my bass recording is extremely muddy, i need definition

  • Thread starter Thread starter Fetusborg
  • Start date Start date
Fetusborg

Fetusborg

New member
hi
im recording bass guitar direct into a SBLive [FFEO] sound card (not the best, i know),,, into a standard multitrack sequencer.

and its just not coming out right. when i play the E string, its very muddy, no definition between the notes. on the A string, things get better, and even better as i work myself to the D and even G strings.

my questoin is: even though i know my equipment doesnt really help (standard bass), how can i mix this, either EQing, compressing, or whatever, to get a much more difined sound, cleaner sound ???


thanks a lot
 
I usually put in a small cut around 200-250hz to help with "mud". Possibly a slight boost in the 1-2Khz range. Don't over do it though. If you don't have your tone control up all the way on the bass already, try turning it up a bit, you may not much like the tonal difference when soloing the bass track but I find it easier to get the bass to fit if it has the extra bite. Worst case scenario, you could run it through a chain of EQs set to act as a crossover (i.e. 2 tracks-1 through a HP EQ, the other through a LP EQ), which will allow you to seperate the low-end and the high-end for independant control (Similar to Multiband compression, but without unnecassary dynamics...which may be another option, but tread lightly there).
 
wish i could help but my crap is perpetually too bassey :p
 
Fetusborg said:
hi
im recording bass guitar direct into a SBLive [FFEO] sound card (not the best, i know),,, into a standard multitrack sequencer.

and its just not coming out right. when i play the E string, its very muddy, no definition between the notes.
Click to expand...

To get a better sound, you really need to get a bass DI/preamp. Going direct into the card is just going to give you suboptimal results every time and attempting to "fix it in the mix" will be more trouble than it's worth. A good bass, with good pickups and strings, through a good DI will make a world of difference. Notice that I didn't say this stuff has to be terribly expensive, as long as it's solid.

I don't know what bass you have, so I'll leave that to you to figure out. The Behringer DI 100 or GI 100 boxes are inexpensive and will add definition to your sound. The ART Tube MP also has a nice sound as a bass DI for a few bucks more.
 
yeah, thats one of the reasons why i am seriously thinking about getting a j-station (gay-station).

will help my bass AND guitar recordings.

and how much do think my sound card comes into play? a SBLive! [FFEO]. its not ideal, yes, but is that REALLY a factor more than getting a DI box/preamp ?


ATTERION: sorry for the ignorance, but when you give these frequencies... i should cut them on my EQ plugin right? as thats all i have frequency wise in my sequencer. (kristal audio engine)
 
I'm a bassplayer myself, and I've heard and record some basses in cheap but also expensive situations (Fodera through Eden preamp, but also Squier straight into the card). I feel that cheap basses like most Squiers will have not much definition because of a couple of things, of which some you can changeL
Body wood. Cheap and cannot really be upgraded.
Neck and fingerboard wood. Same thing.
Bridge. This one is important. Most cheap basses have a really crappy tiny bridge. Get a more solid one like a Gotoh or Schaller or the best: BadAss bridges.
Nut. Can also help, but less and might not be cheap to replace.
Strings. VERY important! Anything older than 2 months and played on regularly should not be used if you want a punchy sound, in my opinion (even though I like older strings better myself, they do not have the punch of new strings). Get some good ones too (Elixer, D'Addario etc. don't settle for Hartkes).
Cable. Small part when other stuff isn't much better but on long runs cheap cable can really suck. Monster Cable, Planet Waves or Spectraflex are the tops.
Preamp/DI. The signal of the bass alone should be workable without much additional gain, so just a DI will work pretty well, but do use one. No DI at all with not give you a very clear sound. I use a cheap behringer DI (that's build into my bassamp) and it works pretty well. Not super definition but still alot better than nothing at all.

So, my advice: If you really wanna improve your sound, fork out 20 bucks for some new strings, 30 bucks for a new bridge and whatever you have left for a DI.
 
Fetusborg said:
yeah, thats one of the reasons why i am seriously thinking about getting a j-station (gay-station).

will help my bass AND guitar recordings.

and how much do think my sound card comes into play? a SBLive! [FFEO]. its not ideal, yes, but is that REALLY a factor more than getting a DI box/preamp ?


ATTERION: sorry for the ignorance, but when you give these frequencies... i should cut them on my EQ plugin right? as thats all i have frequency wise in my sequencer. (kristal audio engine)
Click to expand...

Using an EQ might work but when the signal simply isn't clear when it comes into your soundcard, an EQ will not help much.

I think the soundcard vs. DI thing is basicly 50/50 when it comes to quality improvement. However, that also means that upgrading one will still not give you that sound your looking for. A new soundcard will help with everything you record though, where as a DI just helps with bass (and perhaps guitar). You could go for a J-Station but that's really not my thing. Some love them though.
 
A cheaper alternative to the ART MP might be the "behringerosaurus" MIC100. Thoguh its strange on mic for voice, it works with a bass... And is less than 50$ here in Germany -- dunno the prices anywhere else...

aXel
 
If the signal going in isn't clear then I would address that problem first of all. After all, you can't polish a shite.

The cheepest way is to get a new set of strings... well, you could always boil your existing set but that wouldn't be as good as a whole new set. When it comes down to anything: you get what you pay for.

Maybe see if you can get a loan of a better bass and try and get as many lines down as possible in the time you have it?
 
mr_coffeekiller said:
If the signal going in isn't clear then I would address that problem first of all. After all, you can't polish a shite.
Click to expand...

Well, you can, but you'll still end up with a nice shiny piece of crap.


mr_coffeekiller said:
The cheepest way is to get a new set of strings... well, you could always boil your existing set but that wouldn't be as good as a whole new set. When it comes down to anything: you get what you pay for.

Maybe see if you can get a loan of a better bass and try and get as many lines down as possible in the time you have it?
Click to expand...

Agreed. It could be bad strings. It also could be a problem with the quality, level, and/or placement of pickups. Borrowing another bass will give you a good sense of whether that gut feeling is right or not. More specifically, it sounds like you have a bum pickup for the low strings. Either that or maybe you don't have that pickup turned up enough.... :D

As for fixing it in the mix... don't even think about it unless you can find a way to make the upper strings muddy to match.... Then you could boost some of the upper harmonics and MAYBE get something decent. But seriously, don't even think about it. Try a different bass and if that makes as big a difference as I think it will, get yourself some replacement pickups and/or strings that don't suck as much.

Anybody have any ideas on how to tell whether it's a crappy pickup or a crappy string?
 
dgatwood said:
Anybody have any ideas on how to tell whether it's a crappy pickup or a crappy string?
Click to expand...

Unless very experienced with both it's near impossible to tell. The best way is to have another bass to compare it to... but if you've got another bass, you may aswell use that.


... just ignore me

*mumble mumble*
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top