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For some reason, I hate the way it sounds when I use my audio interface

#21
That is not the worlds best interface by any means but it is very capable of reproducing accurate, true to life sounds. Garage band is also a stripped down version of logic, built by German people who basically invented DAW’s.

What you are putting in is what you’re getting out. If you are not happy it’s because your speakers/monitors are vastly inferior to what you’re used to hearing your bass through, or you’re used to a very colored sound.
 
#22
g-dude said:
So I have a Focusrite Scarlett (the 2i2 I believe - not sitting in front of it at the moment), and I’ll occasionally mess around with garage band.

Don’t know what it is, but it sounds so radically different than my experience going direct at church, or playing with an amp.

Is it just that Garage Band is junk, the interface is junk, or am I just being overly sensitive?

Granted, I haven’t gone in and really tried to play around with EQ, but it just sounds so unpleasant and artificial that I don’t even really know where to start.
Click to expand...

A very analog solution:

Run a cable from your amp's headphone jack into the interface, use no plugins, and color your sound on the amp itself. It oughta give you the sound you're accustomed to
 
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#23
So didn't have enough time to really experiment too much, but I went back and just looking at the HiFi DI "amp" setting and playing around, I noticed this:

- plugging in my upright sounded better than I expected it to. Like, I was honestly a bit shocked.
- Doing the bass guitar again, I think I can articulate a bit better some of the things that are bugging me. The recorded tone isn't awful.

For some reason, it feels like everything is super silent, and then ON...like the attack is ultra pronounced - more so than when I play with an amp without compression, more so than when I play live at church where it is compressed. Like, the bass is super percussive right off the front of the note. Heck, when I play live at church, the attack is so non-existent that I have the opposite problem in that it sounds the same whether I play sixteenth notes, eighth notes, or whole notes.

I'm starting to wonder if my issue is the rather binary silence vs NOTE!!!, combined with the fact that it feels like there's a real temporal disconnect between when I play then note and when I hear it. For what it's worth, any time I've tried something that has built in digital effects (pedal unit or modeling amp), I've disliked it - no matter how much I wanted to like it.

I think I'd be better off monitoring myself through my amp directly, which I'll try once I get the chance to get its line level out plugged directly into the interface. That might help me separate the "live" monitoring versus recorded sound into different issues so that I can achieve the end goal of being able to record something I actually like.
 
#24
Acme Audio makes a DI that is meant to simulate the sound of the Motown bass DI.

But aren’t all preamps EQ and gain? I guess the question is whether you want a baked in preset sound.

Otherwise just use the EQ and preamp in Gband to get the sound. Gband has some preset bass eq curves that are decent, but you can always just make them on your own.

At the end of the day, isn’t it all just EQ bumps and cuts anyhow?
 
#25
g-dude said:
Is it just that Garage Band is junk, the interface is junk, or am I just being overly sensitive?
Click to expand...
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g-dude said:
Granted, I haven’t gone in and really tried to play around with EQ
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LBS-bass said:
It's more likely you just aren't used to hearing a clean signal. Actually the opposite of artificial.
Click to expand...
LBS-bass said:
It's not unusual for great basslines to be recorded clean, with the kind of stuff we're talking about being added later during the mixing process.
Click to expand...
 
#27
I have the same Focusrite interface and have the same experience as you. The tone is so much different than through the headphone jack on my amp. In particular the treble is significantly diminished. I compensate by using a SansAmp VT DI with the bite switch engaged, but even then it is quite a bit different from the tone I get through just a basic amp
 
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#28
808State said:
Far as what you mean by " fake" could be latency
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g-dude said:
there's a real temporal disconnect between when I play then note and when I hear it.
Click to expand...
Do you have any idea how much latency your system has? Have you optimized it at all? Latency can cause all types of perceived issues and, just like you said, make playing seem artificial and disconnected.
 
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#29
fortunately processor power has eliminated most latency problems.

then again it depends on the digital audio converter. basically the sound card.
Also a good work station should show the latency.
Even have compensation.
Soundcard driver should have settings available as well.
You want to set things to the highest settings for minimal latency.
Its a balance act in some situations depending on how many plugins are running.

I always used M Audio sound cards only. usually the leader for soundcards
In the early days most where just line level balanced or unbalanced inputs.
So you obsoletely had to use a preamp with a passive bass.
Newer devices seem to incorporate preamps designed for instruments.

Most might not be familar with the term Full Duplex soundcard.
It provides the input and the output. I haven't used a factory soundcard
since 98 lol. MAudio provides everything in and out.

Active bass im sure would help.
Then again some people are not use too how clean a Active bass sounds.
The response is so different compared to a passive pickup.

Another example is guys use to recording acoustic guitars with a mic.
then when using a acoustic guitar with a pickup or piezo bridge.
It can sound very artificial

And I only use Steinberg software for Daw. Basically Cubase.
Steinberg invented the VST platform.
So all these VST plugins make a lot more sense using the inventors of the platform.
 
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#30
Reduce your latency. Optimize your input signal and make sure there are no impedance issues. I have no trouble going straight into my UA Apollo Twin, but you may want to try a DI, or take the DI from your amp (if it has one) into your Scarlett and try it. I have had EXCELLENT results in the past with the DI from a Mesa D800 (set to post-eq) into my interface. The stronger the signal is going in (without going into the red), the better your results will be. I use Logic, which has similar amp models as GarageBand, and I think they are all garbage. You are better off getting the sound you like outside the box, or using EQs, compression etc. inside the box to get your tone rather than an amp model. YMMV, this is just my opinion from recording hundreds of hours in Logic.
 
