Mixing Bass

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wordizbon

New member
Question. I have decided to jump into recording bass into my tracks.

I have a Fender P bass that I record directly into my Mackie 1604 into Cubase SX via a MOTU 2408. I record dry.

I want to start experimenting with plug ins, eq, dynamic processing, etc. Are there any tricks that I could try out being I have no experience in doing such. Anything I should know (how will this affect the drums.) I would like to make the bass come alive instead of this dead sound I have now. Where do I start?

Experts where are you, show some skills for me will you
 
Same rules apply.

I generally apply EQ and effects first, then compression. If you compress then add more bass and effects that could raise the volume/db, then you may get clipping/distortion.

I used the standard 'compressorX' plugin that came with Sonar 2.0 and 3.0 XL. Has a preset Electric bass compression algorithm that seemed to do a nice job. It can be applied a few times, beefing up a buried track of bass in a loud song.
 
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Bass is one of the most difficult things to deal with. The first problem is that hearing bass accurately is often impossible. It's not just a matter of having a massive subwoofer, but of having a room that you are mixing in that doesn't either boost or kill notes in the bass frequency range. I have been working on this problem for several months and for now, after having tried all the "easy" ways (getting a sub, for example) I pretty much rely on burning CDs and trying them out in different places until I get something where I've got the bass presence I want. Believe me, I would love to have some secret EQ setting or compression algorithm that would give me a great bass sound each time, but the truth is that each song I record has different bass needs and I haven't used the same tricks twice. So the first step is to figure out what's going on in your room. It doesn't matter if you record via DI (which I do routinely), because sooner or later you're going to playing the bass through speakers in the room and then the trouble starts. Get a test CD with all the frequencies on it and an SPL meter, and find out where the peaks and nodes and other woes reside. Do all you can to smooth out the response by moving the speakers around. If you have monitors with adjustable response, tweak them. If you are using a powered sub, try changing the settings on the crossover and the volume knob. Build bass traps (I have a pile of rigid fiberglass and foam cloth in the corner, waiting for time to build some of my own). Do a google search for Ethan Winer (he often posts here, and offers realistic and useful advice for acoustic treatment). If all else fails, learn what your bass sounds like in YOUR room and how it sounds in OTHER rooms. It's all about doing something where you are that will sound good, if not excellent, somewhere else.
 
wordizbon said:
Where do I start?

Experts where are you, show some skills for me will you
Click to expand...
I'd start by getting a killer preamp for your bass and by pass the Mackie.
 
Thanx lpdeluxe. I'll look into that. I appreciate you taking the time out to drop tht knowledge on me.

DJL, I kind of understand why you say that, but budget is the problem at the moment.
 
Also, don't forget that it's better (in my opinion, and lots of others) to eq/compress/... your bass in the total mix, rather than solo'ing it. You'd be suprised if you hear some basslines solo'ed from some fine mixed albums.
-greetz
 
...but if you can compress the bass going in, it'll give you a more consistent sound to deal with.
 
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