Having trouble with getting a gold bass tone

[Mike Moriarty]

I have no idea how to dial in a good bass sound. I'm a guitar player and I have no problem getting guitar tones I like because I know exactly what I'm going after but with bass I have no idea what I'm even trying to accomplish.

I have been mixing in a direct track with a slightly distorted bass track and it sounds kind of bad.

Any tips on what I should be looking for when dialing in a bass? My guitar tone sounds a lot like Pantera.

 

[HOFX]

http://www.ultimatemetal.com/forum/f-o-h/863389-bass-processing-tutorial-systematic-style.html

Also, Ignite Amps has a donation-ware vst emulation of an ampeg svt bass amp.

 

[Sloan]

Bassically: scoop out skanky mids, smash all to hell.

 

[RedDog]

Get the RAT emu, BOD, and some cab impulses. It's all riding and compression from there.

Also Sloan, Bassically. lol word man.

 

[Fredrik-Ablaze]

Reference your bass tones against other mixes as well as other good "soloed" basstones.

 

[greyskull]

Brighter than you think.

 

[LBTM]

Always listen bass in the mix.

 

[Mike Moriarty]

I'm using the Eleven Rack direct for my bass tones. I think the amp is capable of getting a good bass sound, it's just that I have no idea how a bass should sit in the mix, eq-wise.

Like I said I've been dialing in guitar amps my whole life so I know what to look for. With bass I'm just confused how distorted it should be, how bassy it should be, and how the mids should sit in the mix.

 

[FrankTheSmith]

I usually have the bass 4-6db RMS less than the guitar and the drums. It's a good start.

 

[LBTM]

Like I said I've been dialing in guitar amps my whole life so I know what to look for. With bass I'm just confused how distorted it should be, how bassy it should be, and how the mids should sit in the mix.

Bass is really important in the mix. It's really worth it spending time to learn how to get good tones.

I usually have the bass 4-6db RMS less than the guitar and the drums. It's a good start.

You should never ever judge by a meter. Use your ears.

 

[Mike Moriarty]

Bass is really important in the mix. It's really worth it spending time to learn how to get good tones.

I guess part of the problem is that bass is kind of hard to hear in metal mixes.

Does anybody have any examples of good bass tones solo'd for reference?

 

[FrankTheSmith]

You should never ever judge by a meter. Use your ears.

Yeah I know, but generally my final mixes end up being around that area. That's what I meant by "a good start". I Put it somewhere in that ballpark and adjust accordingly.

 

[Darren "Jenk" Jenkins]

A good bass tone will always be brighter and have more gain than you think. A lot of the attack and grit gets lost with the wall of guitars around it so you have to compensate. Sometimes it's a good idea to EQ the bass tone while you're listening to the whole mix as opposed to soloing it. When you eventually solo it (once you're happy with it) you'll be surprised at how much attack and brightness you've given it. Also, try to avoid boosting and cutting the same frequencies as the kick drum.

 

[LBTM]

Yeah I know, but generally my final mixes end up being around that area. That's what I meant by "a good start". I Put it somewhere in that ballpark and adjust accordingly.

oh right. i've missed "a good start". i'm using automation a lot so for me it changes through the song. some times it can be equal to guitars, some times 4-6dB lower.

A good bass tone will always be brighter and have more gain than you think. A lot of the attack and grit gets lost with the wall of guitars around it so you have to compensate. Sometimes it's a good idea to EQ the bass tone while you're listening to the whole mix as opposed to soloing it. When you eventually solo it (once you're happy with it) you'll be surprised at how much attack and brightness you've given it. Also, try to avoid boosting and cutting the same frequencies as the kick drum.

doubling the bass and adding some distortion to one channel can make it cut through much better. it's really easy to overdo it thought. also flipping the phase to one channel can make a significant difference. it might lose some bottom end but it will probably cut better. phase issues isn't necessary a bad thing.

 

[Mike Moriarty]

Sometimes it's a good idea to EQ the bass tone while you're listening to the whole mix as opposed to soloing it.

I actually haven't tried this yet even though it's a pretty obvious solution.

 

[Deuteronomy]

Great bass-great player(pick sounds better for me)-new strings-good DI box-nice preamp-lot's of EQ and compression/limiter

 

[CubanDude]

for reference (bass is quite audible, especially in the beginning):


and

 

[LBTM]

A friend gave me some SOAD multi-tracks, and although I'm not a fan they're great for referencing.

Here's a bass part of two songs:
http://cl.ly/OdNB/bass%20tone.mp3

 

[cfh11]

since you mentioned pantera:



as you can hear, most of the mids scooped and a really bright tone overall

 

[Mike Moriarty]

since you mentioned pantera:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFhyYoB4q5M

as you can hear, most of the mids scooped and a really bright tone overall

Awesome this should help a lot.