever I need to fill up some of that sonic void, is my Boss octave pedal. Shift your hand position up to around the seventh frett, click it on with an octave down set almost as high as the dry signal (and maybe add a little distort to the lower frequencies but leave the dry signal as it is) and you have a huge sound that covers the natural open-string frequencies of both the guitar and the bass at the same time. While I would highly recommend this solution I generally play hard rock and metal so the sound might be a bit too modern and harsh if you are a true old-school-blues guy.

You could also look at a pitch shifter. This would offer all of the advantages of an ocaiver but you could also use intervals other than octaves. I have very little experince with shifters so I won't recommend one way or the other except to say that if you do find the sound of an octaver harsh and unnatural the problem would be far greater with a shifter.

Anyway, hope some of that helped and that you find what you are looking for.

[DwaynieAD]

i'm in a single guitar 4 piece.. use of octave when it suits, but the real gem is a VT bass.. it fills it out so well that i'm using the octave less and less as filler and more as doing crazy stuff with it.

[tom_ric]

Originally Posted by iamdenialNJ

I don't mean to hijack this thread but what setting is that on the pitchfactor? I know there's lots of knobs but can you point me in the right direction?

There are alot of option to choose from. Just check out the original presets.
http://www.eventide.com/~/media/File...PFPresets.ashx

I usually use bank 30:1 "One Finger Power Chords", -1Oct + 5th [HarModulator]. Before the pitchfactor there is a graphic fuzz, and after the pitchfactor there are molticomp and vt.

[steelhead2]

watch Black Keys vids together on you-tube,i mean i'm out of place here since i `aint' giggin' but 2 people filling it up on stage and garnering a paycheck aint bad(is it?),they must be doing somthing right(guys i jam with don't seem to get it) i think less is more(but what the heck do i know?)

so i just keep practising

[Eric!]

Rusty Box solve all problems.

[steelhead2]

punched to many buttons at once here(not all my orig post showed up),ever hear of a sonic maximizer or aural exciter?,,,

i have to go offline but hey!,fill it up! a bass guitar is made to do whatever is required,quarter notes or eight notes,,,try practicing with a hesitation then rip it up and fill it up and see how it works,,

(i wrote a sttinkin' chapter on my current use of effects but i'm done online tonight, good luck and have fun)

[warwick.hoy]

Assuming that you are making your transitions confidently; there are a couple of techniques you should try before going out and buying a piece of gear. Trying playing with more dynamics; crescendoing when a solo comes up and get a little more aggressive with the picking during the solo then backing off (diminuendo) as the solo winds down.

Another thing you could trying is shifting your plucking hand position. If you play mainly near the bridge during the verse and chorus,...when the solo comes on,...move your plucking hand closer to the neck use those crescendos and diminuendos hear as well.

If you must buy a stompbox any of the before mentioned pedals will work but let me add a good clean boost,...just to up the volume during the solo parts.

+1 Overdrive,...think of it as filling in for a rhythm guitar well not neglecting the bass duties.

A fuzz pedal would certainly work well in a blues setting,...but I would recommend one that sounds good at a subtle setting but still manages to retain your bottom end. There are plenty of really aggressive fuzzes out there,...but I think they would be a little too agro for a blues setting. The Malekko B:assmaster might be worth a look since it has a clean blend for your dry signal on it as well as (I think) an octave up.