Recording Clean Bass Tones

[camerondye]

Ok, I'm on it. I'll pull up those projects and post the original bass lines so you can hear them. The Mike Stern choice doesn't help because it's a different insane bass player on each track but obviously amazing stuff by a list of the best living bass players. Bring on the night sounds like he's playing with a pick. I heard the isolated "Message in a Bottle" bass line which is obviously a fretless but at least from the same album. Are you sure that's Jamerson on Funky Buzzard, that seems more like a Duck Dunn bass part to me but that's only a guess. Still a P-bass and played very well and probably using a mute of some sort.

[The Adam Smasher]

Originally Posted by camerondye

Ok, I'm on it. I'll pull up those projects and post the original bass lines so you can hear them. The Mike Stern choice doesn't help because it's a different insane bass player on each track but obviously amazing stuff by a list of the best living bass players. Bring on the night sounds like he's playing with a pick. I heard the isolated "Message in a Bottle" bass line which is obviously a fretless but at least from the same album. Are you sure that's Jamerson on Funky Buzzard, that seems more like a Duck Dunn bass part to me but that's only a guess. Still a P-bass and played very well and probably using a mute of some sort.

Yea that might have been Dunn on the funky buzzard. It sounds so Jamerson that I've always attributed that to him anyway.

Ok, I'd love to hear those parts (for sure!) but just to clarify before you do all that work what I'm looking for is still a clean recording tone.

How did you record your parts for your bands tracks? You have a nice clean tone. THAT's the info I'm really looking for.

[ivansc]

Originally Posted by camerondye

Still a P-bass and played very well and probably using a mute of some sort.

My original 1962 P-Bass (and all the other Fender basses at the time) had a heavy duty foam pad glued to the inside of the bridge cover. We also were supplied with tape wound strings.
So it could be as simple as that, especially if it was Diego Diegerson!

[Rhonin]

theres no silver bullet
you would be supprised motown took direct inputs out of there basses

this is about as good as direct input gets

http://ccmixter.org/files/Rhonin/63257

you could try pluging into a bass head and taking an xlr out
that might get you better tone

*new upload

[camerondye]

Here's a zip file with 4 files in it. I did the Let Me Down bass with the distortion I added on the fill of the verses to make the bass poke out more. I did the direct tone only which is going through an A-Designs Reddi direct box. I included the direct tone of Message in a Bottle which is off the same album as the Police song you mentioned. I also included Rediscover which is through the Reddi preamp also.

When I first started doing this I was kind of amazed how much distortion actually goes on bass to make it cut through a mix better. The best way to add distortion is to copy your original bass line to another track, add a HP filter to about 1k cutting out most of the lowend and put a distortion on it and then mix it in to taste. That way your lows aren't building up but you can still get the bass to cut through. You don't end up hearing the distortion if you do it right.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/bghtbzmaj0...Forum.zip?dl=0

[jean-yves]

Originally Posted by The Adam Smasher

I want to be very specific here. What this whole thread is about is CLARITY of recording. There has been a tangent of playing technique and that's fine but again...CLARITY of recording is the theme.

Sorry to go back through this thread, but I don't understand how you cope with the advices you are given by people who have answered your initial question. Assuming that your playing does not sucks, all of this is a matter of taste. Everything is possible, and technical aspects should not overrun artistic aspects.

Nevertheless, every one in this forum will tell you that's better to record with a DI or alternative setups (as I mentionned before).
In order to get yourself some insight on how you really sounds, and not how you think you are sounding, just insert a few reference traks in Reaper and make A/B comparisons. You should be able to save a lot of time...

Cheers!

[The Adam Smasher]

Originally Posted by Rhonin

theres no silver bullet
you would be supprised motown took direct inputs out of there basses

this is about as good as direct input gets

http://ccmixter.org/files/Rhonin/63257

you could try pluging into a bass head and taking an xlr out
that might get you better tone

Thank you sir. This is a great point. Helps to let me know what my expectations should be. Nice playing too.

[The Adam Smasher]

Originally Posted by camerondye

Here's a zip file with 4 files in it. I did the Let Me Down bass with the distortion I added on the fill of the verses to make the bass poke out more. I did the direct tone only which is going through an A-Designs Reddi direct box. I included the direct tone of Message in a Bottle which is off the same album as the Police song you mentioned. I also included Rediscover which is through the Reddi preamp also.