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#32
g-dude said:
So didn't have enough time to really experiment too much, but I went back and just looking at the HiFi DI "amp" setting and playing around, I noticed this:

- plugging in my upright sounded better than I expected it to. Like, I was honestly a bit shocked.
- Doing the bass guitar again, I think I can articulate a bit better some of the things that are bugging me. The recorded tone isn't awful.

For some reason, it feels like everything is super silent, and then ON...like the attack is ultra pronounced - more so than when I play with an amp without compression, more so than when I play live at church where it is compressed. Like, the bass is super percussive right off the front of the note. Heck, when I play live at church, the attack is so non-existent that I have the opposite problem in that it sounds the same whether I play sixteenth notes, eighth notes, or whole notes.

I'm starting to wonder if my issue is the rather binary silence vs NOTE!!!, combined with the fact that it feels like there's a real temporal disconnect between when I play then note and when I hear it. For what it's worth, any time I've tried something that has built in digital effects (pedal unit or modeling amp), I've disliked it - no matter how much I wanted to like it.

I think I'd be better off monitoring myself through my amp directly, which I'll try once I get the chance to get its line level out plugged directly into the interface. That might help me separate the "live" monitoring versus recorded sound into different issues so that I can achieve the end goal of being able to record something I actually like.
Click to expand...


I was the same way with modelling stuff. The last Multi-effects pedal I used was like Boss GT-6 or somethingwell over a decade ago before I got into bass. It was capable of sounding great but I never got sounds I liked out of it, and it was a bit too complicated.

Today's modelling software and pedals are outstanding compared to older stuff. Easier to use, easier to setup presets, and easier to tweak into something usable. I'd have never recommended one 10 years ago.. but I'm thoroughly impressed by Line6's current offerings. VST has come a long way as well.

The latency you're getting while playing through your DAW is normal. Your signal has to first be processed through the USB BUS and then through the CPU etc etc and can add milliseconds of lag. Most interfaces have a means of compensation for that by changing the sample and bitrate. Your interface has a direct monitoring option, which you have to configure your daw to work with if I'm not mistaken, but that signal will be latency free as your hearing it before it is sent to the PC. You won't be able to hear any effects you add through your daw while direct monitoring. Just whatever you're feeding into the interface..
 
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#34
I have a 2i4 that sounds like hot garbage direct, too. I've been planning on investing in something like an Audient or a UA interface, both of which have been highly recommended, as they apparently have built-in preamps that will make your direct signal sound better.

A lot of instruments plugged in direct are gonna sound bad no matter what, though. Just the nature of the game.
 
#35
g-dude said:
I have not. I mean, I have a fairly good iMac (27” with 5K graphics), but I don’t have experience with managing latency.
Click to expand...

once your over 10 to 12 milliseconds its very obvious it will sound like delay or reverb.

More tolerable is 3 to 7 ms which makes it work.
but could be the cause of the separation you describe.

it really tightens up to be down to almost 0 latency or around 1 to 3ms.
some settings will get you under 10 ms which is tolerable.
but hover little high around 7 to 9 ms

All a learning process to finding plugins you enjoy as well and how to monitor to make it sound right.
which may be more the issue.
I tend to remove most cabinet or room emulation of sims.
In your case being use to live or the sound you get at the church.
Maybe you would like room emulation more.

I dont always use " bass amp" simulations. I use guitar plugins as well.
Your going for tone in emulation. So real life you might not use a 2x12 guitar cab.
In simulation it doesnt matter. more a tone curve your getting.

I usually stick to IK multimedia or Native Instruments plugins.
not familiar with the garage band or logic plugins.
 
#37
Something perhaps worth mentioning is that live and recorded audio are always gonna sound different, an svt does not a headphone make :D

I use a 2i2 and audacity and I more often than not run direct and get loads of great bass tones. One thing that I can think of here is your choice of bass is something to consider. Sometimes a bass that suits us live doesn't work in a recording and vice versa. Having a diverse stable can be useful here as sometimes a ric with rounds is what a track needs and sometimes it's a p with flats.

Also worth mentioning is our perception and maybe this has already been ruled out but your sound while playing vs listening back is different and same goes for the sound standing on a stage vs ten feet away. All the little things add up.
 
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#39
g-dude said:
So I have a Focusrite Scarlett (the 2i2 I believe - not sitting in front of it at the moment), and I’ll occasionally mess around with garage band.

Don’t know what it is, but it sounds so radically different than my experience going direct at church, or playing with an amp.

Is it just that Garage Band is junk, the interface is junk, or am I just being overly sensitive?

Granted, I haven’t gone in and really tried to play around with EQ, but it just sounds so unpleasant and artificial that I don’t even really know where to start.
Click to expand...
Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 Gen3 is an excellent audio interface. I'm not sure the "air" option is a great addition because it seems to make just a subtle difference in vocals and not in my bass, but it's far better sounding than the Behringer UMC202HD that I used before it. Of course, you have no EQ options on the interface itself, so any adjustments that you normally make at your amp have to be made post production after you've already recorded it. My MIA 192 Passive Jazz bass sounds great through it.

If you can't get the sound out of it that you get from your amp, and you don't want to EQ the recording later, another option is to run a DI from the back of your amp (make sure it is set to Post-EQ if there's a choice) into your audio interface . If you have a Solid State amp, that is not a problem and your EQ adjustments will appear in the file and in your ears. Not really something you can do with any of the all-tube amps though because they require a speaker load. So if you are playing through an all-valve amp, that's probably not an option.

Even another option is to get a stompbox-sized preamp/DI box (I have a WTDI). Plug into that, adjust your EQ as needed and plug into your audio interface. I did that for a while but for my normal home use, it didn't make much difference. Plus I know that with my bass I just want to run a little low-mid boost (anywhere from 250Hz up to 500Hz) to get the sound I want and that's easy to add in track later.
 

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