Too smooth

[LaBassGuy]

also, on both basses, roll off the neck PU and focus onthe bridge pu. also play near the bridge. This will give you a more defined tone.

If after doing this and boosting lower mids you still get lost, then maybe your tocuh is way too soft.

 

[kcole4001]

Maybe push your amp a little harder, bump the pre up a touch, add some more mids, and dig in a little out toward the neck a bit.
Works for me, anyway.

 

[Bob C]

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.

Okay, I did think you were talking about live recordings. So, my main question is this:

Are you happy with your on-stage sound, but can't duplicate it on a recording? Or is your on-stage sound muddy to you while you're playing?

 

[deBont Amps]

Your problem is most likely in your amp/speakers. Like many before me said; boost the mids! And just cut the lows a little bit while you're at it to make the overal sound more focused.

But maybe it's your cabinet. I once owned an epifani 4x10 that was TOTALLY lost in the mix. Sound was way too wide. Same amp and bass on my current 2x12 inch is cut-through-heaven.

How did you set your gain by the way?? Setting the gain low and the master volume high can cause mushy sound as well.

 

[EdHunter]

Boost the mids and abuse the strings. That's how I get through 5 or 6 layers of multi-tracked guitars.

 

[stepswork4me]

Have you tried recording another band with your digital recorder?

 

[ggunn]

Thanks for all the replies. I finally did something that made a pretty big difference on the Alembic. Pretty soon after buying it I had replaced the stock two band EQ with the sweepable rolloff and Q switch mod that Alembic sells for the Epic. It's good because it can be used to put a bump in the EQ wherever you want it. It's bad because you cannot use it to roll off the bass (I was trying to do that with the amp). Yesterday afternoon I put the 2 band EQ back in, and it's a whole new world. I still don't have the tone I am hearing in my head, but it's a lot closer.

 

[cassius987]

Maybe push your amp a little harder, bump the pre up a touch, add some more mids, and dig in a little out toward the neck a bit.
Works for me, anyway.

+1 on all of this. Bumping the pre, definitely, do you know if you are well below clipping it or are you right on it?

I would run your EQ flat some time if you get a chance and see what that is like. Then do minor adjustments away from that sound, not from a parametric smiley face or hill or whatever.

I have found the bridge-area of tone is pleasing when isolated but much less useful in a mix. In my last recording session I soloed the neck pickup and it cut like a beast without getting in anyone's way--it had its own sonic home.