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How to cut through the band?

#81
To reiterate / clarify what many are saying... careful of lows (and maybe even low mids), try high mids and some treble, a touch of overdrive... and again, up that tone knob! My tone that I love in my band (live and recordings) I don't really like solo. Then again, I don't really play just to play a bass all by itself, all by myself.
daddymactx said:
CAN'T PUT IT IN IF IT AIN'T THERE
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Exactly. This is why I always use SS rounds and basses with the bridge pickup. I can reduce if I want, but when I need to cut through, I can reintroduce the highs/high mids with a quick turn of the tone knob.
 
#82
DavC said:
I would first wonder how the recording was made .. ? a couple mics in the room .. ? what kind of mics .. ? or straight from the board with no room mics .. ?? a mix of both .. ? and where in the room .. ? or a video from a cell phone cam .. ? there are so many variables it is hard to nail down a specific tone from 1 recording .. ?? the boomyness/muddiness could be the room , more so than how it sounds on the stage and/or dance floor ... !? I used to use my wireless and walk around the room trying to get the sound I wanted " everywhere" ... which is pretty hard to do given the changes in the room as people come in .. !
if I like my sound on stage , I'd hope it comes thru the PA similarly ...
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Wireless..i spend time way before anybody gets there while setting up the show..we run a few songs and we are all wireless and we have the sound board set right then..so when we go live (our intro is very built up and matches a backdrop)its on, sound guy just has to tweak minimally and just boost a solo here and there. when we play small its set exactly how we practice, with pa for singer only..very consistant gigs and sound
 
#87
Radio Face said:
Why are you asking us? Just turn some amp knobs or, bass knobs or, change strings until you get the sound you want. If none of these changes work, purchase another amp., or bass, or both.
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It helps to see what other devoted players have to say and note the common elements that run through the responses. There's a wide range of experience among us, and sometimes it actually benefits others. Besides, if you don't want to know, don't ask.
 
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#92
I don't own a Jazz bass but I've been lent some on occasion to play live before and I always cut through with all the ones I've been given. What I do is I blend the pickups to be 90% Neck and 100% Bridge and play in between the pickups with the Tone knob on full. On my amp I leave the treble at noon, raise the high mids and low mids to 1 or 2 o' clock and cut the bass to 11 or so. I have found if boosting the low mids you have to cut some lows a little bit otherwise it starts to get boomy very fast instead of punchy--which is what I prefer. Adjust the volume accordingly and adding a little compression helps to thicken things up. After that you're good to go. Not the best tone solo but as have been said before, in a band mix it gets the job done right.
 
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#94
When I played bass in country bands, the goal was definition and presence without clank. Low action and roundwounds make that very difficult for most players, especially when your dynamics go from soft to loud. The best luck I had was semi-hollow basses or Precisions with flats.

Rolling the tone all the way down is going to kill definition. Also, on a Jazz, I would keep the neck PU at 10 and roll the bridge PU off a bit. Interestingly, this has always produced a slight harmonic shift for me that makes the bass sound a bit brighter, a slight nasally high-mid bump. Counter-intuitive, I know.

That you have your amp EQ largely right around noon is a good sign. I hate trying to squeeze tone out of my bass with my EQ settings; I'd rather the bass was set up and configured for the tone I want. I have always played through 1X15 cabs, sometimes without tweeters, and it sounds great. I wouldn't go re-configuring your rig until you slightly re-configure your bass.

And in country music, flats are your friend, especially for trad or retro country. I know some guys do just fine with rounds, but flats eliminate the need for adjusting technique. Easy to get nice round defined notes with fingers, and a bit of attack reminiscent of a slapped upright with a pick.
 
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#95
Dirk Rockbottom said:
How come I hear so many guys here saying they scoop their mids because they sound terrible? When I boost my low mid, it sounds sort of "boomy". I kind of like the high mid better than the low mid.
Thanks,
Dirk
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Hi mids are what you need, and probably a bit less bass; anyone who says they "scoop their mids because they sound terrible" has no idea what they're talking about.

Try setting your amp flat and leaving the tone on your bass rolled off halfway to start and go from there.
 
#96
You have three things that compete for space in the mix.

1.) Volume - The most tempting to adjust for a quick fix.
2.) Tone/Frequency - Takes a bit more time to get right.
3.) Time - Harder to manipulate as you need to play what needs to be played but finding the right spots to play can help.​

I would say the most important place to start is tone. This can be a collaborative effort between you and your band mates. Depending on the music, you may find your guitarist wanting a full range, monster stacked sound that is taking up most the frequency space. Hi mids is a good place to start. If that before mentioned is the case, see if they will slightly cut their mids in the 500-700hz range while you boost in the same range. Technique also helps here. I hate using a pick and never do so cutting in the mix is a bit tougher, but if you're into pics, go for it. It will help add a bit more bite to you're attack. Slight overdrive in your tone, think Ampeg tube distortion. Not a lot, just enough where it just starts to break up can help set your instrument apart in the mix.

