To much bass guitar on certain notes

miroslav said:
Yup....a few dozen or more edits. :eek:

OMG....I could cut up a bass track in like 15-20 minutes, select the offending notes as a group if they are all about equally too loud, and then pull down their level. :D
If I had to do individual notes...add another 15 minutes. ;)

I just don't buy the EQ/Comp approach because it's going to affect more than just the level of specific notes.
I know some folks want that one-click easy way to solve problems...but I prefer the more surgical approach, and that's what the strong point of a DAW is.....the ability to make precise edits/FX/processing...unlike working with say, a multitrack tape mixdown, where you are more forced to apply broad-stroke solutions....like EQ/Comps/etc across the entire track.

After you do it a few times, it's actually pretty fast slicing up an audio track and making individual edits
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So is this saying that all the recordings of bass done in the analog world when a bit of eq and compression improved the overall bass sound are no good? As a matter of fact I still mix in the analog world so I have outboard compressors and eq for just these little problems. I could edit the notes on my hard disk recorder but why when the eq and compression works fine?

Alan.
 
witzendoz said:
So is this saying that all the recordings of bass done in the analog world when a bit of eq and compression improved the overall bass sound are no good?
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I never said that.
I'm saying that with a DAW you have the ability to do much more precise edits/FX/processing...so, if I have 20-30-40 notes that need some adjustment, out of say a couple of hundered or more notes in a given track...I don't see the need or point of applying EQ/compression to the entire track, when a DAW lets me easily deal with just those specifc notes.
I'm just looking at all the options a DAW provides and using what seems like the most problem-focused solution.
YMMV.... no one said anything about a "competition"....I'm just saying that's how I prefer to do it.

If/when I am mixing tracks in the analog domain, and I don't have the ability to surgically deal with just those specifc notes....then yeah, I would do like you and reach for a compressor, or maybe EQ...oir maybe try and ride the faders...any/all of which could provide some level of solution, but none of which are as precisie as what the DAW allows.
 
If it's not the resonant frequencies of the listening room rearing it's head (ie: the problem is still there when you listen in multiple environments), Waves bass rider is useful for this type of problem (it's an automatic volume automation plugin). Also multiband compression of the low end can offer control without affecting the rest (attack) of the bass note.
 
IN the box managing those notes I try a little compression 1st. If that doesn't work, & it usually doesn't, I automate volume for those notes. I would probably look at a para EQ active graph to see if there's something happening that is obvious and can be managed.
Lots of things but the best is retracking.
 
I will try parametric eq, see if I can get rid of the boomy sound. If not, I will go thru and adjust the volume of those notes. I hear it a little when mixing, its more pronounced when playing on other media, truck stereo. Everything else sounds good. Im the bass player, and notice a lot more than our guitar player and drummer. Its this song, its been hard to mix since the word go. Don't know why. Our others have been pretty straight forword. Nothing different in how or where we recorded. Thanks for all the comments.
 
Some bass guitars simply have notes that stick out. the only way to fix the problem in that case is to buy another bass.

Post eq compression can help. So can adding distortion, that is one of the reasons Ampeg SVT's have been historically popular.

If you are doing a genre where you need crystal clean bass, compression and EQ are your friend.

Also note that the boom and power of a note on a bass tends to be an octave above the note you are hitting. Sometimes if you can carve out a few db in that octave and boost the fundamental octave, it can smooth it out a bit, while making the bass sound a little deeper.
 
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I used a parametric eq, took out the boomyness of those notes and turned the attack to 0 on compressor. Worked like a charm without effecting rest of track.
 
Thumbs up then! I hate to go to 'fast smack-it attack, right off at least, but sometimes that and the eq.. is just the ticket :)
 
Most basses have notes that stick out. Even properly set up, expensive basses have notes that stick out a little. Cheaper basses that aren't properly set up have notes that stick out a lot. There are a few options.

