Bass is too quiet for recording through interface to pc, please help ;c

[Rocky049]

Also, thank you all very much for taking the time to help me with this!
If the TS cable wont work I guess Ill just go to a music store and bring my bass and interface with me there, ask him/her and give em 10 bucks or so I guess.

 

[JZQuantum]

In my experience, pots that are bad or about to go out can be the issue. Since yours is active, there is also the preamp in the bass that could be the issue. A bad solder joint, or a failed capacitor or something.

 

[mcnach]

In this video:

when you plug the cable into your bass, there's a clearly visible TRS connector.

well spotted! I think you solved the mystery. An active bass will not switch on with a TRS cable, but a standard passive instrument such as the OP's Les Paul will work ok.

 

[nilorius]

How do you connect it to your pc.

 

[dkelley]

The Scarlett series of external soundcards, especially the USB-powered ones, are notably lacking in available preamp gain. They'll handle line-level signals and higher-sensitivity condensers just fine, but boosting a low-level signal from a low-sensitivity mic - or an unbalanced high-impedance signal from a bass - just isn't their forte. It's not totally the interface's fault, though there are a few boxes out there with significantly more gain on tap.

There are some things to check; if you're not using the ASIO driver, make sure your Windows mic volume is maxed; videoconferencing and gaming software often pull this level down to avoid clipping. ASIO bypasses the WASAPI system for "desktop audio" (good thing too, as WASAPI latency can easily be in the 50ms range) so input gain trimming shouldn't be an issue. Whatever DAW you're using to record, you can add some digital gain there as well (just be mindful that gain this late will increase the noise floor), and make sure your bass's battery is fresh, as you're depending on that power source giving you the full 9 volts.

However, the interface is still not ideal. Everyone I know who uses a bus-powered Scarlett with anything other than a desktop condenser (including myself) does so with an external preamp of some kind running in front of the Scarlett, so the preamp does the true line boosting while the soundcard is mainly for level trimming and AD/DA conversion. I myself run a small mixing console in front of my 2i4 that has about 60dB of mic gain available, but if you don't happen to have one of those around, the budget option is a simple clean boost pedal like a TC Spark. 30dB of pretty darn clean amplification (with the full-size pedal; the Mini does 20), and staying unbalanced instead of needing the mic input, make this an attractive option if your budget won't cover a true preamp. These start around $150 new for options like the EHX Battalion, more TalkBassy options will be in the $200-$400 range for Tech21, Aguilar, Darkglass etc.

But... basses have more output than guitars. Noticeably.

 

[silky smoove]

But... basses have more output than guitars. Noticeably.

That's a case of "it depends." I have a Telecaster that has higher output than any of my basses, active or passive. That said, in the OP's case I would be very surprised if his passive Les Paul had a higher output than his active TRBX304.

 

[dkelley]

yea totally! you're not using a stereo cable, are you? active basses will barf with a stereo cable. It must be a mono cable - one tip connector, one ring connector only, not a "middle" connector.

I couldn't tell from your videos if it's stereo or mono - but it woudl explain why guitar works but bass doesn't. You'd be putting 9v dc through your cable either into your interface (ugh) or just not powering your bass at all (more likely).

 

[dkelley]

To answer my own question:



Rookie question: What happens if you plug a TRS (stereo) cable between your bass and amp?
"It depends on what the amp manufacturer uses the ring terminal for.

For example, I always use a TRS input jack and float the ring terminal, this makes it pretty universal, but some amp designers use the ring terminal for other functions, or to control things inside the amp by telling the circuitry that something has been plugged into the input jack. This is done when the tip switch is being used for some other internal function."

Not for active basses..... every active bass works the same way except, maybe, for one or two very bizarre models.

I'm just basing that on having been through the jack and power wiring on every active bass I've ever owned, from a bunch of manufacturers and several dozen basses.

You can NEVER use a stereo 1/4" cable on a normal active bass.

 

[dkelley]

Also, thank you all very much for taking the time to help me with this!
If the TS cable wont work I guess Ill just go to a music store and bring my bass and interface with me there, ask him/her and give em 10 bucks or so I guess.

TS cable WILL work. bass is fine, interface is fine.

This is awesome news! A cable is way cheaper than a bass

 

[JKos]

You can NEVER use a stereo 1/4" cable on a normal active bass.

This is not a true statement, but let's not confuse the OP with the subtleties. (For example, I have used an insert cable to power active basses with an external LiPo battery.)

