cheddatom

[quote name='alexclaber' post='240160' date='Jul 15 2008, 04:07 PM']It's an acoustic instrument until the pickups get involved. Get the tone you want from it unplugged, then use the electronics to give you the best interpretation of that once plugged in. Alex[/quote] I think you are far more likely to hear what your fingers are doing to the tone when you actually amplify it. Also, for working on technique, it's much harder to hear mistakes etc when you're not plugged in. On top of that, what is the point? You're never going to perform with an electric bass unplugged. What if you only ever practiced unplugged, and then got to play a gig with a rig, and realised you were crap? That'd be a nerve-racking gig!

I have a big warehouse thing that's got no soundproofing so I can't record during working hours else you get lorries all over your tracks. I have cheap-sh*t mics and pre-amps, and a computer - that's it! I've done a full album for the premature ejaculators, but that wasn't necessarily a serious attempt to produce a high quality recording, it was fun to do, and something i've always wanted to do. It sounds pretty good though, you can hear some stuff on the link in my sig. Since doing that i've aquired some condensors which sound pretty decent, so the vocals will sound a hell of a lot better than the PEs. I want to start officially next spring, but I need to have some examples ready for then, so i'm trying to get bands in of all types to do a track or two. Like I say, I really wouldn't have the time to do a full album at the moment, and certainly not before the end of september! But if you want to do one or two tracks, or if you record somewhere but want someone else to change the mixes or whatever, that would be cool.

Well, i'll have a listen and see. I would love to do a track over a weekend, but I don't think i'm set up well enough to do a full album for release, and I certainly don't have the time at the minute! I also don't think your label would like the inexperienced producer! I like this "We dont need / want to much 'over-production' we are after the live / raw feel of our music." I wish more metal bands sounded live and raw, it gives rock bands' CDs so much more energy.

apparently "drumkit from hell" is where it's at. I've downloaded it (for trial purposes only) but I haven't tried it yet. Apparently the drummer from meshugga (sp?) uses it instead of recording live drums, and the samples are from his actual kit.

[quote name='Mr Fudge' post='239930' date='Jul 15 2008, 12:31 PM']99% of the time unplugged. My main bass is in a corner of the front room on a stand. I probably pick it up 2 or 3 times every night for anywhere between 30 seconds to half an hour. I do it without thinking most of the time. The kids and mrs are watching the telly and Im in the same room having a quick plonk. Very bizzare to the untrained ete I would imagine.[/quote] I am the same (minus kids). I think that practicing without an amp in no way helps you "get the best sound possible out of just the instrument and my fingers" because you can't actually hear the sounds you're making, if you know what I mean? When you're performing, you're using the your bass amplified - that's the true sound of your bass and your fingers. Anyway, so many times i've been practicing something without an amp, and then I get to practice with the band and it sounds absolutely awful 'cos i'm so uneven etc and I have to practice it all over again with the amp turned up. So, I don't use an amp to practice, but I should. It's hard to hear the TV when you're amped up though!

[quote name='51m0n' post='239817' date='Jul 15 2008, 10:43 AM']Yeah true, you suggested a comp before that. Sorry to go on about it Your suggestion of a shorter attack on the compression I would say ios a personal taste issue though, alot of the flavour of a compressor is its attack and how it engages, I like to get the punch at the beginning of a note through without the brightoness being afftected by the compressor. So I like a longer attack usually. If I were after a kind of smooth as butter super phat dark R&B tone I'd certainly shorten that attack though... All I'm saying is that strictly speaking the limiter approach isnt going to fatten up the tone. Not trying to suggest its a bad idea (although I dont like limiting or maximising a live rig personally unless its absolutely necessary) for controlling unfriendly signal spikes at all though.[/quote] Heh, this is all getting a bit confusing. In relation to the OP, I posted "I would suggest buying a good low gain OD pedal, boss ODB-3 or Marshal jackhammer or something similar, and put this in a blend loop at about 50%. Put a compressor with slow attack on your "clean" signal that you're blending with. Put a limiter after the the whole thing." Yeh, a limiter on it's own wouldn't fatten a sound at all.

[quote name='slobluesine' post='236978' date='Jul 10 2008, 11:47 PM']just got a DR-1, any chance of some tips on settings to record live gig please? limiter on/off/auto? input level? wav or mp3?[/quote] I would have the limiter on but a low input level, and record to wav if you have the memory to fit the file in.

God - someone who likes editing? You're one of those are you! Ta though, I will bear that in mind if I ever get anything. I've been offering to friend's bands for the past month and no-one has arranged anything yet.

[quote name='et1058' post='239382' date='Jul 14 2008, 06:08 PM']Can anyone recommend any studio's in the North-West who would provide a great recording / production of metal music? Thanks Et[/quote] Do you want to pm me details of the band? If I like the music you could come down to Stoke and do a couple of tracks for free. If you want to do a whole album or something then I don't have the time, but i'd love to do some metal stuff. I don't have an amazing set up but I can get a good sound myspace.com/nologorock for example.

Yeh, I never actually suggested that using a limiter on it's own would help the OP in his quest for a "phat" tone.

I often find myself popping the odd note, as opposed to just fingering it. I thought a lot of people did this? I don't see the difference with slapping? bremen - I'm not a drummer! I'm a bassist who enjoys playing the drums whilst drunk.

I hardly ever slap in my band, but there is the odd occasion where that extra percussive element really helps. With a little bit of overdrive, tuned to drop D, slapping those power chords can sound "brutal".

I think you've been a bit harsh on Claypool there Bilbo. Just yesterday I was watching a live video of primus and thinking "what a fienddish slap bass solo, I wish that lasted more than 10 seconds before he went back to fingerstyle". Also, the way in which he slaps the bass at times is quite different to a standard "funk" player. All in all, I think he tends to be quite tasteful and stylish in his playing, although I can totally understand if it's not your kind of music.

