getting a killer bass tone

girvan

New member
Hi,
Tracking bass and the sound isn't quite there. What can I do to get a nice tight and smooth sound. A tube pre? ($$ is limited "go figure" - the presonis blue thing with a tube swap maybe).

Right now my path is: Yamaha bass>rodam DI> Mackie1604VLZ > Motu2408 > Cakewalk HS2004 > Tannoy Proto-J Monitors.

The Avalon DI ($500 on eBay) looks great and must sound great too. A bit too much dough.

Thanks,
Scott.
 
I use an Aguilar DB924 when Tracking bass, it adds alot of warmth to the signal. I plug into my amp, mic the amp, line out to the aguilar then DI to the board (Yamaha MG16/4) Sometimes I'll throw a mic in front of me a few inches from the neck of my bass around the 12th fret or so, just depends where and what I'm recording. In CW HS get the "classic" VST effects, a search should turn them up. I use the classic compressor with the "bass attack" or "bass guitar" setting, then tweak a little here and there, then the classic reverb vst as well, with a medium dampening, mid size "room" and about half wet/dry blend, and the classic EQ with some slight cut around the mids and some boost of the 630 area. I mix outside the box so my board EQ is some boost to the low, slight cut to the mid and slight boost to the high.
 
Second the SansAmp Bass Driver DI. They are retailing for about $199 on Musician's Friend, I think $189 on Zzounds.
I got one several months ago, and I won't record my bass without it. Great tone, good punch, and you can really shape the sound anyway you want to.
They have a programmable model for about $100 more that allows you to save 3 user presets to 3 different channels.
 
getting a killer bass tone usually starts with a killer bass. What model Yamaha are you using?

Stingray + GT Brick = :D :D :D :D :D
 
Thanks everyone for the advice. I checked eBay and the SansAmp Bass Driver DI is going for about $200US, I think that's do-able. Gonna check the local music stores first.

The VLX1 Hartke Bass Attack looks good too, a bit less $$. I know Hartke amps sound awesome, worked with a great player that owned one. Any more critique on that unit?

As for the bass, it's a Yamaha RBX-1000.
Here's a photo of one I found in eBay a minute ago. Mine isn't missing the knobs.
Thanks
Scott.
 

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Creamyapples1 said:
I use an Aguilar DB924 when Tracking bass, it adds alot of warmth to the signal. I plug into my amp, mic the amp, line out to the aguilar then DI to the board (Yamaha MG16/4) Sometimes I'll throw a mic in front of me a few inches from the neck of my bass around the 12th fret or so, just depends where and what I'm recording. In CW HS get the "classic" VST effects, a search should turn them up. I use the classic compressor with the "bass attack" or "bass guitar" setting, then tweak a little here and there, then the classic reverb vst as well, with a medium dampening, mid size "room" and about half wet/dry blend, and the classic EQ with some slight cut around the mids and some boost of the 630 area. I mix outside the box so my board EQ is some boost to the low, slight cut to the mid and slight boost to the high.

Now THAT's an informative post! Excellent.
 
More details

What exactly don't you like about it? What kind of sound are you going for?

Are you sure that bass is capable of it? Not all basses are created equal, you know.

And this is also where strings play a huge role, BTW.

If you want tight and smooth, in addition to a new DI or tube pre, you might want to consider tracking with a compressor.

OK, I'm done.
 
One more thing

Have you checked the tracks on another system?

I personally think Proto-J's are kind of anemic, especially without a sub, and then I think they sound artificial. Other guys love 'em, though. Just my opinion.
 
try cutting some of the 150-220 range (somewhere in there) lots of useless stuff happens there, esp in lower end rigs.
(YMMV)
 
Personally, I would use a Ric 4003. If you have to use a Yamaha...be sure to leave the knobs off as shown in the picture, for added punch!
 
The Behri bass DI/amp sim isn't too bad at all. I usually just set by bass for the sound I want, run it through a pre, usually not a tube, and into the machine. Afterwards a big peak at 3khz gives it the usually missing definition & I'm away except for some EQ carving to suit other instruments in the mix.
Since getting the Behri I've been experimenting with the sims - many sound quite good recorded, but still need to create some definition insode.
 
The Tech21 PSA-1 has some great combos for bass. It will play dirty or clean depending on the requirement. It always makes a nice slot in my mixes.
 
new strings, always (for me atleast...I love the sound of new strings on bass)


I have a sans-amp DI, its very nice, and I love it for live applications. I have gotten good sounds out of it in recording, but it kind of puts a "sans-amp" tone on everything you record. After using it on may different basses on different projects, I have found that it does color my bass in a certain way that is not always favorable, but it does work well for easy recording.


I highly recommend any bass player to pick one up, its worth the investment.
 
girvan,

Judging from your signal path and you gear, I don't think you will get much of an improvement by spending $200 on a sans amp DI. Sure, it is agreat piece of gear, but chances are you have already captured the sonic qualities of your bass. I'd spend my $$ on better pickups and new strings first. And if you need to tweak a lot of settings (like massive mid cuts and bass and treble boost) to come close, something is wrong.

Rule #1: ALWAYS dial in your sound BEFORE you track.
 
Thanks everyone. I have been experimenting and am getting a better sound.
In the upcoming weeks I will post some mixes for listening in the mix forum.

Thanks again,
Scott.
 
rayc said:
The Behri bass DI/amp sim isn't too bad at all. I usually just set by bass for the sound I want, run it through a pre, usually not a tube, and into the machine. Afterwards a big peak at 3khz gives it the usually missing definition & I'm away except for some EQ carving to suit other instruments in the mix.
Since getting the Behri I've been experimenting with the sims - many sound quite good recorded, but still need to create some definition insode.
I've heard lots about the Behringer bass DI, specifically that it's a cheap knockoff (cheap as in inexpensive) of the Sansamp. I was thinking about getting one just to try it out, but if you have to mess with the eq and such so much after you track it, I think I will just stay with my Sansamp. I only have to give it a bit of compression to tame my playing style when I track with it.
 
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