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Sound enquiry

E

ernestosperanza

Dec 1, 2013
2
0
#1
Hello I am new to the community, and perhaps some of you can help me with a recurring problem that I have in my band. while I play in a band which many synthesizers, keyboards, and electronic drums used. and I can hardly find a bass sound that has foreknowledge that I would like in the band. from the start experimenting with the sound I realized that the pick could sound that emphasized more, but personally I'm more a fan of playing with your fingers.
if anyone can give any advice on the subject, either EQ or effects. or technique.
thank you very much
Ernesto
PS: my gear is a jazz bass (Microphones Seymour duncan Hot Stack for Jazz Bass ® STK-J2 on the bridge, Quarter Pound for Jazz Bass ® SJB-3 neck)
Gallien Krueger MB210 Amp
Stompboxes Big Muff bass & Bass Compressor MXR
 
#2
ernestosperanza said:
Hello I am new to the community, and perhaps some of you can help me with a recurring problem that I have in my band. while I play in a band which many synthesizers, keyboards, and electronic drums used. and I can hardly find a bass sound that has foreknowledge that I would like in the band. from the start experimenting with the sound I realized that the pick could sound that emphasized more, but personally I'm more a fan of playing with your fingers.
if anyone can give any advice on the subject, either EQ or effects. or technique.
thank you very much
Ernesto
PS: my gear is a jazz bass (Microphones Seymour duncan Hot Stack for Jazz Bass ® STK-J2 on the bridge, Quarter Pound for Jazz Bass ® SJB-3 neck)
Gallien Krueger MB210 Amp
Stompboxes Big Muff bass & Bass Compressor MXR
Click to expand...

Hmm, over 50 view and no replies. I'm sorry no one has replies to you yet.

First, welcome to TB.

Yeah, that's a rather hard question to answer online without hearing - but if the synth/keys want to step on you there really isn't much you can do about it. You can EQ some and ask the synth/keys to EQ out some bottom end and or to layoff the left hand, but that's about all you can do. Good luck.
 
#3
Your problem sounds like frequency masking.

The solutions involve careful arrangements, as well as designing your band's individual instrument voices to either blend or hold their own little distinct slice(s) of the spectrum. This will involve cooperative choices and some shared vision for the overall band sound, not just individuals tweaking their own sounds in isolation.

Google <bass masking "frequency slotting"> for some starting points.

Here's a tutorial featuring a walk-through for an electronica cut. Better yet, listen to some well produced studio tracks from bands that use a lot of voices. (I'm partial to Sly and the Family Stone, The Band, and Little Feat; but YMMV.)

If you focus on the individual instrument sounds, you'll hear how thin many of them are. In isolation, they're often quite pared away to leave room for the other voices in the arrangements. The key is for each instrument to have its own band of frequencies at which it's the dominant voice&#8212;while not encroaching on any of the other instruments' critical band of frequencies.
 
#5
BTW, high-pass filtering can also clean up a lot of the mess that masks the bass guitar and kick drum.
If you're running subs, either high pass every voice that doesn't need to live below the cross-over point, or feed the subs with an aux send that contains only the kick, floor tom, bass, and (perhaps) keys that feature important low-end.
 
#6
Hi, thanks for the help. I will continue researching more about masking frequencies. listen more attentively to Sly and the Family Stone. and try to negotiate the EQ in my band. I really turned out very exact, did not even know where to start looking, now I have a clue :D
 
#7
The gist of your problem seems to be double-fisted keyboard players that are over-using the bottom octaves of their keyboards. If they are playing a lot of left-handed stuff, then regardless of using a pick, how loud you play, or anything else, you are fighting a losing battle. The keyboardists are giving no thought to playing in your space. Perhaps they don't need a bass player. Or you don't need these keyboard players.

My background is pretty heavy in sound reinforcement, bass playing, AND arranging. The other ideas about EQ and hi-pass filters aren't bad ideas, but they are not solving the initial problem, which is LOUSY ARRANGEMENTS AND PLAYING. And you don't have to go all Tommy Dorsey or Buddy Rich with the arrangement thing. Just have a conversation with the keyboardists about the left-hand parts they are playing, maybe even record you guys playing and point out to them the sonic mess that's being created by them left-handing the bottom end of the group to death. That's your job. If they are talented and open-minded, they will listen to you and adjust what they are playing accordingly, If not, then, you are probably looking for another band.

Good luck, that's not an easy road to tackle,
Geri O
 
#8
Yep, had the same problem in my community big band until we had a guest conductor give us a clinic and he went to town on the piano player, getting the left hand to play "comping" chords jammed up under the right hand, even overlapping! Dual basslines not required, thankyou very much!
 
#10
Geri O said:
The other ideas about EQ and hi-pass filters aren't bad ideas, but they are not solving the initial problem, which is LOUSY ARRANGEMENTS AND PLAYING.
Click to expand...

You'll notice arrangements are the first solution I mention, and I mention arrangements first for reason. (Admittedly, though, there's not much usefully specific to say on that front w/o hearing the OP's music.)

I'm assuming that there isn't anyone in the band taking a producer's role in sculpting the band's sound (or else why the OP's post). Combine that with the report that the band is using "many synthesizers, keys, and e-drums," and eq looks like it is also going to come into play.

Not quibbling w/ you; just clarifying for the OP that there isn't the disagreement here that you suggest.
 
#11
derrico1 said:
You'll notice arrangements are the first solution I mention, and I mention arrangements first for reason. (Admittedly, though, there's not much usefully specific to say on that front w/o hearing the OP's music.)

I'm assuming that there isn't anyone in the band taking a producer's role in sculpting the band's sound (or else why the OP's post). Combine that with the report that the band is using "many synthesizers, keys, and e-drums," and eq looks like it is also going to come into play.

Not quibbling w/ you; just clarifying for the OP that there isn't the disagreement here that you suggest.
Click to expand...

Yikes! I'm sorry you thought I was quibbling with you, didn't intend that at all! I was just driving home the point, that's all...no disagreement intended, sorry about that!

Carry on,
Geri O
 
#12
(to the OP) you'll find lots of complaints here on TB about keyboard players dumping their left hand racket all over the bass player's turf! like geri says, that really is what needs to be fixed, so people stay out of each other's way in the mix.

plenty of great synth-pop bands have fingers-playing bass players.
 

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