Why does this Alembic sound so bad?

[Kink Rimson]

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Beautiful Alembic Spoiler, but the sound He's getting out of it is, to my ears, pretty atrocious. Alembics normally sound so full and rich, please tell me this isn't a standard sound of a 'lower'model Alembic?!

Or am I just being overly critical?

 

[spade2you]

Metal....midscooped. Nuff said.

 

[bryan bailey]

its his amp and technique, not to mention the 15 second sound check he probably got

 

[Barkless Dog]

I think it's hard to judge a lot of these camcorder sound YouTube clips. Your at the mercy of a cheap camcorder.

 

[Kink Rimson]

I think it's hard to judge a lot of these camcorder sound YouTube clips. Your at the mercy of a cheap camcorder.

It's from a professionally shot video.
He used that bass on an album too, and it sounds pretty much the same - bone dry and brittle.

 

[lpdeluxe]

Get that man an SX!

 

[Barkless Dog]

It's from a professionally shot video.

Yikes!

 

[UncleBalsamic]

That sounds awful, he must be quite talented to make such a good bass sound that bad

 

[Barkless Dog]

Do you blame the bass player or the sound guy?

Look at Dream Theater, at least you can hear the bass as bad as it sounds.

 

[Hoover]

Alembics normally sound so full and rich

?!?!?!

I'm guessing you never heard Stanley Clarke's stuff from the 70's.

 

[Woodchuck]

?!?!?!

I'm guessing you never heard Stanley Clarke's stuff from the 70's.

He strung his as a tenor bass.

 

[mccr2112]

I have read everybody's reasoning on why the Alembic sounds bad- it is not the amp (though a cheap amp will make a cheap sound)- nor is it the bass player- it is the Spoiler electronics! Spoiler electronics are notorious (spelling is not my strong point) for their limited "clanky" sound. I should know, I have owned a number of Alembics. Spoiler electronics were a way for Alembic to cater to those who did not have the ability to get a second mortgage to fund a high end Alembic. 99% of Alembic using bassists- opt for Series 1, Series 2 or Signature line electronics. Hope this helps!

 

[ggunn]

I have read everybody's reasoning on why the Alembic sounds bad- it is not the amp (though a cheap amp will make a cheap sound)- nor is it the bass player- it is the Spoiler electronics! Spoiler electronics are notorious (spelling is not my strong point) for their limited "clanky" sound. I should know, I have owned a number of Alembics. Spoiler electronics were a way for Alembic to cater to those who did not have the ability to get a second mortgage to fund a high end Alembic. 99% of Alembic using bassists- opt for Series 1, Series 2 or Signature line electronics. Hope this helps!

FWIW, my Epic 5 (also an "entry level" Alembic) sounds great. I can't access the 'tube from work, but from what you say, mine doesn't sound anything like that.

 

[neurotictim]

FWIW, my Epic 5 (also an "entry level" Alembic) sounds great. I can't access the 'tube from work, but from what you say, mine doesn't sound anything like that.

+Lots 'o points...

My Epic 5 blows away most basses I've played, tonally. Different from everything else, but not in a bad way at all.

+1 on the mid-scoop + bad audio.

You can make any bass sound bad if you try. :scowl: Maybe that's the sound he was going for.

 

[mccr2112]

ggun- I bet your Epic sounds good- It does not have the Spoiler electronics- Your electronics are much better!

 

[John Wentzien]

Hell--he's tuned to Z-flat, with it cranked to 11, and beating the crap out of it!---
NOTHING will sound good (under those circumstances).....I PROMISE... no matter how much $$$$$ you throw at it.

 

[mccr2112]

You do make a valid point!

 

[Chad Michael]

Hell--he's tuned to Z-flat, with it cranked to 11, and beating the crap out of it!---
NOTHING will sound good (under those circumstances).....I PROMISE... no matter how much $$$$$ you throw at it.

 

[BigSwami]

1. It's an Alembic, and they're designed to be bright. And they are probably, as mentioned above, the cheap electronics.

2. Metal bassists, for some reason, cannot resist arranging their EQ to look like a smiley face. All you end up with is bottom no one can hear and clangy treble no one wants to hear. One of the reasons I haven't listened to metal in so long is that I haven't heard a metal bassist in decades who had a good tone. Hopefully one day someone will prove me wrong.

 

[Altitude]

Man, for the first 45 seconds the whole band sounds like junk. I don't think that Alembic would sound all that bad in a controlled environment, actually - professional recording or not, the sound on that clip is not doing the bass any favors.