- John

 

[Rocky049]

This is not a true statement, but let's not confuse the OP with the subtleties. (For example, I have used an insert cable to power active basses with an external LiPo battery.)

- John

Don't worry, Im already confused through all my life so this is nothing. xp

 

[Rocky049]

TS cable WILL work. bass is fine, interface is fine.

This is awesome news! A cable is way cheaper than a bass

YAAAAYY I hope soo! <3

 

[dkelley]

This is not a true statement, but let's not confuse the OP with the subtleties. (For example, I have used an insert cable to power active basses with an external LiPo battery.)

- John

It is true of every active bass I've owned, as noted.

I'm always very happy to be proven wrong though... learning something new is what life is all about!

Could you please, either here or in a PM, send me info on one non-obscure active bass, which isn't featuring some obscure technology specifically advertised as requiring a TRS cable, that will work with a TRS cable? I'm very interested to see how they did it. Because 9v DC from the bass's battery shouldn't be going through the cable..... therefore normally the TRS jack on an Active Bass uses the solid metal connector on a TS plug to short the battery connector and power up the active electronics.

An active bass that is powered up by having a patch cord plugged into it, which is nearly all active basses, relies upon the existence of a TS cable, or I suppose a TRS cable that is shorted at either end between the 2nd and 3rd connector (which then would electrically become exactly the same thing as a TS cable).

 

[bfields]

Not for active basses..... every active bass works the same way except, maybe, for one or two very bizarre models.

Note the quote you're responding to is talking about what happens at the amp end of the cable, not the bass end.

 

[dkelley]

Note the quote you're responding to is talking about what happens at the amp end of the cable, not the bass end.

Erm.... a cable is just wire connect at both ends.

If you have a TRS cable, TRS at both ends, it will not work with an active bass, unless the amp is shorting it out (Which turns it into a TS cable, electrically speaking, which is moot since we know TS cables work with active basses). There is a manufacturer of amps who actually supply 9v power on a TRS cable to power active basses.... believe it or not... one of the single stupidest ideas in the world, since it will literally destroy any active bass it is attached to that isn't modified to work without a battery. You would have to short the bass's battery connector, and rely upon a TRS cable to power it... then if you wanted to run off battery again you'd have to open your bass, remove the short circuit across the battery connector, and reconnect a battery. So many ways this is dangerous and wrong, yet one company makes such an amp.

Anyhow - I'm still waiting to understand why someone believes that a TRS cable would work with any active bass that is powered up by plugging in a standard instrument cable.

If this had been noticed earlier, the OP would have solved his problem sooner - but I'm very happy that it will be solved so easily.

Cheers

 

[JKos]

If this had been noticed earlier, the OP would have solved his problem sooner

It was noticed as soon as the OP showed the TRS jack in a video for a split second.

- John

 

[silky smoove]

If you have a TRS cable, TRS at both ends, it will not work with an active bass

Curiously, if you install EMG’s onboard components for use with their pedalboard power supply to remove the need for batteries in your bass it will ONLY work with a TRS cable. Definitely an outlier though.

 

[dkelley]

It was noticed as soon as the OP showed the TRS jack in a video for a split second.

- John

This is true!

It's interesting what one takes for granted though, isn't it? We just think, 1/4" cable, for instruments, why would be use anything else? But you can buy TRS cables pretty easily at most music stores... and if you only ever use a guitar, or some line gear that might even require TRS to work in stereo, you could go a long long time before trying an active bass on it for the first time. I'm really happy the OP can solve his problem!

 

[dkelley]

Curiously, if you install EMG’s onboard components for use with their pedalboard power supply to remove the need for batteries in your bass it will ONLY work with a TRS cable. Definitely an outlier though.

Yea, good example! Thanks for that one - I had heard of that system but never tried it myself with the PSU.

The only bass I ever owned that could be powered externally was Alembic, and it had a unique (within the world of basses, at least), multi-pin connector/cable/psu for that purpose... the 1/4" jack just remained unconnected on the bass when using that cable.

Then there's variax - with it's ethernet-style port/cable... where you actually can run the thing with an ethernet cable if you want to LoL.

 

[somebrains]

Off the top of my head:

Setup a channel for bass that isn't eqd for guitar.
Check mute on that channel in software
Run a 1/8" Allen under your bass pickups and see if they're too low if passive, 3/32 if active.
Don't use the Metallica preset where everything is frowny
Change 1/4" cable as tip may not be engaging all the way

Otherwise my Focusrite is plug and play across win10/Mac/linux