If so, what are your thoughts? I'm thinking about using it for the bass drum and bass guitar tracks we're recording. Maybe even low toms as well?
Does anyone use MaxxBass?
- Thread starter nwright
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Black neon bob
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- Jun 2, 2005
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I just started fiddling around with it a bit.. i think i could really use it on my kicks.. it's pretty damn good.. however, it absorbs CPU..
I cant really tell you if you should use it or not, it's your mix, and if you have maxxbass, and if it sounds good/better with maxbass, then go for it...
I cant really tell you if you should use it or not, it's your mix, and if you have maxxbass, and if it sounds good/better with maxbass, then go for it...
I like it for bass drums. I don't know enough about it to do anything past presets and just what sounds good to my ear. But, the presets can help EQ the bass drum to my liking no doubt.
I just get the feeling I could go a little too crazy with plug ins, and I wanted to get a feel for what peeps on here used. The stuff I hear on this forum rivals most professional albums I hear, and some of the users here are pros,too, so the advice can be worth a lot.
I just get the feeling I could go a little too crazy with plug ins, and I wanted to get a feel for what peeps on here used. The stuff I hear on this forum rivals most professional albums I hear, and some of the users here are pros,too, so the advice can be worth a lot.
I use the Rennaissance MaxxBass plug quite often for kick drums. Typically, though, I just put a mic outside the kick drum about a foot away from the sound-hole and that picks up pretty much the same low-end and thud you get with the use of the MaxxBass plug. If you're working with drum samples, like DFHS or DFH2, then the MaxxBass will create the same effect. When I record a band though, I use the aforementioned method to get the same thing.
The MaxxBass plug isn't really helpful on bass guitar unless used sparingly. It really tends to muddy up the track, in my experience. Usually what I use is the Rennaissance Bass plug-in instead of the MaxxBass. What the Rennaissance Bass does is compress a certain frequency consistently. This is useful for ensuring that the bass guitar is consistently pumping out...say 40-80Hz (any frequency is available though) the entire time. You will notice it mostly when the bassist uses higher notes/strings, usually those higher notes/strings don't have that same low-end rumble as the lowest string/notes. The RBass plug delivers that constant rumble no matter what the bassist plays. So those higher notes will have just as much presence involving the low end as the deeper notes on lower strings. Very handy.
Check it out.
~006
The MaxxBass plug isn't really helpful on bass guitar unless used sparingly. It really tends to muddy up the track, in my experience. Usually what I use is the Rennaissance Bass plug-in instead of the MaxxBass. What the Rennaissance Bass does is compress a certain frequency consistently. This is useful for ensuring that the bass guitar is consistently pumping out...say 40-80Hz (any frequency is available though) the entire time. You will notice it mostly when the bassist uses higher notes/strings, usually those higher notes/strings don't have that same low-end rumble as the lowest string/notes. The RBass plug delivers that constant rumble no matter what the bassist plays. So those higher notes will have just as much presence involving the low end as the deeper notes on lower strings. Very handy.
Check it out.
~006
006 said:
This sounds like what I want for the bass guitar. Most of the time, our bassist spends on the lowest 2 strings, but since I am the sole guitarist in our band, on some songs we "harmonize" almost like a 2 guitar band, but with the bass and guitar instead. Most people think it's a cool effect, but I don't want the bottom to drop out on those passages on our EP, so I'l have to look into the RBass plug...
From what you describe, the RBass plug is exactly the plug-in you need for those bass tracks. It helps to keep it's presence heard as well as felt the entire time, NOT just when he's playing the lower notes. I've noticed a lot of times, since I have a rediculous sub system in my car, that the bass just drops out on a lot of songs on my iPod from commercial releases when they start playing higher notes. Sometimes it makes me wonder if my sub just cut out...but then the kick sounds and there goes my sub working fine. On other recordings, where they obviously used this plug-in, or something similar, the bass guitar is FELT and heard the entire time when they play higher notes. This is my opinion on how the bass should sound. It's gotta be felt the entire time, no matter what it's playing. I think some people like the bass to drop out though...
~006
~006
chadsxe
Super Rad Member
- Dec 13, 2005
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006 said:From what you describe, the RBass plug is exactly the plug-in you need for those bass tracks. It helps to keep it's presence heard as well as felt the entire time, NOT just when he's playing the lower notes. I've noticed a lot of times, since I have a rediculous sub system in my car, that the bass just drops out on a lot of songs on my iPod from commercial releases when they start playing higher notes. Sometimes it makes me wonder if my sub just cut out...but then the kick sounds and there goes my sub working fine. On other recordings, where they obviously used this plug-in, or something similar, the bass guitar is FELT and heard the entire time when they play higher notes. This is my opinion on how the bass should sound. It's gotta be felt the entire time, no matter what it's playing. I think some people like the bass to drop out though...
~006
So....Since it kind brings up the frundamental harmonics of the bass does it make it hard to control the bass when lower notes are being played......or does it adjust per frequency....
You're reading too much into it chad. The lower notes will be the same level, the higher notes will be the same level. But, the higher notes will have that low-end that you feel like the lower notes do. It's all even and consistent, so there should be no problem "controlling" it, if there is, it's because you didn't compress the bass guitar correctly in the first place for the volume dynamics.
