Too smooth

[ggunn]

My tone is too smooth. It's very frustrating to play a gig that I thought went very well, only to listen to the recording and hear my bass just disappear in the mix. I mean, I can hear some low freq content, but the bass is very indistinct.

I have two basses - an Alembic Epic 5 and a Bongo 5 HHP, and though they sound different, they both have this trait, at least when I play them. Both my SVT in my studio and my Ashdown combo sound this way. Playing alone both basses sound great to me, but they disappear in the mix.

What I have tried with varying though disappointing degrees of success: EQing ad nauseum, both on the bass(es) and on the amp(s). Pickup switching/blending. Stainless steel Rotosounds and several other makes/models of strings. Playing very near the bridge. Fulltone Bass Drive. Alembic Q switch/filter mod on the Epic.

I'm guessing what I am wanting is more "growl", like maybe a more sawtooth than sine waveform. It's not distortion that I am wanting, at least not what the Fulltone can give me.

Buying more/different basses is not an option for me right now. Have you got any not hideously expensive things for me to try?

 

[EagleMoon]

Play with a pick.

 

[OmnitzGarima]

It almost sound like an attack problem, like it isn't punchy or percussive enough? I'm guessing left-hand technique, but that's only a guess.

 

[MycooLeeyun]

Maybe try some different strings or play more aggressively

 

[giacomini]

That's odd...

I don't know much about the Alembic but I think both of them have humbuckers, right? And humbuckers tend to have more mids, which can actually bring your sound up to the front...

Questions:

1 - Do you have a light touch?
2 - I see you said you have messed around with different EQ settings, but don't you tend to scoop out the mids?
3 - The recordings you say, are them studio or gig recordings? Because nermally those gigs recordings are all muddy and yes, you can't hear much definition of the lowend...

I just say it sounds odd because you said that the bass sounded fine while you were playing.

 

[IotaNet]

Try aggressively boosting the mids.

 

[ggunn]

It almost sound like an attack problem, like it isn't punchy or percussive enough? I'm guessing left-hand technique, but that's only a guess.

Left hand? Fretting hand?

 

[OmnitzGarima]

Left hand? Fretting hand?

Sorry, I meant right hand. I almost wrote "pick" hand or something along those lines, to avoid the left-right confusion (for Southpaws) but apparently I'm not bright enough.


I'm sure that I'll get it right next time.

 

[elavate7]

it could be the string. since i switched from rounds to flats, i noticed a complete difference when playing in the mix. i think flats tend to be more punchy and aggresive, which is good for makeing the bass blend and stand out at the same time.

 

[woolysock]

You haven't told us how you set the eq on your basses or amp. I humbly suggest you run your amp flat -- ie no bass or treble boost and no mid cut. What sounds great at home tends to disappear in a live mix and what sounds a wee bit harsh and edgy can sound great live.

You say you want a bit more growl. I get plenty with a 62ri Fender Jazz, nickel-wound DR Low Riders, both pups on full, tone controls wide open and amp (Ag 500sc) set flat.

Best of luck to you!

 

[Bob C]

I think you should look into the recording equipment, process and engineer. There are so many stages where one weak link could throw everthing off kilter.

Maybe it DOES sound great one stage AND out front, but not on tape (I mean disk). Or are you talking about studio recordings?

 

[ggunn]

I think you should look into the recording equipment, process and engineer. There are so many stages where one weak link could throw everthing off kilter.

Maybe it DOES sound great one stage AND out front, but not on tape (I mean disk). Or are you talking about studio recordings?

No, actually, I am talking about live recordings. I have an Edirol recorder that gets surprisingly good captures of gigs for a battery powered pocket sized recorder. I also record jams and rehearsals in my home studio with a binaural mic pair. My bass sound is consistently mushy in all of them.

 

[Spleenface92]

I just crank the mids, and that works. Although, it could help that my guitarist plays EXCLUSIVELY on the bridge pickup. And he's a dimebag darrell disciple. And he respects my sonic range.

 

[milkman-27]

Your name isn't Keith Stone is it?

 

[5string5fingers]

+1 on cranking mids if you want to be heard.

 

[Craig_S]

Try aggressively boosting the mids.

+1

 

[somegeezer]

Up the mids for growl and treble for attack. Cut back some bass. Bridge pickup on. If that doesn't work, there's something wrong somewhere. =P

 

[Daveomd]

You need some of that fret clank that sounds like crap when you play by yourself.

 

[humpy thumb]

boost hi mids>

 

[5string5fingers]

I've found that fret clank pretty much disappeared in a band mix. It's too high freq and is just buried under guitar harmonics and symbols. I've found keeping the treble flat,cutting hi mid,boosting low mid a lot and cutting back or keeping bass flat has worked the best for me. If I want to cut more I boost hi mids, and cut bass a little.

It will sound pretty weird out of a band setting,and more than likely pretty bad by itself,but in a band setting it sounds amazing.