First, someone earlier in the thread said you don't want to compress the bass too much, just gently. I disagree: unless you're recording classical or jazz music, I would compress the bass a moderate to heavy amount. You don't want the level of the low end fluctuating much in a rock or pop song. Hit the compressor hard to keep the bass level consistent.

If you're doing that and still get offending notes, try to solo the frequencies and make surgical cuts.

If all else fails, head in with Melodyne and manually lower the amplitude of the offending notes to even out with the rest of the track.
 
+ on this is not that hard to fix

miroslav said:
Yup....a few dozen or more edits. :eek:

OMG....I could cut up a bass track in like 15-20 minutes, select the offending notes as a group if they are all about equally too loud, and then pull down their level. :D
If I had to do individual notes...add another 15 minutes. ;)

I just don't buy the EQ/Comp approach because it's going to affect more than just the level of specific notes.
I know some folks want that one-click easy way to solve problems...but I prefer the more surgical approach, and that's what the strong point of a DAW is.....the ability to make precise edits/FX/processing...unlike working with say, a multitrack tape mixdown, where you are more forced to apply broad-stroke solutions....like EQ/Comps/etc across the entire track.

After you do it a few times, it's actually pretty fast slicing up an audio track and making individual edits
Click to expand...

Really if you or the bass player can redo if it,s only 1 song. Also I would look at the notes on a wave and see if the A,s are louder. Another thing in play is once you get a bug on something you have to fix it and step back take a couple deep breaths and re listen. I have one client that when he gets on a witch hunt for dropping my bass levels he gets pretty crazy.
 
Another thread almost the same subject here, I can't beleve that cutting tracks up and stuffing around with volumes on some notes to fix this problem is the easiest solution, LOL. People have too much time on their hands.

Alan.
 
Maybe it's just because I mostly do hard rock and metal, but I really don't see the big aversion to compressing the crap out of bass guitar. Not that I haven't gone in and tamed a few note with volume before, but if the guy came in with such a shit bass that the notes are all over the place, compression isn't going to make it worse.
 
Farview said:
Maybe it's just because I mostly do hard rock and metal, but I really don't see the big aversion to compressing the crap out of bass guitar. Not that I haven't gone in and tamed a few note with volume before, but if the guy came in with such a shit bass that the notes are all over the place, compression isn't going to make it worse.
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You don't have to compress the crap out of it? If you do it correctly you won't even notice it.

Alan.
 
witzendoz said:
You don't have to compress the crap out of it? If you do it correctly you won't even notice it.

Alan.
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I know, but seriously, if there was anything that you could get away with compressing the crap out of, it would be bass.
 
Farview said:
I know, but seriously, if there was anything that you could get away with compressing the crap out of, it would be bass.
Click to expand...

That answer was mainly for the readers that worry about compression on the middle of the road pop songs :D, you should see what I do to my own bass tracks on my bands albums, LOL.:spank:

Alan.
 
I don't know nearly as much about this whole bass phenomenon as the guys posting but I'll post my experience in case the original poster can relate to it in any way.

I used to record bass on the "good", furnished side of the basement, which is carpeted and has wood walls, and is about half the size of the "shitty" side of the basement. I used to often find that I had to cut some of the low frequencies from finished songs or they sounded muddy.

I started recording bass on the "shitty" side of the basement which is bigger and has a concrete floor and concrete walls. I found that the bass no longer made the songs muddy and I didn't have to cut frequencies anymore. I haven't researched why this is yet, I just went with it. So for what it's worth, there you go!
 
Yes, I eq'ed some of the freq's plus a little compression. I'm a lot happier with my sound. Still might tweek a little more today. I like the sound of my bass, some notes in the song just were a little to much.
 
compression will help you, if used correctly. It is not uncommon to also use some soft limiting on bass tracks! My favourite way is to compress a little bit, then simply automate the volume. It takes time, but your ears get to decide!
 
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