Bass isn't cutting through in studio - Tone issue?

[two fingers]

Dial back your low mids and bring up high mids not pleasing to the ear solo but in a live setting low mids = mud

I agree and disagree.

Yes, mids are the key to getting through. But low-mids are not always mud in every mix. Sometimes they are exactly what is called for. It is different for every band, every technique you use (fingers, slap, pick), and certainly every room.

Here's the thing. It will be hard to find a tone that works well and cuts through for both finger and slap styles. Not impossible. But hard. What I would do in your case is first off start from FLAT. Work from a flat EQ to find what tone cuts well for your finger style playing. Then get some sort of stomp box (SABDDI, Radial, etc.) and set it for your slap tone that cuts through. Stomp on it when you switch techniques.

 

[David Jayne]

I assume that in a bigger room the bass will travel further?

Thanks for helping out

No. Forget that you said that.
Turn down the Bass knob, and turn up the Mid. Leave the Brite switch off. Enjoy.

 

[AngelCrusher]

Jazz basses can cut through huge mixes. Trust me. That's not an issue.

I agree with most that has been said. The setup with both pickups dimed is a money slap tone, and works for a nice full finger tone as well, but it does not enhance the mid range. To do that, you have to dial off one of the pickups. This is all easily seen if you run your bass through a spectrum analyzer while you tweak knobs and play.

As stated, you want to focus on that bridge tone to get your place in the mix. Dial out some of the neck pickup. You can dial all of it out really..it depends on the sound you want.

The other secret to cutting in the studio is use distortion. It can be subtle, it can be obnoxious, but you need to distort your bass and bring out some extra harmonics. For examples of this, listen to youtube stems of James Jamerson and Geddy Lee. You will hear the distortion I am talking about.

I also boost 900hz a little with a jazz bass. But I really dont EQ that much.

the final tip - go direct. Use an ACTIVE DI for a passive bass.

These are all tips I have learned from extremely successful producers. I have been a paid session player for half of my life.

 

[Marial]

Access to an Avalon U5 helps, speaking of DIs.

 

[4StringDave]

It might be the guitarist's tone that is the problem. Ask him to back off the bass on his amp. IME guitarists who boost bass on their amps like the tone better in their bedroom, but very quickly muddy up a mix when playing with other musicians.

 

[claytitan]

Well, I think everyone (except onosson) missed the BIGGEST reason why the OP is not cutting through.

What are the dials on the LH1000 head set at right now? The flat setting is Mid at 10, Bass and Treble at 1.5. That will get some midrange in your tone. The tone circuit on that amp is based on the Fender Bassman tone stack. Increasing the bass and treble knobs will decrease the amount of midrange (at certain frequencies). Turning the knobs at 5 each results in a heavily scooped tone which will get lost in many mixes.

On your Fender Jazz, turn both pickups full on, then dial back the neck pickup, keep playing, and then stop moving the knob when you hear a definite tone change. At this point, your neck pickup and bridge pickup will be closer to the same volume and there will be plenty of midrange in your tone once again.

Try those two things and report back.

This guy is right! If you crank back the neck pickup by a 1/4 or 1/2 and boost your mids a lot, you will cut through. If not, have the guitarist dial back the low end on his guitar.

In a live situation I would recommend 1000W into eight ten inch speakers. Crank it up until the guitarist cries uncle and is willing to discuss lowering the volume to a reasonable level. .

 

[experimental bassist]

Do you have access to a Precision?

While a Jazz can and does work at cutting through sketchy mixes with deliberate finagling, a Precision typically can give you those missing low mids blindfolded with one arm tied behind it's back.

 

[Stumbo]

First, I suggest you get your cab to ear level so your tone/sound is directly cab to ear instead of hitting you at knee level.

Second, ask the guitarist to turn down his bass tone control and to have his cab face a wall with some sound absorbing material on the wall. Or throw a couple of blankets over the cab. Or cover the front of his cab with the same material used for sound absorption. Or get a smaller cab. Or build a plywood box lined with insulation to put over his cab. Maybe cut a couple of small holes to let out enough volume for him. He needs to be able to get his "tone" at a reasonable volume. Not all gig venues will appreciate ear splitting volume.

Lastly, he may have to have it loud to get his "tone" but he does not have to blast anyone's ears with it.

IME, too much volume covers up mistakes. Is he in this category? Btw, what's his rig?

Something else to consider: adding fdeck's HPF/pre filter that will tighten up and protect the lowend of your speakers and possibly adding a compressor to even your output volume.

Note: Wear ear plugs! Always!

 

[dougjwray]

Do you have access to a Precision?

While a Jazz can and does work at cutting through sketchy mixes with deliberate finagling, a Precision typically can give you those missing low mids blindfolded with one arm tied behind it's back.

Exactly.
But, in the meantime you (OP) should try soloing the neck pickup on your Jazz Bass.
Also, I realize your amp isn't one of the Hartkes with the choice of tube and solid state pre-amps, but... when I've been confronted with one of those in a rehearsal studio or backline, I've relied completely on the solid state pre-amp because the tube pre-amps have been a bit too warm for me. If your Hartke has the same tube pre-amp, that might not help, either.

 

[maxiegrant]

Tell your guitarist to turn down his bass tone. That might also help. He is competing with you there.

 

[wshines1892]

Eq is the culprit as many have said. Playing live every week in a boomy high school auditorium, with a jazz bass, in a three piece, and a keyboard/worship leader who at times gets over ambitious with his left hand, I've found boosting at 800hz is key, and often cutting bass back to tighten up the low end helps with the boom.

However, that's not to say that wasn't an arrangement reached after compromises were made. I expressed that I felt he was playing too low and to decrease the low end becoming so muddy he simply used the octave key to shift his Keybed up a couple octaves and it worked great. Your guitarist may be cranking his low knob too much, as they often fancy themselves bass players. If he is, simply express that to him and hopefully he'll be reasonable.