Recording Help

[Disincarnate]

I am probably recording next week so i just wanted to know the EQ settings.how do i keep them so i dont get lost in the mix and the parts where ive improvised stand out.
I would be great if you guys could hep me out by telling me at what amount do you keep the vol,bass,mid,treble knobs on the bass as well as the knobs on the amp.

Any insight(and as fast as possible) would be absolutely great...especially from you hippie.
cheers

 

[MEGA DAVE]

hey man, when it comes to recording its really just a fun task of finding that sweet spot. It all depends mainly on guitars i've learned, how their eq'd depends highly on how you should eq your bass. Most guitars in recordings now (as well as the bass drum) almost completely take over the lower region of the eq spectrum making it hard, if not impossible to find room to fit the bass, so my theory is usually this: find a range in the eq that the bass normally wouldn't fit. I typically CUT the bass out of my amp live and in recording situations and boost the hell out of the mids and highs, but that just what works for my band. I'd suggest starting with your eq knobs set flat and see how that sits, then tweak from there making small boosts and cuts until you find that spot. All in all my best advice is tons of experimentation. Hope this helped out.

 

[Disincarnate]

well im actually recording at home so i dont know about the frequency and stuff.I just what to know the EQ settings so i dont get a muffled and overdriven sound.after im done doing the track ill have to mail it to the bands guitarist who is then going to get the track mixed.

 

[HippieOfDoom]

Mega Dave pretty much covered it. And even more so if you are sending to a frickin guitarist to mix in. Don't send it to him with your ultimate bass tone because it will change...for sure. Send him something he is bound to change into your tone. In other words, don't send something that will require a huge click adjustment because you're fucking with the guitar picking, and don't send in something that woofs out and gets muddied up under the drums. Like was said, find that sweet spot. But unfortunately for you, you must find it before you know where to look. Flat as you can stand it is in my opinion the best way to go. Maybe a little mid boost on the bass knobs.

But after saying all that, on the other hand, don't be afraid do dial in something good and sounds killer all on it's own. Saying flat means that you must already have a naturally good sounding bass. It must sound like a bass, and not sound like a bass that's all eq'ed out. Fender Precisions get the most accepted by nonbassists when they are recorded directly into the console, flat. But you probably have a better bass than a Fender Precision. So just remember to play clean and only focus on boosting the common frequencies(100, 200, 500, 1000 HZ), that might help not getting lost after trading hands.

Also, fix your inconsistencies in your playing by touch. Lean back in the softer parts and dig in for the faster shit. Play your improvised parts dead on and smooth as hell. Be your own compressor, naturally. Then when "Mr.Oh no, what is that clicking, rattling and clacking??" gets a hold of your naked track, they won't have to compress it to nano levels. That's usually the problem of getting that muffled and overdriven sound, which always leads to getting lost in the mix.

Man, it's really hard to throw advice out in a few paragraphs that has, and still is, taken over 20 years for me of fighting to get things the way I like to hear them. The way it should be. It's an experience thing, and it's a trial and error thing man.

Fucking good luck...and Namaste man!
SDG

 

[DinoB]

I don't think I have anything to add because Steve's advise seems pretty dead on. I learned alot from it. Thanks!

 

[MEGA DAVE]

yeah steve hit another good note there, it really is a shame that you have to be placed in before the guitars and that the guitarist is in charge of your final mixing because every guitarist in existence seems to think that the bass guitar consists of only BASS and therefor should only accent their guitars with ridiculous lows and no mid range body and to not have a place of its own, which is wrong wrong WRONG. I've seen many recordings ruined due to this widely shared view so a big suggestion to you would be to talk to the guitarist and see if he can record his parts first then you can more accurately find your place in the mix, best of luck though, let me know how it turns out!