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Getting fx to cut through?? Biamping?


Jamesemt
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I'm wanting to get back into effects, but everything seems lost when the rest of the band start playing.
Am I doing something fundamentally wrong? Can hear my bass tone great without effects, but can never really hear much of any effects.

Would using a guitar amp for some of the more top end type effects help? Thinking about Chrous/distortion etc.

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You are probably treading on the sonic toes of your guitarist(s) or keyboard player when you turn the FX on. Add distortion to the bass when there are distorted guitars in the mix and you're just going to disappear.

It's all a matter of having the space for all the sounds you've got going on. Consider whether you're using the effects in an appropriate way and if they add something to the song and if they do, try discussing the problem with the other members of your band, try to get them to leave you some space to do your thing.

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Like TNIT says, it's about space to use them. I don't use chorus if the guitarist is using his as it gets lost in a swirl (pardon the pun), though this is only for a couple of songs. I do use a few fx but the guitarist uses a clean sound (or some synth) & the other musicians are a drummer & a mandolinist/tin whistler.
The sound your band is trying to achieve as a whole is what you have to take into account & make the fx fit with it (sorry if that's obvious).

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As touched on above.
Band line up could make it difficult, A big wall of sound to cut through, Keyboard who uses left hand chords could squeeze you out.
Try not to use bass frequencies through the effects, roll them off if there is that facility, Harmonics is what really carries good effect sounds (chorus and flange) Use Octave full range
Bi Amping is great,I used this for years and it works, but make sure you have enough low end power and cone area to provide the weight.
An enhancer works wonders

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I always find that digital effects don't carry at all, the sound just seems to appear in a bubble around the player and don't project anywhere. The answer I have found is to send the effected signal through an analogue effect, I use a graphic pedal, this seems to make the sound project again. "But then I'll have to switch on 2 effects at the same time," I hear you say. "Nay," say I. I use a bypass switch. I can preset the multi effects to the patch I want, switch on the graphic pedal and when the moment arrives for the effects just press the bypass switch and I'm away, Switch it again and I'm back to normal.

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Digital/analogue isn't going to make any difference IMO

What sounds good on your own will often not cut through a mix. I use a lot of effects, and if you heard my bass sound on it's own you'd probably feel ill (in a bad way) but in the mix it works well. Working out effects settings on your own isn't a great idea IMO. One of the best things i've done is work out my pedal settings while playing along to our band with the bass cut out. I'm very lucky, I don't know if everyone would be able to do that, but if you can it's really useful.

Clean blends can be really useful, but I think some people use these just to get them cutting through again, in which case you might as well not have the effect on.

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[quote name='bertbass' timestamp='1323101426' post='1459282']
I always find that digital effects don't carry at all,[/quote]

You used the wrong digital effects.

[quote name='cheddatom' timestamp='1323166071' post='1459892']
What sounds good on your own will often not cut through a mix. ... Working out effects settings on your own isn't a great idea IMO.[/quote]

It's as simple as that. If you have a lot of experience using effects on bass, or mixing recordings, and/or with your current band's sound, then you might get away with choosing bass sounds at home on your own and then tweaking them a little bit when you get together with the band, but mostly it's easier to do it with the band all playing, if you have time and they don't mind indulging you a little.

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It was hearing other bass players and guitarists using digital effects that made me aware of the problem long before I got digital effects. Being aware of the problems that others didn't seem to be aware that they had enabled me to find the solution. Strangely, the problem doesn't exist if you Di or mic through the P.A.

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