How does this Raw DI bass sound?

S

Scotty87

New member
Hello guys.

I've been working solo on an album for a long time and I'm SO CLOSE to finishing it. It's metal, and I have everything how I like it, but I just can't seem to get a bass tone that I like.

I am using DI and have tried matching countless online tutorials amp simulator, eq and compression methods, but I'm starting to think that the problem is the bass tone. Whenever I listen to someone elses RAW DI bass, Mine just sounds so different. Like real muddy. But I only brought my bass for recording

Bass is a Fender Precision bass, DI into a Presonus AudioBox 44VSL. The sound I'm getting is this: https://youtu.be/PbTXAY0lxrc

From what you hear, is that too muddy? If so, do you recommend any new pickups I could get to fix the sound. ----OR---- maybe the bass doesn't sound bad at all and it's all in my head?

This is the only thing holding me back, and once I get this done, it should be smooth sailing. I got it sounding satisfactory, But I'm not satisfied with satisfactory, funnily enough

Thanks for your help
Scotty
 
I agree that it sounds horribly muddy. I only use a cheap bass but my basslines sound much more defined than that so I doubt its your bass.

I don't really spend much time on my bass but its always sounded alright - I just use an ampsim that I got years ago. Maybe I just lucked into getting a decent sound early on but I've never felt the need to change it.

Have you tried recording bass with an ampsim? I know its not for everyone, but it worked for me. It meant that I could have a nice bit of compression on there and lots of EQ options, both on the sim amp-head and the sim EQ pedal before it even got into my DAW. I've always been of the mind that I want to get things as close to what I want completely untreated in the DAW to minimise the work later.

I just went through all the presets on the sim, found the one I thought sounded best - I think it was 80s stadium backline or something - then tweaked it a bit more to suit me.

Welcome to the forum - its nice to have someone turn up with an educated question and a clear goal! Post is up some guitar tones or mixes of your stuff too.
 
It could easily be the bass that's at fault. Old strings, a fault on the tone pot, etc. Fingers/pick playing style will have an effect, too. Does turning your tone pot have any effect on the sound?
 
Fair point! I could have qualified that with "providing your bass is working properly"
 
Thanks for the replies guys.

I think if you guys agree that the bass is muddy, I should get that checked out first. I would rather not have muddy and try and polish it, as opposed to starting off crisp. Got tomorrow morning off, so I'll drop by where I bought it (2 years ago) and see what they think. Fingers crossed they can spot it quick smart and get the ball moving. If they can't I'll probably just borrow a bass and smash out everything over a week. I searched reviews and so many said Fender Precision Basses were great for metal.

Strings are new, turning the tone pot only makes it muddier. If it is the bass, I guess It's a long week of late night re-recording. dear oh dear.

As for posting some of my stuff, I'd love to. Will sound a bit hollow without the bass but worth throwing up there. :) I'll create a like here if I do.

Thanks for the support guys!
 
I didn't mind the sound of the bass. I like the open string sound. There is a bit of string twang there as well as some decent bottom end. The higher notes sound a bit dead.

However, what really matters is how it sits within a song. The sound of this bass may fit well in a sparse open mix, but if the mix is dense, the bass may end up just it could just end up being sludgy.
 
It does, as Gecko zzed said, depend on the mix it sits in.
Personally that bass sounds OK if it was a gig etc that is an OK bass tone.
I run my bass DI most of the time. I use a Behringer BDI21 into my interface.
I have the DI set up with some treble boost, presence cranked, blend (tube toneishness) cranked and some drive for grit to help cut through a thick mix.
IF needed I add a narrow band of about 5dB boost at around 3kHz and carve a little of that same out of the guitars.
SOMETIMES I need to cut some mid mud out ITB with ReaperEQ.
Getting the bass checked out can't hurt.
 
I wasn't able to.listen, but it might be how you are recording it. Did you use a passive di box? With a passive bass, that can load down the pickups and make them muddy sounding.
 
I'm not saying this couldn't work in a mix, but for me it's a pretty meh tone. You've got no bottom at all, and the low mids mumble rather than boss. Nice articulation from the upper mids though.

You don't need new pickups. It's a P bass. It's a midrange machine. If you aren't getting clarity and punch in your lower mids, then the fault it not with the bass or the pickups. It's elsewhere in your chain.

Rather than putzing around with plugins, I'd focus on getting the tone in the ballpark going into the box. Do you have an amp with a DI that you like? Try running a direct signal from the amp to the interface. Have you considered something like a SansAmp? Their Bass Driver DI might not be your best option if you are looking for mids, but some of their other pedals might fit the bill. Have you tried a bass EQ pedal in the chain?
 
I just listened to the bass. It sounds like a P-bass. There is nothing wrong with it. Add some EQ around 800hz and compress the crap out of it. Or, run it into an Ampeg SVT sim, distort it a bit, then add the midrange.

It's hard to give any really specific advice without hearing the rest of the mix. But there is absolutely nothing wrong with that bass tone.
 
Greg_L said:
Are you expecting a raw direct bass signal to just sound good in a mix as-is?
Click to expand...

I like to apply the Waves Renaissance Bass to my DI bass tracks...there's some nice presets to start from, and then tweak to taste and to mix.
I record through a FET circuit DI (I think those always sound great for bass guitar)...then fine-tune with the Waves plug.
When you think the plug is doing it's thing to your liking...then dial it back a bit...as it can be addictive, and you can get lost in the bigger-than-life bass, but then it's too much for the mix. Great plug though, IMO.
 
miroslav said:
I like to apply the Waves Renaissance Bass to my DI bass tracks...there's some nice presets to start from, and then tweak to taste and to mix.
I record through a FET circuit DI (I think those always sound great for bass guitar)...then fine-tune with the Waves plug.
When you think the plug is doing it's thing to your liking...then dial it back a bit...as it can be addictive, and you can get lost in the bigger-than-life bass, but then it's too much for the mix. Great plug though, IMO.
Click to expand...

Hell I run my bass through a guitar amp and cab. I love the way it sounds. My point was I think it's a little unreasonable to just DI a bass and leave it be thinking it should just sound good like that.
 
Wow guys. I'm totally blown away by the amount of support and feedback I've gotten in such a short amount of time. I ran out of time this morn. To get bass checked out, but judging by the responses, I'm glad i didn't. I wont have much time to adress all this for a couple of days, but am so excited to try all these suggestions. Gotta cut it short, on a work lunch break, but so glad i stumbled onto such a helpful and active community.

Shoulda done this much earlier.

Cheers,
Scotty
 
My fav way is to record bass is to split the signal & send 1 stream to an amp and the other to a BDI21 then interface. Record the mic'd bass cabinet and the DI then bend the signals.
Best of both worlds.
 
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