EQing fingerstyle to resemble pick

[totallybacan]

I was wondering what EQ points I should worry about to resemble the sound of a pick. Obviously, the attack will be softer and thumpier, but I'm more interested about the mids and highs. I also assume that I would have to turn the gain up a bit to compensate for the heavy attack from a pick. Suggestions?

 

[zeppelinfreak]

...why would you want to?

That said, what kind of pick tone are you going for? That middy "thump" or the trebly "clank" tones

 

[sonic assassin]

high mids.. crank them to your liking. anything from 800-3k goes to the roof when i play. low mids (400 ish) and sub lows (50 and down) likely need to come down a bit. if its still too boomy, start your cut at 80 or so.

i tend not to like super highs on bass, so i dont want much about 6k. you might.. idk. but cranking the highs will get you noise. its more emphasis on high mids. after you get the attack you want there, see what you want out of your highs.

gain is your friend. i normally push any amp im playing on until it clips, then take it back a tad. occasional clipping is fine by me (assuming its solid state.. if its tube, crank some more). as is a very powerful attack from the fingers. ive gotten sores, blood blisters, bruises, all sorts of problems from my aggressive technique, but i wouldnt sound the same without it. make sure to stretch your picking hand a little extra.

 

[Gearhead17]

I generally EQ my tone to handle distortion, finger style, and pick style all at once. So it's one tone for the entire show in my 90's rock cover band.

Biggest key to getting a good tone is where you do the plucking on the bass. I play over the Neck pickup mostly for figner style playing. I play between the Neck and Bridge pickup and sometimes closer to the Bridge for pick playing. You get more string definition with a pick towards the bridge - you have to find your own sweet spot.

I set all of my amps at "their" flat setting, boost the 900hz to 4khz range about 5db and go from there for the show.

Just shifting your plucking hand on the bass can drastically change your tone and do more to get you heard than what your amp can do.

I use Dunlop Tortex Sharp 1mm picks because they still keep the low end, great string detail and are consistent string to string. Make sure the pick you have is giving you the tone you want - the thicker the pick (over 1mm), generally, the more bass it will produce.

ALSO - you don't have to set the gain control twice during a show - esepcially if you focus on an even attack throughout your finger and pick styles. It takes a good amount of discipline to do that (It did for me-especially to not hit the strings so hard). But you can honestly set the gain high for figner style and adapt your pick playing to around the finger style gain setting. Honestly - hitting the strings like a GORILLA is not too useful and you will get a much better and more even bass tone by hitting each string consistently hard. Makes soundmen happy and will allow you to focus on playing in a live setting and not adjusting your amp every few songs.

 

[sonic assassin]

Honestly - hitting the strings like a GORILLA is not too useful and you will get a much better and more even bass tone by hitting each string consistently hard. Makes soundmen happy and will allow you to focus on playing in a live setting and not adjusting your amp every few songs.

if you're a consistent gorilla, it wont be a problem.

i never touch my amp while playing unless i notice that the stage is too hollow and rumbling too much. then i reach for my master low cut. otherwise, no problems.

 

[totallybacan]

zeppelinfreak: Im a fingerstyle player, but I want to go for a hybrid sound. I don't plan on using a pick anytime soon. I want a mid boosted "rock style" sound, which is usually heard by root pumping punk and rock bassists who solely pick. But I still want elements of my own sound. I have a pretty good tone live, but I want to give it more of the rock elements. AFAIK, the main difference in the spectrum between fingerstyle and pick is that fingerstyle has a more pronounced fundamental.

Without adding hiss and clank, I want to add more definition. I hope this clears things up a bit

 

[seamonkey]

Just trying to do this with EQ could be a little tricky, as each note is produced differently.
Roland vb-99 can make a finger pluck sound like a pick.
It can also do a lot more but costs $$$
Many software modeling techniques can do the same - but need a PC

If you don't do any slapping, then a thumb pick can be handy to switch between finger and pick, some are just regular guitar picks with a band that attaches to your thumb. But you'd need to be willing to practice with a thumb pick.

Myself, I can get a good pick like sound by edge muting with the side of my hand right over the bridge, and plucking hard with my thumb. Have to have a callus though.