Low F Tuning on Bass

[NSGUITAR]

FML


The band I'm working with is using 8 string guitars.. No problem.. But they have their bass tuned down to F as well..

To me it sounds like a giant mush, and can't quite decipher how to treat it.. It basically sounds like the low rumble from an explosion. Which is cool, but how to I make it sound decent? I've never dealt with a bass tuning that low.. It's essentially not even a note.


Tips?

 

[bryan_kilco]

Well you are clearly more experienced than me, but I'd imagine you tried HP'ing it kinda high or multiband comp?

 

[Rockchops]

Instead of tuning it down, tune up to F, one semi-tone up from standard tuning.

 

[midget donkeys]

That sounds crazy. How thick of a string do you need to use to tune a bass guitar to F?

 

[NSGUITAR]

Instead of tuning it down, tune up to F, one semi-tone up from standard tuning.

That's exactly what Mark Lewis told me.. Good thing this is only a pre pro mix, otherwise I'd be fucked. haa

 

[The Unavoidable]

Tuning down to F works, but you gotta treat it right. I'd say the regular stuff compression to get it even and EQ out the stuff you want from it. I do have to say that in my experience you can't really get the low end that you would normally get from a bass so think about working more low end into the guitars (and everything else for that matter)

God Among Insects, more specifically Tommy Tägtgren, made it work great on their stuff.

 

[crillemannen]

In Hz what is Low F?? can we even hear it haha??

 

[gabriel g.]

In Hz what is Low F?? can we even hear it haha??

I asked myself the same questions
On the Piano the 9nth from the left is F1 = 43,6536Hz

 

[NSGUITAR]

In Hz what is Low F?? can we even hear it haha??

Not that I'm aware of..


It's lower than what a piano can go hahah

 

[gabriel g.]

I think your are right its the F one octave under the F1 so I think the ground-tone is not even a tone by its sense

 

[Wisheraser]

http://www.phy.mtu.edu/~suits/notefreqs.html

F0 is a little under 22Hz, which would be barely discernible as a pitch. Either get him to tune up to F1 or give him the Murderface treatment.

 

[crillemannen]

http://www.phy.mtu.edu/~suits/notefreqs.html

F0 is a little under 22Hz, which would be barely discernible as a pitch. Either get him to tune up to F1 or give him the Murderface treatment.

That is what i thought haha

btw...

 

[Dexter_prog]

That is what i thought haha

btw...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=___sG3AJaNc&feature=related

My god... the puns: "a low-key guy", "well, we'll all stay tuned", etc.

 

[colonel_claypoo]

do the tractor aka in flames bass sound. come clarity for example. see the thread in the forum from a month back.
could work. with such a low tuning i wouldn't bother to get a lot of clarity from it. just have the bass player play slower on the lowest string.
works for me although i only play in A on the bass.

 

[egan.]

http://www.phy.mtu.edu/~suits/notefreqs.html

F0 is a little under 22Hz, which would be barely discernible as a pitch. Either get him to tune up to F1 or give him the Murderface treatment.

Yeah it's 22. Unless the bass is 40" scale you won't get a recognizable pitch IMO. It takes 45ms to even get a full cycle that low. At best you are going to get a rumble with percussive attacks which is fine if that's what you want.

 

[muckypup1]

I'd just tune the bass up to F, it will sound much tighter and Meshuggah do it

 

[Josh Burgess]

Yeah, it definitely sounds like a pain.... I always wondered how/why After The Burial decided to tune their bass to F an octave down like that. Fear Factory/Divine Heresy does that also.... a lot of bands just do the Meshuggah thing and play on the same octave as the guitars...

 

[muckypup1]

Yeah, it definitely sounds like a pain.... I always wondered how/why After The Burial decided to tune their bass to F an octave down like that. Fear Factory/Divine Heresy does that also.... a lot of bands just do the Meshuggah thing and play on the same octave as the guitars...

Thats what sounds best to my ears, tuning down to F can sound good, but it generally sounds muddy and just like a noise, i like to hear tight and twangy bass tone!

 

[cent73]

When mixing you may wanna try Renaissance Bass by Waves to add more harmonics to the fundamental pitch and make it more distinguishable.

 

[NSGUITAR]

When mixing you may wanna try Renaissance Bass by Waves to add more harmonics to the fundamental pitch and make it more distinguishable.

dude. Thank you. I never thought of this.. I've used Rbass in the past, but totally forgot that it existed.