When I first started doing this I was kind of amazed how much distortion actually goes on bass to make it cut through a mix better. The best way to add distortion is to copy your original bass line to another track, add a HP filter to about 1k cutting out most of the lowend and put a distortion on it and then mix it in to taste. That way your lows aren't building up but you can still get the bass to cut through. You don't end up hearing the distortion if you do it right.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/bghtbzmaj0...Forum.zip?dl=0

Ahhhh yet more great info from you C!

I just went and listened to all tracks and your tone is fantastic. Crisp, clear, it's all there. THIS....THIS is what I was talking about. Reaper is a learning curve and I'm just starting but this shows what can be done.

Nicely done sir!

[The Adam Smasher]

Originally Posted by jean-yves

Sorry to go back through this thread, but I don't understand how you cope with the advices you are given by people who have answered your initial question. Assuming that your playing does not sucks, all of this is a matter of taste. Everything is possible, and technical aspects should not overrun artistic aspects.
Cheers!

I have read your comments ( a lot of great points previously on this thread thank you) but I completely disagree with what your saying in the last sentence.

While you say everything is possible it doesn't really open that up to the HOW that I'm looking for.

The whole point of this thread is the quality of the recording I am trying to get. It's literally in the first post. Your point brings in playing technique. While that does play a part you could have absolutely BRILLIANT technique and at the end of the day have a muddy tone in your mix. You could know ALL your scales, ALL your modes, the hottest new prog rock lick but it would just sound.....weird in the mix. Congratulations on your flawless technique buddy but I can't make out what you're bloody playing.

SO I assure you JY technical aspects play a LARGE role in this. So I keep bringing the conversation back to this.

I've made some solid improvements from this thread from the advice people have given me but there was still a massive difference from what some people are producing. After todays great posts from Rhonin and Camerondye I've got enough direction to go work on some stuff.

[Fergler]

Listened to the soundcloud link, nothing sounds wrong in the recording chain to me. The main problem I hear is it sounds like you are hitting a pickup with your finger which is giving you the tapping sounds you hear in the first 4 seconds or so. Classic issue with loose fitting pickup casings.

The muddiness is from the overhanging resonances from both other strings and the string you are playing not being muted between notes.

[ivansc]

Originally Posted by Rhonin

Ivan lost your link sorry but the comment relates to it.. Nicely done.

I like your direct snip. And once you have a clean, even, precise piece to work with, fitting it into the mix is easy-peasy.

[Rhonin]

i think you picked up that the appearance of clarity come from a lot of different aspects, #31 being the quality of the gear you are useing

some people play loud and use distortion and eq to cut through the mix
but if you cut with your eq you can use a lot of power in the low end

over playing (too loud) and the rest of the strings resonate or you are hitting the body with yr follow through

use which ever finger that isnt plucking to mute the string while using lft hnd mutes as well ,..like ivan pointed out

i have some simple exercises that help a lot w the 8th notes and finger placeing

i would also recomend turning the headphone volume up so you dont have to play hard to get a good note

think of it like doing parradiddles on the drums
i think its would be interseting if a drummer could learn to think like a bass players

i have no clue what drummers think

im only back at the bass for 3mnths after 6yrs off
so i can tell you how practising with proper tequnique makes all the difference

gl

[Bazzbass]

we started recording our new album last week. I have 9 basses, an Am Stnd P bass, two Mex Jazzes, Hofner Ignition etc.
I used my $200 SX Jazz. I got the best bass tone I've ever recorded. It has newish roundwounds on it as opposed to flats on the others,thats the real reason I got a punchy sound.

[ivansc]

Originally Posted by The Adam Smasher

Yea that might have been Dunn on the funky buzzard. It sounds so Jamerson that I've always attributed that to him anyway.

Hm... Not sure it IS Jamerson, probably someone who wanted to be him.
Pretty sure it isn`t Duck Dunn either.

Obscure Chicago singer.... who the hell knows? There were plenty of great bass players around in the mid to late sixties.

[camerondye]

I didn't say it was Duck Dunn...I just said it sounded more like a Duck Dunn bass part. He was very good about choosing 1 bass line and hammering the crap out of it where Jamerson seemed to wander a little bit more. I agree...who knows who it is though.