What's the key to getting this Low E punchy sound?

[SuperTheBass]

Was gonna say this. The best “punch” comes when those low notes lock perfectly with the kick drum and the frequencies mesh directly into your chest.

Surely there's an effect that adds a kick drum to every note you play somewhere.

 

[BGroovy]

Surely there's an effect that adds a kick drum to every note you play somewhere.

Play a drum loop and then sidechain that into your compressor pedal and you'll get some great attack

 

[2thAche]

I'm not getting "punchy" from this vid either. The sound is kinda low-cut with accentuated mids or maybe low mids from the OD like you'd get from old SVT. The notes are defined because of that and stand out in the mix, as they do when you use this kind of sound. I think the "punch" is from the kick drum.

 

[dave64o]

In general, low mids more than low bass.

But locking in with the kick drum can really help provide a physical kind of punch you feel in your chest.

 

[Grinderman]

Where did you hear this?

A graffiti rumor scratched in the wall with a key in The Unisex John (band or song name?) at TB.

True story: About 30 years ago there was a piece of graffiti on this wall at the Empty Bottle in Chicago that said--paraphrasing--,"Steve Albini and Spike Lee have never been spotted in the same place at the same time. Coincidence?"

 

[micguy]

This might sound crazy, but I think the E string almost always sounds better on a 5 string bass than on a 4 string.

5 string necks are more solid than 4 string necks - they’re stiffer and more massive. In addition, the notes low on the E string are even beefier when played on the B string. Even if you don’t play below the low E, a 5 string gives you options you don’t have on a 4.

 

[micguy]

That's interesting. I find it's almost always the opposite. I've rarely played a 5 that I thought had an E string that was as solid as a comparable 4.

You haven’t played a good 5.

 

[KellyC]

The E string on my Olinto P4 is the fullest, thumpiest E string I’ve ever played. I don’t know how Mas does it.

 

[YourGuitarist]

I feel like I often have trouble getting that punchy Low E string bass sound on all my basses: Precision, Jazz, Stingray. Since it goes across the different basses, I'm wondering if it's an EQing thing, a technique thing, strings, or something else. The video above is my ideal Low E tone...look at all those riffs on frets 0 through 5. Clear and punchy but still bringing the low end.

I have an Helix LT, so I can choose whatever I'd like amp/cab/mic wise. I play through headphones at home, and through a PA, be it at practice or gigs or church. So assuming I have all those factors at my fingertips, what amp/cab setting should I pick, how should I EQ. And are there strings that can get me that punchy Low E sound?

That throaty sound comes from low mids being more prominent than the fundamental. Soloing the bridge pup or playing close to the bridge helps too. Sometimes its had in the upper bass region too. And just FTR,
my definition of low-mids: 240-450Hz;
definition of upper bass: 150-240Hz

 

[Michael Hunter]

You haven’t played a good 5.

I’ve owned and played plenty of “good” 5s from multiple manufacturers. My experience remains consistent across brands, price points, etc.

 

[jthisdell]

P Bass with flats, sunburst, tort, high action. ..

It is definitely all in the tort

 

[maturanesa]

Boost the mids and the lows using the bridge pickup
Play close to the bridge with a set of strings that are flexible in that area.
Use a distortion eqing the pedal with more highs and a blend in 50%

 

[Wasnex]

Getting really tight lows is really easy when you are recording direct. Getting really tight lows live, IMHO, is difficult to impossible.

Start with a bass that produces the desired tone and response. This includes consideration for the string choice, age of the strings, and setup. It also includes how you adjust the bass...solo or fade toward the bridge pickup for more punch.

Next play with a technique that generates the desired response. I originally played with relatively straight plucking fingers. I found that using arched plucking fingers produces a punchier tone and also allows a more variety in the range of attacks I can produce. Playing closer to the bridge generates a drier, punchier sound with leaner lows.

Apply appropriate effects such as EQ, drive, and compression.

For live work, you have control over which amp and cab you choose. Again, choose gear that can produce the desired tone and response.

You also have control over how you set up and adjust the rig. By set up, I mean how you position and aim the speakers. In my experience placing a cab flat on the floor tends to give you a looser by lower sound. Tilting a cab to aim at your head increases the amount of high mids and treble you hear. Elevating the cab reduces and contours the lows. The set up option that works best for you depends on your tone goals and what part of the frequency spectrum you focus on. For the record, I prefer both elevating the cab and tilting it back to aim at my head.

What you hear on stage is a combination or ratio of direct sound and reflected sound. As the decay time increases, you hear more reflected sound. Elevating the cab and aiming it at your head increases the amount of direct sound. So you may take a situational approach and change your setup depending on room acoustics.

 

[groovepump]

This might sound crazy, but I think the E string almost always sounds better on a 5 string bass than on a 4 string.

... And especially if you play it on the 5th fret of the B string.

 

[hooky_marr]

Was gonna say this. The best “punch” comes when those low notes lock perfectly with the kick drum and the frequencies mesh directly into your chest.

Yup. Example: The chorus in INXS’ “What You Need”, where the whole band plays that riff in unison.

 

[Bikeguy57]

Maple fretboard, preferably lacquered over, stainless steel strings, compressors, use a thicker pick, tubey overdrive pedals, amp sims, roll your tone knob down, tweak your amp settings---turn your treble and mids down.

Or...move up a little toward the neck and dig in with a "manly" pluck.

 

[Pyrrho Epoche]

Or...move up a little toward the neck and dig in with a "manly" pluck.

Was thinking more like this;

 

[micguy]

I’ve owned and played plenty of “good” 5s from multiple manufacturers. My experience remains consistent across brands, price points, etc.

We have different experiences. That's OK.

 

[Bikeguy57]

Was thinking more like this;

That too!!

 

[Bag of Lazers]

Did you email the YT channel? Maybe he remembers, or it's a setting he saved. Commorford used a Jazz bass, lots of low mids and 2 SVT rigs, one clean and one overdriven. You can do that now much more easily with software but in the early 90s Tim C had 2 full stacks behind him.