Getting a brighter bass sound?

[ballstix]

I haven't much luck getting the sort of tone I want with my Ibanez SR506. I basically can't get it to be "grindy" in the high end which is the type of sound I like.

For reference, I'm aiming for a DI that sounds more or less like this: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1570706/olabass.mp3 (it's part of Ola's bass DI from one of the Feared songs, hope he doesn't mind me posting it). I can get some really awesome sounds of this without very much processing.

My bass is much more midrange heavy (it's mahogany, by the way) and has comparatively almost no high end content using nickel strings. Would steel strings help at all? Or would it be best to just get an ash j-bass from rondo or something?

DI of my bass: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1570706/sr506di.mp3
Here's playing with my fingers just for the hell of it (sounds cooler imo): http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1570706/sr506difingers.mp3
Pick w/ Pro Steels: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1570706/steel.mp3

 

[BLUElightCory]

Brand new steel strings will definitely help. I assume you're using a pick? (May be a dumb question but you'd be surprised)

That said, the bass itself plays a HUGE part in the resulting tone. An alder or ash bass would be a step in the right direction.

 

[JonWormwood]

d'addario pro steels

 

[ballstix]

Alright, I'm gonna pick up some prosteels this weekend.

I've edited the OP with a recording of my bass, too. The bass is around 7, mids at 5, and treble at max on my bass's EQ. It sounds really dull to me, and even with ludicrous EQ I can't get much out of it. If I raise the highs a lot it just ends up getting really harsh.

Oh, and yeah, I'm using a pick . I noticed that Ola uses a Clive jazz bass in that his bass recording tutorial...do the single coil pickups lend themselves to that sort of really bright sound? I'm pretty dumb when it comes to basses.

 

[BLUElightCory]

.do the single coil pickups lend themselves to that sort of really bright sound?

Yes.

 

[Trevoire520]

Best bet is to get some brand new steel strings on there and see how you get on. But really with a mahogany bass and humbucker pickups you're going to be putting out alot of midrange and just generally sounding a bit dark.

 

[Lasse Lammert]

pick, pro steels, SC pickup.

 

[JonWormwood]

Does your sr have the bartolinis + active eq?

 

[AllanD]

Don't mean to steal the thread, but that DI sounds amazing. What pickups would give me a similiar tone to that, or are they just regular Jazz pickups?

 

[ballstix]

Does your sr have the bartolinis + active eq?

Yeah, all stock. It's one model prior to the current one with the wenge instead of the jatoba in the neck. The volume knob's fucked up though; it's either 100% (theoretically) or no volume at all, so I wonder if any of the other electronics are weird on it. The input jack is pretty sensitive if you touch the cord when it's plugged in.

Don't mean to steal the thread, but that DI sounds amazing. What pickups would give me a similiar tone to that, or are they just regular Jazz pickups?

I think Ola's DI is played with the bass in his bass recording tutorial video. It's a Clive jazz bass with what looks to be an active preamp, maybe try PMing him about it?

 

[ballstix]

K, slapped on some steel strings, and it definitely did help. I'm noticing that maybe I should be picking really hard in order to get the annoying clanky sounds that seem to sound so cool in mixes?

 

[DanLights]

K, slapped on some steel strings, and it definitely did help. I'm noticing that maybe I should be picking really hard in order to get the annoying clanky sounds that seem to sound so cool in mixes?

yup, it's no secret that picking like a man is key to a prominent bass tone

 

[Soundlurker]

Are the strings used in "sr506di.mp3" brand new?
Asking since "steel.mp3" sounds about a thousand times better

 

[Erik Monsonis]

Are the strings used in "sr506di.mp3" brand new?
Asking since "steel.mp3" sounds about a thousand times better

+1

 

[ballstix]

Are the strings used in "sr506di.mp3" brand new?
Asking since "steel.mp3" sounds about a thousand times better

No, but they aren't terribly old, either. They're D'Addario nickel wounds that I tracked less than an album's worth of songs with, and didn't play all that much otherwise. That said, I'm positive the only difference is not merely due to the difference between the nickel and steel strings. The ProSteels were sounding some of their very first notes . It'll be interesting to see how the ProSteels hold up after a couple weeks.

 

[spencerlogan]

i think the last recording of yourself seemed close to what you're after. you could take it the extra mile at boost some high frequencies on it. do it sparingly though. it'll give you that bright sound you're looking for.

 

[lolzgreg]

Bass strings start to lose their grind after about an hour. It's rough business. Try to get a bass string endorsement.

D'Addario Pro Steels or DR Hi-Beams for the win.

 

[PlugSlut]

Anybody knows…
What strings, brand, steel/nickel and gauge to use – to get that Killswitch bass tone? Brand and model?
Could some of the noise in his sound be fret noise? If so, I think the action is pretty low, with a fairly straight neck?
I have an English Status (wood, not graphite) bass with switchable active/passive electronics.

PlugSlut