Trying to create a tone. Metalcore Bass.

[NotJArnett]

look, I am loving all of this feedback. I feel that most of you have the perspective of a bass players classic desire to want to be heard. I know that other genres require bass with lots of lowend, but I play metalcore. I want a tone that fits the genre I play. The other example are metal bands, not metalcore. I know some scoff at the genre, but its what I play. Trust me in that the sound I desire is normal, and not "bad". Look at bands like Underoath and Devil wears Prada, they represent the genre at it's best. I'm not looking for witty comments on how bad metalcore is or that the bass in it sucks, I am looking for some advise from people who know this genre. In short I need a punchy bass tone, something that will hit hard, but not be funky.

 

[ozzyismetal]

look, I am loving all of this feedback. I feel that most of you have the perspective of a bass players classic desire to want to be heard. I know that other genres require bass with lots of lowend, but I play metalcore. I want a tone that fits the genre I play. The other example are metal bands, not metalcore. I know some scoff at the genre, but its what I play. Trust me in that the sound I desire is normal, and not "bad". Look at bands like Underoath and Devil wears Prada, they represent the genre at it's best. I'm not looking for witty comments on how bad metalcore is or that the bass in it sucks, I am looking for some advise from people who know this genre. In short I need a punchy bass tone, something that will hit hard, but not be funky.

Exactly. Which is why simenandreas posted Nolly's bass tone from Periphery (in his last youtube link). It will work in your band setting.
Personally, if I was in another metalcore project again I'd look at any kind of modern head (probably a GK), a cab loaded with big ol 15s to push enough air for the downtuning to be valid and then chuck a Darkglass pedal in my chain. That should get you in the ballpark.

 

[St. Louis Scot]

...but metal "core" isn't exactly a bass players band.

True. But why couldn't it be? Maybe NotJArnette is just the player to blaze that new trail!

 

[Korladis]

Hey, I am in a Metalcore band, in the Cincy area, and as we start getting larger, I have been looking more and more into imrpoving my setup. Right now I play a Deluxe Active Jazz Bass in drop B tuning. My bass sound great, but I still have a beginner amp. I'm trying to get a really punchy sound, and I know that some metalcore bass players use an ampeg svtcl with an 810e. to be more specific, I litterally want the sound in this video.

Invalid Link Removed

just skip to 1:14 in the video for the bass solo. I really feel overwhelmed by the information that is out there. Can anybody help?

The only part that I could even hear the bass in was when the guitars weren't playing. Once they came back in, the bass disappeared again.

Hence, I don't think that's a very effective bass sound.

If you emulate it, you won't be able to hear yourself in the mix any better than you can hear this guy when the guitars are playing.

If you do for some reason want to copy his bass sound, though... it's probably a Sansamp BDDI, with the drive on and the lows and highs boosted. Or, on your amp, if it has any overdrive, turn that up some while cutting all the mids and cranking the treble.

I wouldn't recommend it, though. For metal, I prefer a mid-heavy sound, as it's a lot more audible.

 

[Nashrakh]

I'm personally very fond of the bass on As Blood Runs Blacks' Allegiance record, there's also a very nice solo bass piece. I won't be at home for a few days, but I'll try to figure out his settings.

 

[Korladis]

What? that bass part is sick. Drop B bass sound sloppy AF when you try to make the low end powerful. you want the bass to have punch. Remember this isn't ska or alternative, this is metalcore. I play chugs, sweeps, pinches, or power chords.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNxaO97KspQ

and example from my band

Is there even bass on that recording?

 

[Korladis]

look, I am loving all of this feedback. I feel that most of you have the perspective of a bass players classic desire to want to be heard. I know that other genres require bass with lots of lowend, but I play metalcore. I want a tone that fits the genre I play. The other example are metal bands, not metalcore. I know some scoff at the genre, but its what I play. Trust me in that the sound I desire is normal, and not "bad". Look at bands like Underoath and Devil wears Prada, they represent the genre at it's best. I'm not looking for witty comments on how bad metalcore is or that the bass in it sucks, I am looking for some advise from people who know this genre. In short I need a punchy bass tone, something that will hit hard, but not be funky.

If you're not going to be heard, what is the point of you being there?

Are you just the guitarist's octave pedal?

Not knocking metalcore as a genre, but a lot of it, and metal in general (of which metalcore is just a subgenre, really), has very counter-productive, super scooped bass tone. And I say this as someone who primarily plays metal.

If you have guitarists who scoop the mids, and then you also scoop the mids, you're all competing over the same frequency ranges. Hurting you even more is the fact that the lows on the bass are in kick drum frequencies, and the highest highs are in frequencies occupied by cymbals and snare.

Punch is mainly in the upper bass, low mids. None of the bass sounds you linked would really punch that well.