Desperately Need Bass Tone Help! |
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Desperately Need Bass Tone Help! |
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Dec 14 2014, 09:23 AM |
Isolate the frequencies.
Here's a good read, I think. Bogdan will likely be your best resource for this question, but in the meantime, look this over. http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/sep12/arti...mixing-bass.htm -------------------- The more I practice, the more I wish I had time to practice!
My Band Forum: http://passionfly.site/chat |
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Dec 14 2014, 09:32 AM |
Thanks for that I will read it now. I was hoping Bogdan could give me some insights too.
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Dec 14 2014, 09:47 AM |
Thanks for that I will read it now. I was hoping Bogdan could give me some insights too. And of course, Tony Miro - our mastering guru if he happens to be making his way through the forums as of late -------------------- The more I practice, the more I wish I had time to practice!
My Band Forum: http://passionfly.site/chat |
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Dec 14 2014, 11:27 AM |
Here's what I'm getting right now - which is light years above where it was, at least on my computer - but it may have no bass whatsoever on my laptop or car stereo...
Bass_Sample.mp3 ( 687.16K ) Number of downloads: 89 |
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Dec 14 2014, 12:01 PM |
Here's what I'm getting right now - which is light years above where it was, at least on my computer - but it may have no bass whatsoever on my laptop or car stereo... Bass_Sample.mp3 ( 687.16K ) Number of downloads: 89 I think this sample sounds pretty good, well done experimenting! I'd like to suggest one think though, try focusing only on your DI bass track. This is the completely clean bass guitar track, straight from bass to the recording interface. Don't cut up this track, rather shape it using EQ and add a compressor to it. In these tracks I only have 1 single DI bass track per song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Vl5oEklBqw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5NFFQ5QL1g This is how powerful DI sound is. When it comes to shaping the bass track using EQ, it should be very subtle. Usually there is a high pass filter around 35-40hz to cut the extremely low end and make room for kick drum. I would give you exact frequencies and amounts to cut or boost but I really do it by ear completely and never digged deep into "science" part of it. This article on mixing bass looks good though to provide you with starting points: http://music.tutsplus.com/tutorials/how-to...tar--audio-5663 My strong suggestion would be to tweak the great bass tone using DI track. Once you have that, as a foundation - you should turn on the Amplitube track(s) for added "coloring" of the tone but make sure they don't take away from the sound (in terms of making it muddy for example). I have tried lots of plugins and I think I liked the Markbass produced one, can't remember it's name but I remember those plugins never sounding like I want them to I'd use them only for coloring the overall bass tone and using DI bass as your main source of bass tone. I think Marcus Miller as well as tons of other musicians record bass this way - straight into the mixing console without amp and everything. This is something which makes bass much less hustle to record in relation to guitar and micing amps etc. Please let me know how it goes and I'll be glad to help along the way? -------------------- For GMC support please email support (at) guitarmasterclass.net
Check out my lessons and my instructor board. Check out my beginner guitar lessons course! ; Take a bass course now! |
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Dec 14 2014, 12:47 PM |
I'd like to suggest one think though, try focusing only on your DI bass track... This is the completely clean bass guitar track, straight from bass to the recording interface. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5NFFQ5QL1g Great suggestions - this is what I will do. I kept thinking to myself while recording "if the bass would only sound exactly like this I will be happy!!" But the idea of concentrating on the DI only, then simply coloring with amplitude is a great idea I have not tried and may be the answer for this and ALL future recordings. Thanks and I will see what I can do now. I would not try to copy what has been mentioned already. PErsonally I try to not get myself in to more than one track per bass. The more I go into, the more I feel I loose the control and get moire and more confusion. Natural bass tone has a lot to do with how it sits in the mix. I have found a bass that works great for my mixing but anyway...I feel like the bottom end war has never ends. Every single mix is another fight / issues / hours on getting it done. .... Example: My bass has a nice punch around 2 kHz. When I listen to it in solo mode I like the tone but it doesn't work with other instruments so...I launch a -1dB filter at 2 kHz (in this case a bit smaller Q = wider cut) on guitars at first, then righ away on the overheads. Hardly ever do this on snare because it is not an instrument (unless You play speed metal) that is showing as dense as previously mentioned. -1db cut on a few track makes a lot of space yet does not destroy the tone. Maybe it's worth to make that kind of experiment Ideally, I would love to only use 1 track for bass, I've just never been able to get the instrument to sound right all the way through a song. Like you said about confusion - YES, very much. I get to where I cannot hear anything but mush after a while of mixing. I've driven myself close to insanity on this mix My main problem is I don't understand the "launch -1dB filter at 2kHz". I guess I need to see a you-tube video on an explanation for something like that. I've never understood "low cut filter" or what that means - is that done inside the track EQ? This post has been edited by Spock: Dec 14 2014, 12:49 PM |
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Dec 14 2014, 02:26 PM |
It's just a simple eq setting on the bass track. You cut 2 kHz with value of -1dB
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Dec 15 2014, 03:38 AM |
This is what I ended up with and I'm happy with it enough to consider this project "COMPLETE" from my end. Bass_Sample_2.mp3 ( 516.75K ) Number of downloads: 86 BTW - this is the song "Shout" Todd and I have worked on with the help of his vocalist friend. I've sent it to Tony as he was nice enough to offer to master it for us. It's been a learning experience for sure. This post has been edited by Spock: Dec 15 2014, 03:40 AM |
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Dec 15 2014, 10:04 AM |
This is a pretty cool mix on my speakers. I like the bass color and part where it plays solo
I'm not sure how "technically" it is sound as there seems to be a bit of mud/rumble in the low end but I can't really hear it clearly as my monitoring system doesn't have big speakers or subwoofers. -------------------- For GMC support please email support (at) guitarmasterclass.net
Check out my lessons and my instructor board. Check out my beginner guitar lessons course! ; Take a bass course now! |
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Dec 15 2014, 12:26 PM |
Just some general comments rather than anything specific to TrEy's bass mix (I don't comment publically on work I'm involved without the expressed agreement of the producer).
1/ A lot of pro mix engineers mix bass by focusing their attention more on the harmonics than the fundamental. 2/ Punch, snap etc has a lot to do with time ratios in compression. It's not all about the Eq. -------------------- Get your music professionally mastered by anl AES registered Mastering Engineer. Contact me for Audio Mastering Services and Advice and visit our website www.miromastering.com
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