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Basses that sound great alone but terrible in a mix (and vice versa)

Discussion in 'Basses [BG]' started by mbell75, Jun 17, 2019.

  1. Jun 17, 2019 #1
    mbell75

    mbell75

    May 23, 2016
    Anyone else think that no matter how much you EQ the sound of certain basses, some just sound great alone but terrible in a mix? Or the other way around. I play with a pick 90% of the time, so your results may vary. Like I hate the tone of my Stingray, especially with new strings, when playing it alone but it just sounds perfect when in the mix for pretty much anything Im playing. Bought an Ibanez SR300E because I loved the tone I was getting in the store but it sounds awful in the mix, no amount of EQ seemed to help. Ive also felt this way about pretty much every Jazz bass Ive owned, sounds great alone but it disappears in a mix. Any useful suggestions? I also use a SansAmp preamp most the time too.
     
  2. Jun 17, 2019 #2
    Rabidhamster

    Rabidhamster

    Jan 15, 2014
    P Bass sounds great alone at home, but if you get on staqe or go to a recording studio with one, look out! You'll be made fun of mercilessly for the tone of your bass. ESPECIALLY in Nashville!
     
  3. Jun 17, 2019 #3
    Alexander

    Alexander

    Aug 13, 2001
    Seattle, WA
    My “bedroom tone” and my “gig tone” aren’t all that different - I use the same EQ settings and I’m happy with both. I have to say I tried the Sansamp for a while and that is where everything fell apart. Sounded great at home but was absolutely buried for me live.
     
  4. Jun 17, 2019 #4
    lz4005

    lz4005

    Oct 22, 2013
    If my part sounds bad in a mix it isn't the fault of the bass.
     
    ajkula66 likes this.
  5. Jun 17, 2019 #5
    mbell75

    mbell75

    May 23, 2016
    I have found the opposite. SansAmp doesn’t sound too good at lower volumes but sounds great closer to gig volume. Probably why tons of guys use one live, many just run straight to the board with one.


    Some basses just aren’t meant to do certain things and won’t work for every situation. That’s why we have so many choices of woods, pickups etc...if there were a one size fits all bass that did everything well, we would only need that one bass.
     
    Torrente Cro and Felix Lopez like this.
  6. Jun 17, 2019 #6
    BassDaddy77

    BassDaddy77

    Feb 12, 2010
    NE Ohio
    Sarcasm implied, right?
     
    mbell75 and two fingers like this.
  7. Jun 17, 2019 #7
    two fingers

    two fingers Opinionated blowhard. But not mad about it. Inactive

    Feb 7, 2005
    Eastern NC USA
    A lot of players like scooped mids for their bedroom tone. That often sounds like garbage (or just gets buried) in most live mixes. With your Ibanez, start with all EQ knobs in the middle indent. That's no cut or boost. Also, make sure you aren't boosting your lows and highs on the Sansamp too much. See where that gets you in the mix.
     
    mbell75 likes this.