What are you guys using to get your bass grit these days?

[Sethis]

^Same here. I sometimes just skip the RAT. If we're talking about heavier tones I might also add a mildly distorted amp sim.

 

[if6was9]

Been using the sansamp bass di for growly stuff. It gets too fizzy for very distorted bass, I find it makes it sit weird with the guitars on really high gain settings.
For really distorted stuff I've been using the wagner sharp plugin with a hi and low pass on the clean di. I'd love something nice for it, gotta try putting it into one of the guitar pres here. Haven't tried that in a long time.

 

[if6was9]

Any of ye tried the HM-2 on bass? A band I recorded used it and it sounds insane. Super grindy.
http://music.threehourceasefire.net/ you can probably hear it best on the second song here.

 

[cfh11]

sansamp, kemper, or maxon rod881. the maxon crushes for live tones too.

http://www.godlyke.com/maxon-guitar-effects/maxon-real-tube-series-effects/real-overdrive-distortion

i have also used the dual rec before, sounds brutal.

 

[Ermz]

All this stuff:

and a few more.

 

[Melb_shredder]

SansAmp PSA-1, MXR Bass DI+, Recto, Mesa Mini Recto, Cubase Amp sim (Yep.. Sometimes I love it)

 

[Soul Forlorn]

ezmix metal gods thordendal bass high gain

I just started using this too. Hard to believe that an EZMix preset works so well. I split the bass frequencies and apply this preset just to the high end.

I've used a Sansamp BDDI, TSE BOD, and all kinds of settings on my Axe Fx II but the EZmix preset just works out perfectly with basically no tweaking.

 

[szymon]

Recently on last three albums I did, I've used Lepou's LE456 in crunch mode and some bass cabinet impulses. Mixed with DI track, it adds a nice grit without being too much distorted (so less high end and fizz, which i tend to cut heavily anyway)

 

[abaga129]

All this stuff:

and a few more.

Fap fap fap...

I love the MXR. I've considered buying one for myself.

 

[TheWinterSnow]

All this stuff:

and a few more.

The 5150 II as well?

I tend to run the bass through the same signal chain as the guitars, usually my 5150 into the same cab I used to guitars, but I pull the gain way down so that it is just slight dirt but still clean, sometimes even using the Green Channel and even an OD. That or TSE BOD, and sometimes both grits. Ampeg SVX for the clean track sometimes high passing it for just lows.

I find running the bass through the guitar chain used means that the harmonics of the bass are the same as the guitars in the high end and helps the highs of the bass and some of the mids glue with the guitars better, while treating the lows and subs separately so that they blend with the kick which the lows of the bass are side chained by the kick for low end control. Helps really glue the bass guitar to the guitars and the bass guitar to the kick. Also I like to make sure that the bass has a standalone usable tone that can survive on its own, can't stand bass tones that sound like shit by themselves and are only used for texturing and thickening the mix, I tend to believe that the bass is its own instrument and should shine like the others and be unique.

 

[Ermz]

Not the 5150II, but we do have some amps which work well on bass grit. I agree that guitar chains can often work better for outright bass distortion.

 

[greyskull]

Sanasmp pedal or rack, and some kind of bandpass distortion; depends what mood I'm in.

 

[chdrummer]

Had the sansamp rbi but I found i like the plugin that comes with pro tools a little more haha

 

[He's Dead, Jim]

Man, you guys are using some complex chains. I'd just been throwing a screamer and a guitar amp on, then EQ'ing the bejesus out of it. I'll have to try some of these

 

[Daybreak]

I usually just run the bass through the same amp that I use for the guitars on that particular project, it really makes them glue really well. Sometimes I add a track where I run it through the Sansamp-plugin in Pro Tools for some extra attack, and blend it in with the dist and sub-channels.

 

[Exocaster]

Any of ye tried the HM-2 on bass?

The HM-2 is fun on bass, and for more than just metal stuff- anywhere you'd need a big, ugly fuzz, really. I don't use it often, but sometimes it's exactly what I'm going for.

Otherwise, Sansamp BDDI and Fulltone OCD. I like the OCD for this as it doesn't cut low end like a lot of other guitar-oriented pedals.

And yes, the Dual Rec makes a fine bass amp. I like using guitar gear to dirty up bass, and the Rec's voicing is very well suited to this.

In the box, a little Soundtoys Decapitator never hurt anything, though more for adding subtle saturation and thickness than all-out dirt on bass.

 

[JonWormwood]

Just got the dark glass bk7. It's like a more defined psa. Winner

 

[if6was9]

When you guys put the bass through guitar amps do you high pass the di before sending it out?

 

[Daybreak]

When you guys put the bass through guitar amps do you high pass the di before sending it out?

Nope, never. Just sounds wierd for me, I also feel it takes away some of the "weight" of the bass.

 

[Jormyn]

Kemper with Microtubes B7K profiles

I was fiddling with those the other day on of my tunes, but I just could not get the bass to sit well in the mix. Did you have to do much post-processing on them?