Bass Guitar Tone

DM60

DM60

Well-known member
I didn't know where to put this.

I am not a bass player, but I really like having bass on my recordings (duh, not just synth bass). So, I use a bass guitar, but I don't fully understand the bass guitar sound. For those of you who are like me, this video might give you some good tips. There is no special sauce here, just some good fundamentals that are very well explained. Thought I would share for those that are struggling with their bass tones like I am.



Bass players, if you have any more tips, I would like to know more. A good bass in a mix is really the sweetness of a recording, especially if you listen on large stereo speakers.
 
DM60 said:
I didn't know where to put this.

I am not a bass player, but I really like having bass on my recordings (duh, not just synth bass). So, I use a bass guitar, but I don't fully understand the bass guitar sound. For those of you who are like me, this video might give you some good tips. There is no special sauce here, just some good fundamentals that are very well explained. Thought I would share for those that are struggling with their bass tones like I am.

Bass players, if you have any more tips, I would like to know more. A good bass in a mix is really the sweetness of a recording, especially if you listen on large stereo speakers.
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It's alright advice - but he doesn't mention that the better player you are the better the sound and feel - the definition of notes is from you playing style not a EQ or Compression setting - no good style and it doesn't matter what you do to the sound - so if I was to give advice - I say practice your technique - then try practicing your technique - and after your done throw in a little of practicing your technique.
 
Use a pick and just play like you don't give a damn! :D

He didn't mention the difference between bass and guitar amps...
Bass amps boost and focus low end by design. You can actually get really cool bass tones by using a guitar head with a bass cabinet ;)

He's right about the "overall" mix. Finding that balance between your kick drum and the low E on your bass is essential. Everybody likes the room to rattle... just a little 8-)
 
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Thanks. I will watch this video asap.

I probably should have been a bass player because I really enjoy it - and I'm a mediocre guitar player at best. But I have had much luck with recorded bass sounds/tones ever since I did a smart thing about 25 years ago: buying a standard American Fender Precision bass. On nearly everything I've ever recorded I have simply DI'd that P-bass and EQ'd to taste and voila. It just always sounds good. To my ears anyway. These days I use the RNDI going into the mixing board. If it ain't broke don't fix it.

I agree that technique is a critical aspect of a bass sound/tone. I've learned so much by just doing. Some of this is obvious.... my finger tips sound different than my thumb, the flesh sounds different than a pick, choking up on the strings and moving the attack location around affects tone, guitar picks, felt picks, hair scrunchy for muting either at the nut or at the bridge, and of course tone and volume controls which are in constant adjustment depending on what I'm doing. There is so much tonal variation available there.

I'm a guitar player who has fallen in love with the electric bass.:-)
 
PorterhouseMusic said:
Thanks. I will watch this video asap.

I probably should have been a bass player because I really enjoy it - and I'm a mediocre guitar player at best. But I have had much luck with recorded bass sounds/tones ever since I did a smart thing about 25 years ago: buying a standard American Fender Precision bass. On nearly everything I've ever recorded I have simply DI'd that P-bass and EQ'd to taste and voila. It just always sounds good. To my ears anyway. These days I use the RNDI going into the mixing board. If it ain't broke don't fix it.

I agree that technique is a critical aspect of a bass sound/tone. I've learned so much by just doing. Some of this is obvious.... my finger tips sound different than my thumb, the flesh sounds different than a pick, choking up on the strings and moving the attack location around affects tone, guitar picks, felt picks, hair scrunchy for muting either at the nut or at the bridge, and of course tone and volume controls which are in constant adjustment depending on what I'm doing. There is so much tonal variation available there.

I'm a guitar player who has fallen in love with the electric bass.:-)
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The video pretty much states what you just said. Get the tone from your style, then adjust the tone controls for the room mix. In recording we can do it in EQ, in a live room, then you tweak for the band/room.

I thought it good for those who don't want to wait 25 years to understand the basics of bass sound. To me it was a good starting foundation.
 
Ultimately, bass timbre, tone, etc are going to vary depending on the genre, the tempo and the arrangement. There ain't no one size fits all for bass IME.
 
I had to buy a new bass for one band I was in. One where I could adjust the action higher, so I could play it louder and harder. My other basses all have a lowish action and I tickle them, but when I needed to 'twang' hard with my fingers, or use my very tough and thick nails, the other bass saved the day. Oddly, I have always preferred the sound of 10" speakers from when I first plugged into a 2x10" combo designed for acoustic 6 strings - it sounded great on my bass - discovered by accident. I now have 4 x 10 and 8 x 10" depending on volume needed. I don;t have any bigger diameter speakers now.
 
I was just watching a video about the difference in tone between the different speakers. They were recording bass player perspective and audience perspective. Pretty interesting. It seemed the 10 inch speakers gave more top end and cut through the band better while the 15 inch gave more thump.
 
Gtoboy said:
Ultimately, bass timbre, tone, etc are going to vary depending on the genre, the tempo and the arrangement. There ain't no one size fits all for bass IME.
Click to expand...
Well, the video wasn't saying one size fits all, but an approach to how to figure out the sound one is looking for. He didn't say do X and done, just different picking areas, fret fingering, how you place your hands on the strings to pick.

He didn't say anything about how to get a sound, only the things the affect the sound before you get to the tone controls. In summary, flatten the tone controls, check where you pick/pluck, how your hands are positioned. Once you get the sound you are looking for, then you can adjust the tone controls to get it to sit in the mix. Sounded like a logical approach to me. Focus on playing style, then use the tone control for the tweaks.
 
DM60 said:
I didn't know where to put this.

I am not a bass player, but I really like having bass on my recordings (duh, not just synth bass). So, I use a bass guitar, but I don't fully understand the bass guitar sound. For those of you who are like me, this video might give you some good tips. There is no special sauce here, just some good fundamentals that are very well explained. Thought I would share for those that are struggling with their bass tones like I am.



Bass players, if you have any more tips, I would like to know more. A good bass in a mix is really the sweetness of a recording, especially if you listen on large stereo speakers.
Click to expand...

Yeah - that was a good video, good information. :thumbs up: Thanks for posting.
 
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