Advice needed. bass sounds like total shit

[aviel]

I dont know how it happened. i recorded a sandberg bass, a good player, a nice ampeg amp.

but it sounds, so... i dont know.
i tried tones of processing, i tried to follow Ermz's book. thats the best i've got.
it for an avantasia, rockish style song. so no need for that distorted bass.

but here it sound like a fart. i fell it lacks MID clearity. boosting them is shit, and i cant find any problematic frequecies to reduce.

this is one is MIC + DI

http://minus.com/mbcbpZfsvn

 

[rob w]

Are the strings brand new?

 

[aviel]

nope..
i dont know for how long he've been using them.. i know its not recommended.. but still, SUCH a difference? this sounds like shit

 

[rob w]

Old/used bass strings do sound like shit. Almost impossible to process. It's like taking a photo with a dirty lens, no amount of photoshop is going to make it crystal clear. You could go for the low end presence under the guitars, but dragging that metallic jangle out of old bass strings isn't going to happen.

 

[aviel]

so, lets say, this is what i have.. the bass was recorded. what is the best thing i can do with it now? soundwise... i have to build the mix difffernetly i guess. but how?

 

[Empathy]

The need for fresh strings on a bass isn't exaggerated, it's just damn well REQUIRED.

 

[aviel]

any idea on process i can take to somehow fir this in a mix>

 

[rob w]

You could go down the dirty route, try some distortion. But if the raw sound is far away from your desired end sound i think you need to accept that it isn't going to be the centrepoint of the mix. Just compress the bejeezus out of it and have it rumble along underneath.

 

[aviel]

yea that it possible, but then how will i go for getting that fat low end?

 

[JakeAC5253]

You could go down the dirty route, try some distortion. But if the raw sound is far away from your desired end sound i think you need to accept that it isn't going to be the centrepoint of the mix. Just compress the bejeezus out of it and have it rumble along underneath.

Good advice.

I'm not sure what Ermz book says to do with bass, so I may be telling you something you already know, but what I've been doing lately is duping the Bass DI and then using one for lows and one for mids and bite. I LP the lows one at 200Hz and comp it, and HP the grit track at 400Hz and send it through my tube amp. I go for a lot of distortion on the grit track, so it might not work for you, but it's definitely something to play with. I wouldn't say that your bass track lacks mids, but it just sounds like it's all high end. If you post the raw DI, users here might be able to help you with your particular situation.

 

[aviel]

yea that about what he explained.. and i tried it. but its so not tight.
i also just talked to the bassist, he said the strings were new..

here's my DI, just feels like no meat. i do have the impression of lacking mids, but i may be wrong.

http://minus.com/mxNUf8FxV

 

[Siguros]

Good advice.

I'm not sure what Ermz book says to do with bass, so I may be telling you something you already know, but what I've been doing lately is duping the Bass DI and then using one for lows and one for mids and bite. I LP the lows one at 200Hz and comp it, and HP the grit track at 400Hz and send it through my tube amp. I go for a lot of distortion on the grit track, so it might not work for you, but it's definitely something to play with. I wouldn't say that your bass track lacks mids, but it just sounds like it's all high end. If you post the raw DI, users here might be able to help you with your particular situation.

"Bass, perhaps more so than any element beside vocals, is almost completely reliant upon the source tone. Sure, raw DIs will start fairly average no matter how great the bass, but you must be able to hear the potential within in order to work with it. Much like trying to turn an ectomorph into a bodybuilder - it just isn’t going to happen. The tides of fate just didn’t intend it to be. Likewise with bass, it’s crucial that the instrument be of a sufficient quality, and that the strings be brand new (cannot stress that one enough!)"

This is what Ermz says in his book. So yeah you're screwed.

 

[Siguros]

Just remember to cut out 60-80 and maybe boost a little at 80-140 if you want to keep it fat.

 

[BLUElightCory]

I'm not in the best listening environment right now, but the clip you posted sounds fine to me (quality-wise).

 

[aviel]

hmm. dont you feel its sloppy, with too much bass and not definition ?

 

[RichS]

Garbage in, Garbage out

Didn't you notice it sounded bad during recording?

 

[JakeAC5253]

hmm. dont you feel its sloppy, with too much bass and not definition ?

Not at all... in fact it sounds more like the bassist used the bridge pickup and not both pickups blended.

 

[BLUElightCory]

hmm. dont you feel its sloppy, with too much bass and not definition ?

Not really. That's what finger-picked bass generally sounds like. The actual tone sounds fine to me (at least on my earbuds, which might be the problem).

Maybe post a clip/video of a song with a bass tone you prefer for this sort of music?

 

[aviel]

Not at all... in fact it sounds more like the bassist used the bridge pickup and not both pickups blended.

he might have actually done it. i have zero to none experience in bass recording, i had to think about it i guess

 

[aviel]

Not really. That's what finger-picked bass generally sounds like. The actual tone sounds fine to me (at least on my earbuds, which might be the problem).

Maybe post a clip/video of a song with a bass tone you prefer for this sort of music?

well i dont have any special image.

i love this kind of sound -
but i am quite sure its pick. i can hear it

actually i am looking for a bass that will have balls, but with enough attack to hear the things he does in between..
its like the 6th time i make the mix of this songs, because it lacks size and balls.

maybe someone can suggest me on a bass tone for reference that is still metal, but finger picked?