Reverb and bass guitar

[Aaron Smith]

Last year I was told by an individual that I should put reverb on the bass guitar in one of my mixes (metal we're talking here), and being that I was relatively inexperienced and always open to suggestion, I toyed with it for a bit. For a little while I was convinced that I liked what the reverb did for the overall bass guitar sound, the 3D field it added, more precisely, but I somehow completely changed my mind about it over time. Not enough reverb and you don't even know it's there, and when there's enough to know it's there, I feel like the bass becomes kind of overpowering and begins to invade space...like I actually don't like the wideness so much. I also can't really hear any bass guitar reverb on really any metal album at all (unless I'm just somehow missing it completely), but I always can't help but wonder if reverb and the bass guitar DO belong together to some degree. What are your thoughts?

 

[TheStoryteller]

My thoughts: NO REVERB ON BASS GUITAR! EVER!

 

[fabz]

unless you are using it as an "effect" during an intro or something.... i would never use reverb on bass...

 

[A Toolish Circle]

i wouldn't recommend reverb either but once in a while i put a tiny tiny bit "dark" reverb to blend everything together

 

[Gomez]

no.

 

[Mendel]

mayby he was talking about that he recorded his bass straight to pcand add some room reverb to make it look like you mic'ed it up.

 

[chadsxe]

I never have and never will. Muddies up the bottom end a lot.

 

[Matt Crooks]

I have used it as an effect. On the Pharaoh album there's a part where the bass is playing chords under a clean guitar. I washed the bass out with reverb and it came out really cool.

Other than as an effect, I'll leave the bass dry though.

 

[Omega_Void]

Depends on the sound and what you want. Can be useful to give some depth to the mix. e
Use a 'verb which lets you filter the lows out of the wet signal or it'll just get muddy, I'd set that at set at 500 Hz lowest. If necessary use panning plug to bring the reverb width in.

Not enough reverb and you don't even know it's there

That's when you have the amount just right. You don't want to hear the 'verb, just sense that the bass is "backed off" spatially.

I also can't really hear any bass guitar reverb on really any metal album at all

Yeah but all through the 80s no-one heard any mids on one either, didn't mean that was a bad idea...
If you try it and don't like it... don't use it.

 

[kev]

I'd probably only ever use reverb on a bass if it was by itself- whats that song on the black album- my friend of misery? I think that has some- but i bet it disappears after the intro

 

[kev]

Yeah but all through the 80s no-one heard any mids on one either, didn't mean that was a bad idea...
If you try it and don't like it... don't use it.

steve harris?

 

[STINNETT]

I like to use a convolution reverb plug with a bass cab impulse on DI bass. That works excellently.
If you're gonna use reverb I agree with Omega-Void's point, you've got to cut the low end out. If the reverb plug won't allow it, put it on a send and insert an eq in there first to filter it out.