compression on bass

S

smuckinfart1

New member
Hello all,I have an acoustic song I recorded a few years ago that I want to go back and put a bass track on. The song itself is slower and mellow,a cheesy love song. Do I want to compress the bass,make it very tight and pronounced? Or do I leave the compression off and let the bass kinda run free and breath? Maybe something in between?Im really trying to nail that "perfect" sound since the bass guitar wont be hidden behind drums and a bunch of distortion. I'd be greatful for any suggestions. Thanks!
Kev
 
It depends on how consistant your playing is. You might mant to try a small amount just to keep your levels even.

Either way, it's going to have to fit into the previous mix so you'll just have to experiment.
 
Thanks for the reply Sennheiser. I just finished recording and I think I have it. I used a little bit of compression like you suggested.I had to play with the EQ alot to get the sound I was looking for but I turned out good.At least until I listen to it tomorrow and decide it stinks!

Kev
 
i prefer not to compress while recording at all.

then i can compress as needed when mixing.

since its just the bass, an acoustic guitar and ?vocals? you shouldn't need to compress the bass as much. it should be allowed to be a little more dynamic since it won't be competing for space with a bunch of other sounds.

because Jazz is generally a more sparse and dynamic musical genre they tend to compress less.

you might want to take that approach
 
Yep go with the little compression suggestion.

Also to give the bass a bit more space use a bit of panning. Maybe pan the guitars left and right and vocals about 11o'clock and bass 1 o'clock. Just mess around with it a bit and see what sounds best to you.

Remember always trust your ears. Whatever sounds good to you.

Tukkis
 
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