I Don't Get Bass Distortion/OD

[-Stingray]

Every time I've tried adding some distortion or overdrive to my bass it just sounds terrible.

Obviously it's user error....

Please enlighten me with some links to songs that use bass distortion/OD.

Thanks!

 

[dedpool1052]

Terrible on it's own?
Or in a mix?


Check out some isolated bass tracks on YouTube.

Basslines that sounds fairly clean in the mix, can often be much dirtier when isolated.

Here's a good example,

 

[-Stingray]

Terrible on it's own?
Or in a mix?


Check out some isolated bass tracks on YouTube.

Basslines that sounds fairly clean in the mix, can often be much dirtier when isolated.

Here's a good example,

OK, but if I can't hear the OD in the mix, what good it is? Is it just defining the top end a little better? Is it a sustain thing?

 

[Dave W]

OK, but if I can't hear the OD in the mix, what good it is? Is it just defining the top end a little better? Is it a sustain thing?

In a lot of cases it’s a slotting into the mix thing, like above with Robert Deleo.

I’m a big fan of running a relatively low gain OD all the time with my Barbershop. It’s essentially used as a clean boost, tightening things up. If I dig in it gets dirtier. In any case, it makes my bass sit a little forward in the mix. I’m in a power trio so that’s a good thing to my ears.

 

[dedpool1052]

OK, but if I can't hear the OD in the mix, what good it is? Is it just defining the top end a little better? Is it a sustain thing?

Dave pretty much sums it up.

In a lot of cases it’s a slotting into the mix thing, like above with Robert Deleo.

I’m a big fan of running a relatively low gain OD all the time with my Barbershop. It’s essentially used as a clean boost, tightening things up. If I dig in it gets dirtier. In any case, it makes my bass sit a little forward in the mix. I’m in a power trio so that’s a good thing to my ears.

 

[AceOfBassFace]

A little bit of dirt adds some excitement and compresses the sound. It's a bit more obvious if you're recording or mixing the band IMO. It really depends on the rest of the mix though - you won't hear it as much behind distorted guitars like the STP example, and with cleaner instrumentation it may not sound right.

 

[RJ]

Loads of grit can be heard on Motown recordings.

 

[Mighty Thumb]

Here is a good article on odd vs. even order harmonic distortion. There are a couple short videos imbedded in the article that help illustrate concept and expand on the application. The trick is finding the right kind of distortion(s) for your needs, if you need it at all. The extra harmonic content can help the bass to be better heard on smaller speakers like phones and tablets.
https://producerhive.com/ask-the-hive/odd-vs-even-harmonic-distortion/

 

[Matthew_84]

My favourite distortion is the growl of a two channel 4001, with the bridge pickup being distorted. 70’s prog rock was a good example of this tone, and perhaps my favourite application is in the beginning of Rush’s Cygnus X-1 from A Farewell to Kings (around the 2:10 mark)



if you don’t get it, that’s cool though. I play a lot of jazz, hip-hop, and funk by myself and I never use it for that stuff, but a touch of grit doesn’t hurt in the mix (in fact, it’s often really helpful).

 

[pbass2]

Listen to some isolated bass tracks of famous songs that have what might be considered "clean" bass. It can be surprising how much grunt is actually in the tone. From Motown to Reggae to Soul......it can really help the bass speak in the mix, but not so much as to sound "distorted". Here's one example: Rolling Stones’ “Gimme Shelter”: Bill Wyman’s Isolated Bass

 

[Killing Floor]

If it doesn’t sound good to you that’s ok. There’s no good/bad bass tone. I’m saying this as a fanatical pedal collector. Not everyone wants hair in their tone.

 

[truand85]

There ya go

 

[Rich67]

I love my bass with od, and these iso tracks were very enlightening. Never knew the STP tune had that level of drive. And I've been listening to Gimme Shelter for years, but have never fully heard what Wyman did.

All to say - thanks for posting these!

 

[bmusic]

My favorite example.
I had. No. Idea.

 

[monsterthompson]

As noted above, it’s a way to get some compression and EQ/voicing. If it works in your context, then great, if it doesn’t then it doesn’t.

Many “heavy” recordings probably have less distortion than most people think they do. Many “clean” sounds are dirtier than you might think.

Perhaps the “problem” for the OP is an amp/EQ/cab setting that doesn’t play well together with distortion. For me, I like having a cab/sim/filter that starts rolling off around 4kHz. If I send a dirty signal to a FRFR output then I generally don’t like the treble response with lots of gain.

 

[AceOfBassFace]

Here's a great example of some light OD.

Mix:


Isolated:

 

[Isaac_James]

In a lot of cases it’s a slotting into the mix thing, like above with Robert Deleo.

I’m a big fan of running a relatively low gain OD all the time with my Barbershop. It’s essentially used as a clean boost, tightening things up. If I dig in it gets dirtier. In any case, it makes my bass sit a little forward in the mix. I’m in a power trio so that’s a good thing to my ears.

My feelings exactly. It's not exactly dirty but rather "dusty". Sounds pretty good on its own but with a guitar and drums, it absolutely kills.

 

[Fuzzbass]

Perhaps the “problem” for the OP is an amp/EQ/cab setting that doesn’t play well together with distortion. For me, I like having a cab/sim/filter that starts rolling off around 4kHz. If I send a dirty signal to a FRFR output then I generally don’t like the treble response with lots of gain.

Tweeter always off for me. If that wasn't an option, then I'd roll back passive tone... and sometimes I do both. Nearly all my active basses have passive tone.

 

[Rich67]

Here's a great example of some light OD.

Mix:


Isolated:

John Taylor is so next level. I never knew his tone had that dirt to it. As an aside, Mrs. Rich67 just walked by and said "That's Duran Duran!" Even isolated...

 

[opivy3056]

Iconic