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Interesting this thread came up because I have actually been contemplating having more of a pedalboard with always on pedals that basically just make my tone better rather than actual modulation or time-based affects like I have now… I have a strymon Mobius and a earthquaker avalanche run and I find more and more I have them shut off especially when I’m playing with the band....
I am definitely interested in that EHX black finger
@NoiseNinja, looking again at your FX signal path, I’m noticing that all of your EQ stages besides the last “speaker sim” stage are boosting slightly on every band. Is this to additively build the signal level up to ~line level in order to drive the power amp stage?
I find when I use the Zoom B2>power amp>cab rig, I run all the outputs of the selected internal “modules” plus the global volume pretty hot to achieve an adequate line level, although my graphic EQ “module” has a pretty even distribution of gentle boosts (150 Hz, 1.2 kHz, 2.4 kHz) and cuts (75 Hz, 450 Hz, and whatever the highest band is...3.6 or 4.8 kHz, I think).
When I run the Ibanez compressor pedal>Joyo British Sound contraption I end up boosting to slightly above unity gain on both.
I find when I use the Zoom B2>power amp>cab rig, I run all the outputs of the selected internal “modules” plus the global volume pretty hot to achieve an adequate line level, although my graphic EQ “module” has a pretty even distribution of gentle boosts (150 Hz, 1.2 kHz, 2.4 kHz) and cuts (75 Hz, 450 Hz, and whatever the highest band is...3.6 or 4.8 kHz, I think).
When I run the Ibanez compressor pedal>Joyo British Sound contraption I end up boosting to slightly above unity gain on both.
I don't know why so many say this or believe this. The majority of studio bass tracks you've heard your entire life have been a bass plugged into a DI box and straight to the mixing board, no amp at all. That's been the case since the '60s. The idea that "the amp is part of the instrument" may be true for guitar, but it's not at all true for bass. For live performance, the majority of touring rock bassists I see now have a regular DI box (like a Radial or Countryman) at the end of their pedalboard, with the onstage amp used only as a monitor.
What I'm saying is, it's OK to use cab sims and amp sims because you want to and like the sound, but it's not true that you need them or that you're "supposed to" use them to play live without an amp.
Like the Acme Motown D.I.
https://acmeaudio.net/#!/motowndi
or REDDI
https://www.adesignsaudio.com/reddi-all-tube-direct-box
I have skipped the pedal board at church and just used my (tuner and) Rupert Neve DI to FOH
https://rupertneve.com/products/rndi
I don’t believe that for a second. Sure, there’s been some recorded like that but there is plenty out there recorded and still being recorded with miced amps as well.
I said the majority, which means more than half--not all or almost all. Might be difficult to comprehend but most recorded music in the world is not a rock band recording an album. It's all kinds of smoother music as well as commercials, movies, muzak, all kinds. Ask any NY or LA session bassist and they'll tell you they're typically told to simply plug into a little box. A running joke in LA used to be how recording engineers would roll their eyes when a bassist asked for a mic'd amp on his track. I know you don't like it but that's beside the point.
Oh yeah, now I remember you… The guy who talks down to people like he knows everything and you’re an idiot if you disagree.
The second you plug an instrument into an electronic device, it’s contaminated. Arguing about what devices you like to contaminate your bass seems like nitpicking to me.
I prefer to keep things a lot simpler. My recording chain is a Sushi Box Particle Accelerator , Southampton Ictineo , Lightning Boy LBA 2020 and either a Zoom GCE3 interface or a Zoom MS60B to my trusty old Tascam 2488 Mk II. The Zooms are to add a bit of room reverb and any other modulation I want to record.
My live setups keep changing so who knows what it will be post C-19
My live setups keep changing so who knows what it will be post C-19
Not really why I do it, it's partially because that the bands I have available on my 8 band graphic equalizer sounds best boosted, plus the number of fully parametric bands I have available on my Zoom multi effect is limited (at some point I am pretty sure I will get the Source Audio EQ2 to handle all my EQ needs), and partially because I personally have a much easier time predicting the outcome of boosting EQ bands than cutting them, which would have been kind of as about as difficult to me as if I was to talk backwards.
Though I guess there is some true to that if I had cut out the same shape using different EQ bands I would end up with a really low level signal that would need to be boosted overall in the end anyway.
Like drawing the EQ I have dialed in (including the EQ based cab sim and the 40Hz HPF) in a coordinate system, with frequency in Hz on the X axis and level in dB on the Y axis, it's topping at about a +6dB boost around about 500Hz, then declining in a downward curve on each side of that peak, though with some relatively minor valleys and tops on the way, generally a little higher to the right top end side of the 500Hz peak, to respectively down to about 50Hz and up to about 3kHz, approximately hitting 0dB at those points, and then continuing in an approximately -12dB/Oct downwards slope on each side beyond that, the -3dB point on each side respectively being at about 40Hz and at about 3.5kHz.
So generally a somewhat mid centered crooked frowning EQ tilted a bit to the right.
The way we recorded (with miced cabs that is) both basses in the hardcore and noise rock influenced math rock band (that as insinuated featured 2 bass players, where I was 1 of them) I once was part of, for the 2 track single and 4 track EP we released on a small independent record label, and, I am quite certain, the way the 2 basses was recorded for the 2 following full length albums, released on the same small independent record label, after I had left the band (much to my later regret (leaving that is, not having my bass recorded via miced cab)).
The bass and electric lead guitar, both which I played, for the 4 track EP, released on the same record label, with a lo-fi indie pop duo I was the one half of around the same period of time as I was member of that math rock band, was recorded DI'ed though.
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@matante ‘s post is maybe a bit hyperbolic at the beginning, but I think it makes a valid point about bass guitar being an instrument that can achieve more widely-accepted sounds without benefit of massive tone shaping and dependence on signal path downstream.
Risking a little hyperbole of my own, a lot of people still want to hear electric guitars after they’ve been processed by signal paths that still cling to what guitar amps and speakers from the 1950s sounded like. Very few people really seek out the sound of unprocessed direct electric guitar; most agree that sounds unpleasant...and would agree that everything downstream of the guitar is by necessity “part of the instrument.”
Whereas the chances of achieving a useful, mix-supporting sound from relatively unprocessed direct electric bass are much higher.
Much of the time, bass guitar is recorded dry* -- this is because you can't undo effects. Once bass has been recorded, then it will almost certainly be compressed -- probably multiple compressors in series. Of course multiple compressors is counter-intuitive: it usually isn't for "squish" effect, it's because compression is more effective (e.g. better transparency) when multiple compressors share the load and are configured properly by a trained engineer.
It's also common for overdrive/distortion to be applied. It's often done in bandpass mode: meaning, the entire signal isn't distorted, but maybe just the mids, or whatever. If you surf isolated bass tracks, you'll find a surprising number that are overdriven, even if that overdrive isn't heard in the mix.
*It is also common for bass to be multi-tracked: dry bass on one channel, effected bass on additional channel(s).
Bottom line: bass is almost never dry on recordings. That includes live recordings. And many live performances: if you are using a pro sound guy, chances are he is adding compression to your channel.
Then by definition, adding a contaminate is changing what was in fact prior, a flat setting. No sale!
I wonder why more bass players don't just use piezo pickups only and plug their bass directly into a flat frequency response active PA speaker and leave it at that, and why all the producer/mixer guy do isn't just adjusting signal levels?
Things would sound so much better if that was the case, wouldn't you agree?
Man I would wish all music was made like this!
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