need help with slap volume

[RedLS1Iroc]

the problem im having is just that when playing slap style i cant hear anything but bass. the d and g strings sound nearly silent, and then when i go back to finger style its too loud. ive tried boosting the highs, cutting mids and lows to no avail. when im playing by myself the slap sounds good but is just completely drowned out by the guitars and drums when they join. im currently playing through a 4x10 cab w/o horn. any suggestions.

 

[kalle74]

a compressor to smooth out your dynamics could help. so would a cab with with a tweeter (to help your highs cut through). latter a matter of opinion, though...

check your pickup height to even out the differences in string volumes, and pay attention to your slapping technique (it never hurts to check your technique...)

 

[allexcosta]

Your action is probably too low, your EQ probably has to much lows and not enough mids. Adjust pickup height as well...

 

[mcnach]

when im playing by myself the slap sounds good but is just completely drowned out by the guitars and drums when they join.

I'd guess that you have a slightly scooped mid-frequency sound, which sounds great alone... but add other instruments and you just don't cut through if there aren't enough low-mids.

A compressor/limiter will help even out the sound between strings, then I'd play with an EQ pedal to find ho to modify the sound so that it cuts through.

I sometimes use a different tone for slap (through an EQ pedal), but I'm getting lazy and use the same tone for slap and fingerstyle. The compressor in my head (TC Electronic RH450) takes care of the difference in volume between fingerstyle and slap. It sounds alright.

 

[TimmyP]

TC Triple C compressor - you can compress the lows, mids, and highs separately, and it is very tweakable. The C300 and C350 also have multiband settings, but you cannot tweak them much if at all.