picking up radio station

[stupidfatnugly]

on my bass amp.
when i try to record the recording has the radio station on it.
I'm also getting a little distortion

anyone know what to do?

 

[The Black Circl]

Yeah...

Are you getting the station in the amp when your playing, or do you only get it when your recording?

If you get it both times - ground your amp

If its just in the recording, and you don't hear it coming out of the bass cab then theres a good chance that there is something causing your recording gear to pick up a radio station, and then direct it into your signal flow.

I am thinking that it is a ground loop, look those up on line if grounding the bass amp doesn't work. Could be caused by miss grounding anything you are using particullarly if the equipment is set up on a "low budget" make it work type of system.

If your cables have sheilded ends, that could cause it too. Those are for live performance, but not to record.

The distortion I assume is only on the play back?

Turn down the gain settings on one of your devices. If the bass seems to quite during recording turn up it up in the monitor, and turn the other stuff down. When you mix the bass apply compression to it to boost the volume.

If you are getting distortion while your playing then you are either pushing your gear to hard or the speaker is either blown, blowin, tearing, or torn. COuld be the head phones too. Check all of your levels, and experiment with each gain stage before going out and buying new gear...

 

[stupidfatnugly]

when you say ground the amp does that mean: fix the electrical components on the amp itself or on the receptacle on the wall?

thank you very much

 

[stupidfatnugly]

ok i just had to put the amp directly on the ground and it went away.
i still can't get this distortion thing, though.

when I get the bass at the level I want in the mix it's distorted and when I get it to sound clean it is too quiet.

I am turning the release all the way up and the attack all the way down and that helps it a little. But, I don't understand why I can't record at the same amplitude( I have to turn it down and get less amplitude on the signal for it to record without distortion) as I can get from say the keyboard and vocals.

 

[The Black Circl]

bY GROUNDING THE AMP i MEAN TAKING THE 3 PRONG TO 2 PRONG CONVERTER OFF OF THE ELECTRICAL CHORD

aND PLUGGING IT IN SO THAT ALL THREE PLUGS ARE INSERTED PROPERLY IN THE OUTLET.

THE FACT THE PUTTING IT ON THE GROUND SOLVED THE PROBLEM COULD BE A SERIOUS PROBLEM. iF IT ONLY LOST RECEPTION, THEN NO PROBLEM. iF YOUR AMP IS GETTING AN ELECTRICAL GROUND FROM BEING ON THE GROUND - i WOULD HAVE TO IMAGINE THAT IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS.


As far as levels...

Like I said - its gonna sound low in the mix. After you record it at a lower volume (one that isn't to hot (by hot I mean clipping (by clipping I mean distorting,))) then apply compression to the bass guitar. Compression will raise the volume of the instrument with out distorting it to an audible level.

Also check your master fader and make sure it isn't peaking.

 

[stupidfatnugly]

thanks black circl

I just lost reception I'm sure. it's a brand new amp

I guess that's just the nature of recording bass, i.e. you don't get nearly the same amplitude as you can from the keyboard or vocals?

I'm confident that I can apply compression the right way. Is there any other tricks to getting the volume up to sit in the mix well?

any gear I can buy?

 

[The Black Circl]

It all really depends on how you mix it.

I like to put 80hz on the kick cause it sounds less muddy that way.

Either way 56-80hz resonates the bass in your chest (thud kind of sound.)

I usually cut everything in the lower 112-180hz range (sounds muddy to my ears)

Try cutting the guitars at around 225-250

boost the bass in this range 225-250 is the lower resonant sound of all guitars and regular guitars don't really need a boost hear (it sounds muddy)

You can try cutting 400-600 hz in the guitars and leave it on the bass, I also cut this range on the drums to remove the "box" sound

Anything over 1000k on the bass isn't gonna be much and is reserved for vox guitars and symbols

Here is one trick that might bring out the bass:

1) Copy the entire bass track so that you have two track of the same bass track (it has to be a copy or it will phase)

2) Mute one bass track and mix the primary bass track with the drums and 1 guitar (assuming that you have 4 or more guitar tracks)

3) Apply the compression and get the volumes on bass track 1

4) mute everything out except the copy of bass track

5) apply a resonant filter to the track. I usually do a pass filter but band boost might work as well. If you don't got a resonant filter it will still work but those have a tendency to resonant the upper registar harmonics of the instrument

6) sweep the filter, or EQ until you find where the attacks are most audible

7) Boost this freq and cut all of the other ones on an EQ

8) If its a resonant filter - find a nice level to set the resonance at (just below audible typically)

9) unmute the tracks that you just mixed and turn the bass track copy down to negative infinity

10) slow bring the level of the copy track up just until you can barely hear it.

