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consistent sound

L

leftiebass

Oct 17, 2009
154
31
#1
I have had two people tell me that my sound is not consistent and I am wondering how to work with it. They both said that I drop out sometimes.
In the past people used to tell me to turn up and I have done that. I think that I play with enough volume overall. There are times in a song where I like to play softer to switch the emphasis to the vocals or other instruments (we are a 3 piece guitar keyboard and bass) - no drum. I want to sort this out and get it behind. Any tips on how to practice and get through this.
if you want to say - just turn it up - did deeper!
 
#4
Mtnman said:
Its possible that you are fighting with the keyboards for space in the frequency bandwidth. It could just be a matter of EQ adjustment to solve the problem or maybe the keys need to stop stepping into your range.
Click to expand...

If you inadvertantly scoop the mids, you will virtually disappear from the radar as you work in the higher registers. Example: an improperly adjusted BDDI will do this in a heartbeat. I have one (and use it) and speak from experience.

Riis
 
#6
leftiebass said:
scoop the mids - you mean boost the hi mids will make me drop out?
Click to expand...

By scoop, I mean attenuate (decrease) the low and high mids...your results may vary. What often sounds great solo'd or full in the lower registers may lose presence in the context of a full band mix. As mentioned in another thread or two, I set my EQ balance while thumping the A note / D string-7th fret.

Edit: If you're engaged in "sonic wars" with competing instrumentation, it becomes a no-win situation.

Riis
 
#8
Yeah my guess is the keyboard player is taking your space Keyboards fill a lot of ranges so I think you should record yourselves and play it back so everyone can hear who is stepping on you usually if bass and keyboard are in the same band a understanding keyboard player knows how to flirt in the bass sonic space without taking you out of the mix when all else fails duct tape his left hand to his forehead ha ha ha
 
#9
Big_Daws said:
if you scoop the mids its the bass won't drop out...and if it does then everything else in the mids will too...doesn't make sense...
Click to expand...

Not sure if I understand the above.

The bass's "presence" in any given mix is pretty much defined by the character of the low-mids and high-mids. That's why you'll find many bassists recommend preserving or boosting in the ~250 hz range as opposed to 80 hz.

Riis
 

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