Old 10-10-2019, 02:08 PM   #1
Poeticas
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Default How to EQ a Fender Bass VI

So I been using a lot of presets on my EQs such as rhythm guitar, Bass, Lead Guitar but when it Comes to my fender bass vi it gets lost in the mix. For those who don't know what a bass vi is, it is neither a bass guitar nor a regular guitar. it has 6 thicker strings then the guitar and is tuned e-e but an octave lower. In the key of d major you can really use the bass vi as a rhythm guitar and it sounds really sweet and in any key you can even use it as a lead guitar. The only problem is i have no idea how i should eq it- more mids since it's neither a guitar or bass? Robert Smith of the cure main guitar was the fender bass vi and it sounds beautiful in the 'Disintegration' album. Anyone ever eq/master a bass vi before?
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Old 10-13-2019, 08:12 AM   #2
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No one knows or at least have some tips?
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Old 10-13-2019, 08:47 AM   #3
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It's hard to give any advice on mixing an instrument by itself because instruments don't normally exist by themselves in a mix. :/ Everything depends on the genre, what the other instruments are doing, what sort of tone you want on them, etc.
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Old 10-14-2019, 06:19 AM   #4
1111Eugene
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any processing should have A REASON
there's no sense in touching anything for no reason
so
you listen to a song
in the context of all instruments
in the mix
and decide whether smth should be processed
and how
and what for
ok?
you listen to the bass and make a decision
whether it needs to sound different
in what way
how to achieve the sound you want best
etc
and just do it
or don't
if you turned up eq for about a HUNDRED db
and the bass started to sound better for your creative idea
then
you're doing it right

if you look at digits and meters
and limit yourself just because somebody said not to do much
then you're doing it wrong in a sense

do you get it?
you should have a reason to touch any sound
and the reason is in your head only, in seeing of a particular song or an issue. only you decide or a client whether smth should be changed.

the proccesing should be in most cases
very musical and invisible for ears
that's why somebody says don't do much
but you can and should if you are satisfied with the result

or use several plugins\tweaks\processing each by little for a one single same purpose.
also try using dry\wet knob a lot
to make it sound musical and natural
but be aware of phase shifting.
a lot of plugins shift phase of a sound, so be careful to use dry\wet knobs in such cases
ok? ok...

Last edited by 1111Eugene; 10-14-2019 at 08:56 AM.
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Old 10-14-2019, 12:15 PM   #5
Soma Jones
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I wasn't going to comment because I'm not confident I can suggest anything useful but figured it can't hurt.
I have a Fender Jaguar Baritone. I came strung and tuned E to E, I have it set up B to B so I realize it isn't the same thing you are playing.
I am happy with how well it sits in the mix for my purposes. It replaces bass most of the time. Think 60s Lawrence Welk ticky tack or Hee Haw vibrato drenched baritone lines.
I record it through Native Instruments Guitar Rig blackface emulation (twang?). I have an actual Deluxe Reverb but I don't like putting the speaker through that baritone stress. It sound good through my Bassman but I haven't been as successful with mic placement as I have just using Guitar Rig.

The main thing is getting what I'm aiming for; clean and deep but not as low as a bass. Carving out a lot of room for it to shine through. It seemed strange at first foregoing bass but once I got past that I've been happy with it.

I would suggest perhaps your bass on the track is getting in the way of the Bass VI?
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Old 10-18-2019, 05:05 PM   #6
Dave 2099
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Default similar issue with my baritone

I have my baritone tuned G to G, so it's three steps above the lowest note on a bass guitar or your bass vi. I make different track voices/fx combinatons so I can play different parts with the same bari - lead, rhythm, bass, etc.

A bass guitar voice has been elusive until very recently. The lower range (<200hz) has been easy to beef up and make sound bass-y, but in order to get consistent bass-like tones all up and down the fretboard I started using 3- and 4-way splitters and adding EQ and FX separately to the different ranges. I've been able to get pretty consistent bass-like tones from low to very high on the fretboard. In each separate range, I use a combination of octaver and bass amp/heads and EQs. It's an ongoing process to find the right combination of settings in each range, but I'm pretty happy with the results so far.

So I would suggest experimenting with splitting your bass vi signal and eq'ing the different ranges separately. That way you can boost some ranges and dial back on others, and use other effects to get sounds you're happy with. I can show you my set up if you're interested.

Oh, and what Soma Jones said. Are your different sonic ranges crowded with similar voices? Maybe you just have too many competing voices occupying the same range(s).
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Old 12-19-2019, 02:49 PM   #7
ErBird
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Poeticas View Post
So I been using a lot of presets on my EQs such as rhythm guitar, Bass, Lead Guitar but when it Comes to my fender bass vi it gets lost in the mix. For those who don't know what a bass vi is, it is neither a bass guitar nor a regular guitar. it has 6 thicker strings then the guitar and is tuned e-e but an octave lower. In the key of d major you can really use the bass vi as a rhythm guitar and it sounds really sweet and in any key you can even use it as a lead guitar. The only problem is i have no idea how i should eq it- more mids since it's neither a guitar or bass? Robert Smith of the cure main guitar was the fender bass vi and it sounds beautiful in the 'Disintegration' album. Anyone ever eq/master a bass vi before?
You're not going to get a reasonable sound plugging straight in. What are you using for amp/cab simulation? Pedals?
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Old 12-20-2019, 10:38 AM   #8
Philbo King
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Possibilities:

Basic EQ/Compressor/2nd EQ
Amp Sim
Bass Professor MK2
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Old 12-20-2019, 11:47 AM   #9
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There is no reason a bass can't sound wonderful straight in and properly processed (if needed) unless there is some specific sound required that can only be gotten with a mic.
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Old 12-20-2019, 11:51 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by karbomusic View Post
There is no reason a bass can't sound wonderful straight in and properly processed (if needed) unless there is some specific sound required that can only be gotten with a mic.
By straight in I meant unprocessed.
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Old 12-20-2019, 04:13 PM   #11
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Put the Bass Professor on it: http://www.vst4free.com/free_vst.php?id=2590
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