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Deadbeat Studios: Active vs. Passive Basses

#42
Dr. Cheese said:


He basically leans passive and I can’t argue with his logic. I say active with a passive bypass and passive tone pot is foolproof.
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I dunno, EQ is an EQ. Be it on the bass, board, pedal, or amp. It’s a matter of where you want the knobs. For the record I own one of each. Now you may favor one over the other for convenience, or a specific brand, but at the end of the day regardless of a passive bass or active, at the end of the day it’s going to sound like a bass.
 
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#44
brianrost said:
The part about the tradeoffs with magnets and coils is well worth listening to.

The infamous Gibson mudbuckers of the original EB series are a great example. No high end, slow note attack…but very high output and massive lows.

One thing I love about EMG pickups is that it’s possible to roll the passive tone knob full CCW to reduce the high end but the notes are still clearly defined.
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That video and that argument about the tradeoff is a large part of why I decided to give EMG's J pickups a shot. I have them in two basses, the clarity just can't be beat.
 
#45
I can't say I even have much of a preference at this point. I've played my Stingray nearly 100% of the time for the last 4 years because the neck gave me less trouble than my other basses and I like how it looks. I like the sound too but that's not the main reason I started playing it over my other basses. As long as a bass sounds like a good specimen of its model, responds well, and is clearly audible in a band I kind of don't mind that much what the specifics of the tone actually are.
 
#47
When I choose basses, I do so because of tone, playability, and comfort. Active or passive is a secondary consideration for me although I really like the flexibility of an active bass. Some of you probably saw the thread where I was gushing over Sadowsky Metroline JMM5 that I ultimately decided to work towards buying as a retirement present to myself. That bass is very aggressive and active. At the opposite end of the spectrum. I plan to pickup a Tagima 435 by New Year if not sooner. It is a very nice Brazilian made passive Jazz that will be the Funk machine that US Geddy was not (shocker, the Geddy was a better Rock than Funk bass:laugh:!)
 
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#48
When I went to school, all MP&E students were brain washed into the only way to record bass is a fender jazz bass with everything wide open. I laughed when confronted with this in the studio and said I don't own a passive bass let alone a jazz bass so... should I leave then?
 
#49
onda'bass said:
When I went to school, all MP&E students were brain washed into the only way to record bass is a fender jazz bass with everything wide open. I laughed when confronted with this in the studio and said I don't own a passive bass let alone a jazz bass so... should I leave then?
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I've experienced this. I was hired to remotely provide a bass part for a song and my first pass was with an Alembic Series I. They said I wasn't getting the right feel. I provided other takes with various basses, that I thought sounded fine. Same complaint. Finally, I played it with a Lakland Jazz bass and they said I nailed it. Same exact part. It's interesting how they attributed the problem to my playing, rather than the engineer's inability to mix anything but a Fender.
 
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#50
I do 90% of my gigs with this guy, active/passive preamp and flats onboard.

99072A24-0FF7-4892-A302-636985AA99B9.jpeg
 
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#51
edwinhurwitz said:
I've experienced this. I was hired to remotely provide a bass part for a song and my first pass was with an Alembic Series I. They said I wasn't getting the right feel. I provided other takes with various basses, that I thought sounded fine. Same complaint. Finally, I played it with a Lakland Jazz bass and they said I nailed it. Same exact part. It's interesting how they attributed the problem to my playing, rather than the engineer's inability to mix anything but a Fender.
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It has always seemed to me that engineers should be embarrassed to not be able to mix the signals of Non-Fender basses. That said, I think many see a Non-FSO bass, and they “hear” the mix with their eyes. Sadowsky’s, which sound pretty distinct from passive Fenders, call BS on the difficulty of mixing Non-Fenders.
 
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#52
Depends on the passive bass in question, and the tonal needs at hand. But - overall I prefer active basses in general, mainly because there's no danger of 'loading' the signal down with passive, un-buffered pickups. I like having the ability to control my EQ/tone right at the bass, and consider the whole 'but the battery could die' excuse to avoid active basses to be passe', and a weak excuse. That's just maintenance, like checking the setup and intonation of a bass on a regular basis. If someone unquestionably asks me for a 'Fender Jazz Bass' or a P-Bass specifically, then I'll bring one. Otherwise, 99% of the time it's my Lakland 44-02 (which can cover a range of tones well with the right EQ and pickup settings), and maybe my 55-01 for a more modern sound. Both sit great in the mix, and engineers are always pleased.
 
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#54
higain617 said:
Active tones have never been among my favorites, but I think they work in certain contexts. It can really fill out the live sound in an atmospheric or minimalist arrangement.
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This is an interesting evaluation/compartmentalization. What kinds of 'active tones' fit this criteria? The list of 'active tones' on decidedly non-atmospheric or minimalist arrangements is long. Are these 'bedroom active tones' that are scooped out perhaps?
 
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#55
Dr. Cheese said:
It has always seemed to me that engineers should be embarrassed to not be able to mix the signals of Non-Fender basses. That said, I think many see a Non-FSO bass, and they “hear” the mix with their eyes. Sadowsky’s, which sound pretty distinct from passive Fenders, call BS on the difficulty of mixing Non-Fenders.
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+1

Agreed - especially with mixing tools that are available. Too unruly, get a little compression on it.

Trouble frequency? Notch it out w/parametric EQ. I think a lot of this mythos can be chalked up to not being proficient at their craft or worse, a bit of laziness.

Engineers are there to capture the audio given by the performer & make it sit its best in the mix. Insinuating that only a passive 7ender instrument will work the best in any given genre, or mix, is ridiculous at face value. IMO.
 
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#56
stingray69 said:
+1

Agreed - especially with mixing tools that are available. Too unruly, get a little compression on it.

Trouble frequency? Notch it out w/parametric EQ. I think a lot of this mythos can be chalked up to not being proficient at their craft or worse, a bit of laziness.

Engineers are there to capture the audio given by the performer & make it sit its best in the mix. Insinuating that only a passive 7ender instrument will work the best in any given genre, or mix, is ridiculous at face value. IMO.
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I agree that it is sheer laziness.
 
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#57
JazznFunk said:
This is an interesting evaluation/compartmentalization. What kinds of 'active tones' fit this criteria? The list of 'active tones' on decidedly non-atmospheric or minimalist arrangements is long. Are these 'bedroom active tones' that are scooped out perhaps?
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The quintessential active tone, in my opinion, is the Stingray. I found it to have a 'big' sound that filled up space with sparse compositions in the live setting.
 
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#59
higain617 said:
The quintessential active tone, in my opinion, is the Stingray. I found it to have a 'big' sound that filled up space with sparse compositions in the live setting.
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Interesting! I love StingRays, but I would consider the 'Ray to be very 'pointed' compared with other 'active' tones overall.... prolly why it's favored in situations where you really have to 'cut through'. I would have thought of an active bass with a bit more 'spread' would have fit your description.... like a Fodera or Alembic. Those to my ears take up more 'space' sonically in a sparce setting than a 'Ray.
 
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