~006
~006
SickBoy
Croatian Panzer division
006 said:
That said, do you apply MaxxBass before or after compressing?
I assume before, but as I never used the thing it would be nice to know...
SickBoy said:
See, I would think before. That way, Maxxbass is seeing a more steady signal to modify.
Seizure.
Member
Whoah, hold on guys. First, you compress the original signal so everything is leveled out on the bass guitar. Then you add either the Rennaissance Bass or MaxxBass...I would not use both, thats just a rediculous amount of muddy ass low-end to have on a bass guitar. I would reserve that for dance music 
. For bass guitar, I usually use the Rennaissance Bass at around 40Hz-80Hz, depends on the style of music. For MaxxBass on a kick drum, I'll set it pretty high around 20Hz-60Hz and have a wide Q over that area, also depending on the style of music I'll vary the settings. I don't really use the MaxxBass plug on bass guitar, it just tends to muddy it up too much.
Like I said though, if I'm recording the orginal drums, I just throw a mic about a foot away from the sound hole in front of the kick drum and it picks up the same low-end that I can add with the MaxxBass, that's just the way to do it with microphones. If you have DFHS or DFH2 or BFD or something, the MaxxBass is the same effect, gives you that smooth and thick low-end thud you love in a kick drum.
~006
. For bass guitar, I usually use the Rennaissance Bass at around 40Hz-80Hz, depends on the style of music. For MaxxBass on a kick drum, I'll set it pretty high around 20Hz-60Hz and have a wide Q over that area, also depending on the style of music I'll vary the settings. I don't really use the MaxxBass plug on bass guitar, it just tends to muddy it up too much. Like I said though, if I'm recording the orginal drums, I just throw a mic about a foot away from the sound hole in front of the kick drum and it picks up the same low-end that I can add with the MaxxBass, that's just the way to do it with microphones. If you have DFHS or DFH2 or BFD or something, the MaxxBass is the same effect, gives you that smooth and thick low-end thud you love in a kick drum.
~006
chadsxe said:
Ok, yes this is true. However, this effect is really not all that noticeable unless you have a subwoofer system, like myself in my car, or a rediculous stereo. On little earbuds, even circumaural headphones, and really anything except larger monitors, you won't get the full effect of these plug-ins. Yes you'll be able to tell the difference between the orginal unaffected and the affected version, but, really all it will do is make the instruments more defined. Little speakers like that don't really have a lot of low-end handling/response. Only some monitors with an 8" driver or greater will even show you what you're doing when adding this. I mean, to the fullest effect anyway. Smaller drivers (6.5", 6", 5", etc.) will only start to fart and make you think you're going to blow them. If you have a subwoofer (to handle 20Hz-125Hz dedicated) then you will notice the fruits of these plug-ins immediately, but if you don't, you won't really tell until you pop the cd into a stereo or a car system.
~006
006 said:Whoah, hold on guys. First, you compress the original signal so everything is leveled out on the bass guitar. Then you add either the Rennaissance Bass or MaxxBass...I would not use both, thats just a rediculous amount of muddy ass low-end to have on a bass guitar. I would reserve that for dance music
Like I said though, if I'm recording the orginal drums, I just throw a mic about a foot away from the sound hole in front of the kick drum and it picks up the same low-end that I can add with the MaxxBass, that's just the way to do it with microphones. If you have DFHS or DFH2 or BFD or something, the MaxxBass is the same effect, gives you that smooth and thick low-end thud you love in a kick drum.
~006
kind of like the reverse sub speaker mic?
Kinda...basically contraptions like the Yamaha sub-kick are just a speaker wired in reverse, which is what a micrphone is, to pick up instead of put out...exactly the same as a microphone. Consider it basically just a gigantic ass mic, a mutant mic if you will. Large speaker to capture/reproduce the correct low-end. You get the same effect by just simply putting a regular ass mic about a foot away from the kick where the soundhole cut-out is. Of course, that low-end is easily brought with something like the SubKick, but it can be done with little eq/comp manipulation on a normal microphone. The MaxxBass plug-in just offers that same exact effect, but in a plug-in form, in case (like I said) you are using samples like DFHS, DFH2, or BFD that do not have the luxury of placing a mic in front of the kick drum for the low-end thud capture.
~006
~006
chadsxe
Super Rad Member
- Dec 13, 2005
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Well I smaked RBass on a bass track last night and it does just what 006 said it would......I am going to have to hear it on a mix that burn down.......It seems like it can easily be abused....It makes you feel the bass a lot more.....I am going to mess with it again after work.....
when mixing maxxbass is one of those tools that can transform a flat flavorless mix into a punchy one...but again as with most pluggs "with great power come great responsability" .... be warned abuse it (esp on small monitors) and your mix will sound ridiculouse on a pa/system with a sub!
C
C
Yeah, the MaxxBass plug is *especially* easily abused. I use to slam it on kicks, toms, bass guitars, and other things. Over time you realize you don't need *that* much, heh. I love the RBass plug though, it's indespensible as far as I'm concerned. I love to feel the bass, as well as hear it, it helps so much to make that happen.
~006
~006
I agree. After tweaking it a bit last night, I may pull it out altogether. I have it set in pretty low now. I based my setting of the "lo fi speaker" preset or whatever it's called. I like the way it lifted the kick a bit, made it sit a little better, but it's easy to see how it could kill a mix.
