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When does bass becomes inaudible?

T

Thomas Kievit

Guest
May 19, 2012
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1,906
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#1
Lately I'm really into down tuning and stuff. Right now I listen to Hacktivist, a British Nu-Metal / Djent-Metal band. They do a lot in Drop E (F# string down one step).

I have to say it's very hard to hear the bass, even with headphones on. Is there any other kind of tuning that goes even lower than that and is even more difficult to hear?
 
#4
Mr_Music90 said:
Lately I'm really into down tuning and stuff. Right now I listen to Hacktivist, a British Nu-Metal / Djent-Metal band. They do a lot in Drop E (F# string down one step).

I have to say it's very hard to hear the bass, even with headphones on. Is there any other kind of tuning that goes even lower than that and is even more difficult to hear?
Click to expand...

Drop E? F# string down one step? I'm confused with this. Are you tuning your bass down a whole octave?
 
#5
to answer the op question, usually around 18Hz. But with a bass you stop hearing the fundamental usually way before that. Also keep in mind the amp being played well likely have a frequency cutoff around 30hz and the Mic and or camera likely have cut offs of low end, compression for upload, etc. The head phones are meant for play back, with a balanced line level mastered signal, not dynamic signal and that unless you have really good headphones you still have the ever present problem of the amount of power needed to reproduce low frequency.
 
#6
Mr_Music90 said:
Wow, that's amazing!! :eek: Thanks for the link!
Click to expand...

Thank you.

On of the reasons I recorded the cd The Low C# Theory the way I did with the busy guitarists and drummer was to show what a bass tuned lower than standard could possible sound like in an actual recorded band setting. The lowest note(s) that I played on The Low C$ was low C# and that is a frequency of 17 hz and it can be heard on the recorded tracks.

The bass on the recording is tuned C# F# B E.


Here are two more from my first solo CD The Low C# Theory.



And thanks for the shout out Jazz Ad.
 
#9
It is a function of your speakers and amp.

Hearing(and feeling) Jauqo's work just fine on ACME B2's.

FWIW: I use an octave down patch to avoid bringing a 5 string for a few songs. It tracks to "low G". I use it to test FOH subs when we play gigs with provided FOH. BOSE will not do it(40Hz cutoff) but uses harmonic tricks to make you think you hear it. ACME's and the 18's in my bi-amp rig will do it and push air but at a lower volume than a low B due to speaker limitations(amps are QSC for ACME and bi-amp rigs).
 
#15
That's why I love Talkbass :hyper: The exploring never stops! :hyper: Thanks for the video's, Jauqo :D

JAUQO III-X said:
Thank you.

On of the reasons I recorded the cd The Low C# Theory the way I did with the busy guitarists and drummer was to show what a bass tuned lower than standard could possible sound like in an actual recorded band setting. The lowest note(s) that I played on The Low C$ was low C# and that is a frequency of 13 hz and it can be heard on the recorded tracks.

The bass on the recording is tuned C# F# B E.


Here are two more from my first solo CD The Low C# Theory.



And thanks for the shout out Jazz Ad.
Click to expand...
 

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