11) I would usually stop here, however, to bring it out even more...

...what ever frequency you boosted on the copy track - cut it on everything else (except the other bass track.)

*note that when I say cut I do not mean bring it to negative infinity, just cut the dBs until it sounds right to you.

 

[stupidfatnugly]

"I like to put 80hz on the kick cause it sounds less muddy that way."

what does this mean exactly: boost the EQ at 80 hz and cut the rest?

can you tell me what vox guitars means?

what's a resonance filter? does it come as a plug-in I can buy, perhaps?

I think I need to do alot of EQing at this point in the song, like what you're suggesting. I'll try that and get back to you. I appreciate your time, amigo.

 

[stupidfatnugly]

OK I cleaned up the EQ like you said and it sounds alot better

I made a duplicate of the bass track but to not much avail

 

[The Black Circl]

"I like to put 80hz on the kick cause it sounds less muddy that way."

what does this mean exactly: boost the EQ at 80 hz and cut the rest?

can you tell me what vox guitars means?

what's a resonance filter? does it come as a plug-in I can buy, perhaps?

I think I need to do alot of EQing at this point in the song, like what you're suggesting. I'll try that and get back to you. I appreciate your time, amigo.

I dont think I was saying to boost 80hz and cut the rest was I?

Vox guitars - vocals, and guitars

A resonance filter is either a high pass, or a low pass, or a band pass filter. When it is applied you can select a specific frequency to resonate (or boost) the harmonic over tones of. Sony recording software has it as an effect, I've never seen it on pro tools, and the guys a the music store might look at you like an idiot if you ask about one. Its not really necissary, but iit is a cool effect and tends to bring out the attacks on the strings if set right.

Did you remove the EQ settings from the duplicated bass track? I would apply new ones - such as either boosting the attacks - or the bass freqs and cut everything else on just this track. Then start the volume at negatve infinity and bring it up until it sounds cool. Essentially it would be a track to accent just that one specific weak freq.

Eq is fun and good, but try not to get to carried away; at least I almost always try to use it in moderation. I'm more of a fan of a well engineeried, raw sound, and then using EQ just to mix it - just a bit of advice.

EQ is another volume control.

 

[rayc]

There is an electrical problem with either your recording gear, amp or bass.
Does the radio only occur in the recording?
There may be an electrical prob with the recording gear.
DON'T fiddle with it - get someone who KNOWS to look at which ever is the problem.
Isolate the prob.
Do you get the same prob with another guitar? Y - proceed. N - get the bass looked at.
Do you get the same prob with a different amp but same bass & recording set up? Y - proceed. N - get the amp looked at.
Do you get the same prob no matter what bass/guitar & amp you're dealing with? Y - get the recording gear looked at.

Compression is the enemy. Use it as if it were anyway.
IF your bass has a REALLY dynamic & untamable sound you MIGHT use a TINY bit of compression on the way into your recording gear - just so it doesn't distort/clip. TRY to use compression with minimal gain.
You might use a little compression in the computer recording prog if using it to even out the levels but it'd be better to automate faders if you have them so that they ride up n down to maintain a consistent level.
Personally, & depending on the track, in EQ I roll off below 80Hz and throw a 3 dB peak on at 3KHz to clean up some dynamics, add some defintion and then auto the faders. Compression gain usually adds a fair bit of noise.

 

[trickster223]

I recently had the same problem. Changed room and it stopped.