I know what you mean but..... I should have specified that my recommendations are for a short attack on the compressor. The only reason you get that "very obvious compression on slaps and pops that people associate with heavy compression" is because of the long attack time. If you have practically 0ms attack , a fairly high threshold, and an extreme ratio, then you get a very subtle but very effective limiter. As far as "phattening up your tone" I suppose a slow attack with a lighter ratio <1:5 and lower threshold would have a better effect. The combination I was talking about would entail this - clean bass mixed with bass through standard compressor with medium attack and ratio, low threshold, and then the whole mix going through a limiter with 0 attack.

They fit in the nut fine. I've managed to put the non-tapered string on fine, it's just not heavy enough. I might have a pro look at it, I can't understand the lack of tension.

I think the lowest string is around a low G or F#. I could tune it higher, but my standard guitars are guite low at Cish so there doesn't seem much point. I'm being vague because I don't have a tuner here!

[quote name='bremen' post='237410' date='Jul 11 2008, 03:58 PM']Sorry mate! I know I'm particularly bad at that. That one was the clip from The Big Lebowski, introducing Jesus the sleazy Latino bowler. The previous one was from Jam, in which an unhappy big redheaded woman in a tree sings Loving You while being spanked with a space-hopper by Mark Heap.[/quote] No need for an apology! Do what you like! I do enjoy jesus on the big lebowski. I've not seen Jam. I shall have to check it out!

I was trying to get a 68 on but ended up using an 80 or something from a bass. I want as heavy as possible. I am about to try now. Online at home!! It is a rarity. I've just unwound the end of the 68 I had and it's gone on and sounds fine. My problem now is that there's nowhere near enough tension (I think) in the strings. The intonation is spot on, unless you press down hard on the strings, then they go sharp. I know this is normal, but this is reallly noticably, much more than any guitar or bass i've tried. Also, the strings are so easy to bend I keep moving them off the fret board!!

Fair enough, I didn't mean to create any conflict. tauzero - I don't think gettings compliments on your playing is "what counts". I think it's how the group sounds as a whole. alex - I think it's perfectly possible to get an original sound and still use nice clean bass in songs. I still find that this is enhanced more when there is a variety in the clean tone i.e a thin trebly clean tone for a verse, and a massive big bottom tone for a chorus makes the world of difference. Some will say that they can make this kind of contrast by using just their fingers, but I remain sceptical (but open minded). wot - I bet you a million quid it is! e-handshake? Did everyone witness that? I am going to be so loaded when I'm 43!!!! I think my main point is that when I go to a gig, as a musician, I am watching them play and enjoying that experience, and thinking "god I wish I was that good" or "god don't they sound good". Some gigs I go to, there will be a band that has a pretty continual sound. Now, I know that songs can sound different to each other, even if the sound is kept exactly the same, but without some contrast in sound, I feel that it all kind of merges into one, and this is where audiences get bored. I'm not saying every bassist needs to start gigging with 25 pedals, but I am saying that variety in tone is very important IM(not so)HO, and the most effective way of acheiving contrast in sounds is using pedals/footswitchable rackmount pre-amps/whatever. The contrast that YOU hear when playing a bit lighter/harder with/without a pick over the bridge/neck is pretty much negligable by the time it gets to the ears of the audience, and so I recommend effects etc to exaggerrate the contrast in sounds, therefore (hopefully) keeping the audience's attention. Obviously i'm probably wrong as always, but i'd rather you read it thinking "he may have a small bit of a point here" rather than "what a twat - he wants a keyboard player!".

Cool, thanks. My plan is: unwind some of the strings, and put them on - see how it fairs. If it fails: buy a set of Fenders, see if they fit. If that fails: buy a small round file!

On the pic it looks like it's just hanging by a thread? I just realised that this is the PSU plug thing, and the other end of that wire plugs into the DC brick. You should be able to get a cheap replacement PSU as long as it's rated the same? It looks like you may be able to hack a bit of the moulded bendy plastic bit away, and strip the wires there for re-connection and insulation.

I think that music has to keep moving on. The technology available today means that in 20 years time a rock band with a drummer, 2 guitarist, a clean bassist and a singer is going to be pretty damn boring. "The sound of the instrument (whatever it may be) is totally subservient to the sound of the music" - I totally agree with that. However, I think that bass in the context of most ensembles (whatever they may be) is an instrument that gives more to the sound of the music than most other instruments. I.E when you hear a pop song on the radio, you hear the bass, and the vocals, the drums are keeping time but you can't hear every little subtlety in their playing. The guitars are there, but often only as a percussive element. Either way, I am talking about bass tones within the context of the "sound of the music" rather than the instrument. The bass contributes to the sound of the music as a whole, fattening the texture so to speak. I think that this role can be widened with the use of effects, as well as chords etc. Maybe there's no risk of being replaced by keyboard players, but if I was an aspiring singer song writer looking to put together an original sounding band, and I had the choice between a funky keyboard player with sh*t loads of interesting sounds and soundscapes, and a bassist who has a fender jazz, an MB combo, and can play jazz improv all day long, I'm pretty sure i'd take the keyboard player.

Insulate it with some tape and hope for the best IMHO.

[quote name='bremen' post='237342' date='Jul 11 2008, 02:42 PM']Wrong Jesus... [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u26nT7J7rMs"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u26nT7J7rMs[/url][/quote] Why is it that loads of BCers think a youtube link is just as acceptable as finishing a sentence? I'm at work! I can't watch videos! (no hard feelings).