Besides the guitar, you also need to look at other instruments that share your frequency range. The relationship between you and the kick can be very important. Both should be heard and present in the mix, but a good compliment to each other makes for a nice sound. Kick likes to sit in that 80hz spot so make sure you're not taking up too much of that space. A slight roll off at 80hz on your bass can help with that.

Once you have all your frequencies dialed in, then look at your volume and adjust accordingly.

These are just suggestions and every mix will be different, but as you get familiar with the songs that do and your band mates and can collective work on sharing the sonic space, your mix will be that much better because of it. Something profound to remember, what your instrument sounds like solo, is not what it should sound like in the mix, nor will it. In a full band scenario, there is just too much sonic competition for everyone to have full range access to all of the frequencies.

And if none of that works, check out Zombie Tools.

Just my humble thoughts on the subject.
 
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#97
4Mal said:
1. Switch out to chrome flats, let them settle in for a couple of weeks. Your patience will be rewarded... The twang goes away and you get a really nice defined steely thump. Outstanding for country/blues/roots... They feel nice too!

2. Turn the friggen' tone control up! You're losing all your highs and upper mids! That's where definition lives.

3. If you don't dig the clack, turn down the treble and high mids to compensate at the amp. If you can't find the offensive fret clack, it is often between 1.5 and 2.5 k. An EQ pedal might help you zero in. Parametric if you have the patience for it. Not hard to use but there is a learning curve.

I'm not in love with the Rumble but it isn't terrible. I find 1 x15 combo's to be kinda boomy. Usually the cab is sized small for portability and not large for tonality. IMO that is the case with the a rumble. Could I gig with one? Absolutely. It would be in line for an upgrade if I were gigging one a lot though...

4. You didn't mention which Fender J. If it's a squire, then move up the chain. Upgrading it is a losing proposition. If it's a MIM with stock pickups, an upgrade could be in order. If it's a bass with better pickups than those I've mentioned. You can probably skip the upgrade.

5. When you can do it. Demo a Lakland 44-01. I've done a ton of country and blues/roots dates with one and frankly it is hard to find a bad sound on that bass... Mine has Chromes. Most of my dates are done with a GK mB2-500 and 2 1x10's and a line into the PA.
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I think I've got the settings much better now. I played along with the recording of our gig through my stereo. Fender Rumble settings: Vintage button: ON Bass knob: 9:00 LowMid: 3:00 High Mid: 1:00
Treble 12Noon.
Jazz Bass settings: Neck Pickup: Halfway Bridge Pickup: 100 percent Tone knob: 100 percent up. The vintage button has more mids and bass, but allows you more to play with.
Next tests will be at rehearsal and next gig! Thanks for your help!

photo (13).JPG
Amp Knobs Vintage.JPG
 
#98
5. When you can do it. Demo a Lakland 44-01. I've done a ton of country and blues/roots dates with one and frankly it is hard to find a bad sound on that bass... Mine has Chromes. Most of my dates are done with a GK mB2-500 and 2 1x10's and a line into the PA.
Click to expand...

+1 for the Lakland 44-01. I have LaBella flats on mine, and I run the tone knob about 1/2 - 2/3 open. It cuts right through but with zero clank.
 
#99
DavC said:
I would first wonder how the recording was made .. ? a couple mics in the room .. ? what kind of mics .. ? or straight from the board with no room mics .. ?? a mix of both .. ? and where in the room .. ? or a video from a cell phone cam .. ? there are so many variables it is hard to nail down a specific tone from 1 recording .. ?? the boomyness/muddiness could be the room , more so than how it sounds on the stage and/or dance floor ... !? I used to use my wireless and walk around the room trying to get the sound I wanted " everywhere" ... which is pretty hard to do given the changes in the room as people come in .. !
if I like my sound on stage , I'd hope it comes thru the PA similarly ...
Click to expand...

I used a Tascam DR-05. Recording is a WAV file format. Had it sitting on a table out on the dance floor. It sounds very real to me when I listen to the playback. Amazing little devices.
 
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#100
davegt666 said:
I don't own a Jazz bass but I've been lent some on occasion to play live before and I always cut through with all the ones I've been given. What I do is I blend the pickups to be 90% Neck and 100% Bridge and play in between the pickups with the Tone knob on full. On my amp I leave the treble at noon, raise the high mids and low mids to 1 or 2 o' clock and cut the bass to 11 or so. I have found if boosting the low mids you have to cut some lows a little bit otherwise it starts to get boomy very fast instead of punchy--which is what I prefer. Adjust the volume accordingly and adding a little compression helps to thicken things up. After that you're good to go. Not the best tone solo but as have been said before, in a band mix it gets the job done right.
Click to expand...

This is almost exactly what I did! Sounds MUCH better. Thanks!
 

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