 

[stupidfatnugly]

you guys rock

I had my bass amp up on a keyboard stand about 2 feet off the ground. Once I put it on the ground there was no problem. I just bought it at guiter center 2 weeks ago so it shouldn't be the amp.

my bass guitar however is a piece of junk and if I told you the make you wouldn't have heard of it before. But I did get my friends bass which he made himself and tried it and I had the same problems, so maybe my bass is OK

what kind of ratio do you use on compression of bass and drums. I find that I am limiting these and not putting much compression on guitars keyboards and vocals.

BC, I didn't try the whole process you laid out b/c I didn't know how to do that res filter thing. I made the EQ identical on the bass and it's duplicate. You're saying to make them different aren't you?

I was told that when you cut frequencies you should have a narrow badwidth so it spikes down into a point and to go down about 6 db and when I want to boost I give it a wider bandwidth and only come up 2 or 3 db. Would you agree with that?

 

[NYMorningstar]

on my bass amp.
when i try to record the recording has the radio station on it.

You might be using a speaker wire for your guitar chord, they look identical. Speaker wires are not shielded and pick up low lvl interferance. Unscrew one end, check and make sure you are using an instrument cable.

You should work on your bass sound before you even hit the record button. Get it to sound like you want it first.

 

[stupidfatnugly]

what will I see if it's an instrument cable?

 

[The Black Circl]

you guys rock

I had my bass amp up on a keyboard stand about 2 feet off the ground. Once I put it on the ground there was no problem. I just bought it at guiter center 2 weeks ago so it shouldn't be the amp.

my bass guitar however is a piece of junk and if I told you the make you wouldn't have heard of it before. But I did get my friends bass which he made himself and tried it and I had the same problems, so maybe my bass is OK

what kind of ratio do you use on compression of bass and drums. I find that I am limiting these and not putting much compression on guitars keyboards and vocals.

BC, I didn't try the whole process you laid out b/c I didn't know how to do that res filter thing. I made the EQ identical on the bass and it's duplicate. You're saying to make them different aren't you?

I was told that when you cut frequencies you should have a narrow badwidth so it spikes down into a point and to go down about 6 db and when I want to boost I give it a wider bandwidth and only come up 2 or 3 db. Would you agree with that?

Don't apply compression to the drums. They definintely shouldn't need it. You kind of got to play around with the settings to get it to sound right. I think a higher compression ratio is favored over a lower one, but I mabey wrong abou t that

Yes make them different One bass track should have the EQ settings to produce the tone you want. The other bass track should be cut on everything except a freqency that you feel needs more volume.

Whoever told you the thing about the bandwidth - well it seems kind of stupid. All a bandwidth control does is increase or decrease the frequency's band width over the spectrum. The "rule" isn't logical. Actually its really stupid...

Its up for debate however, somewhere around 3-6 dBs is doubling the percived volume or reducing it. Creating a narrow bandwidth and then cutting by 6 dBs as a rule of thumb aint going to work ever. What if I had a guitar that was 6 dBs louder at 250 then my other guitar, and I want to cut 250 in the mix down? The "rule" would fuck it up...

Personally I don't like to use a wide bandwidth in Mixing unless it is a filter roll off or shelf. It covers to much spectrum to be effective. Generally, when you mix you should be cutting anyway.

A wider Bandwidth adjustment may be better suited for mastering depending on the outcome of the mix.

Most instruments have sweet spots on an EQ, a wide band width may not provide as much control for enhancing them...

You migh want to boost the snare around 7k (for example) If that band width gets to wide your gonna start boosting the symbols bleed over (if you got mics for each drum.)

On the other hand you might want to remove the "box" sound from a kit which would call for a slightly wider band width around 400-600.

You wouldn't be able to say (before recording) that You are going to set the EQ frequency to 7k and widen the bandwidth to the widest possible setting and boost the amplitude by 3 dBs and that will yeild the mix that I want...

Because you will have no Idea the input volumes on the other intruments for one, and you don't know how load everyone is going to play everything - the singer is gonna be really good at changing volumes. Its just not a practical idea or logical statement....

 

[NYMorningstar]

what will I see if it's an instrument cable?

It looks like the wire on top in this picture.
https://homerecording.com/bbs/attachment.php?attachmentid=52484&stc=1&d=1223551107