Uptown Funk - anyone nailed the tone?

[Truckstop]

Hello all,

Band have decided to stick it in the set and I'm really worried about how lame I make it sound. I suspect there's an octaver there, maybe an envelope filter also. I have octavers but I can't get it burpy enough. Ends up sounding really synthy (I've got a Boss ME-20b which I think emulates the OC-3, and an EHX Octave Multiplexer).

I can get the parts down fine, but I just can't get the sound right. Normally I'm not that bothered about getting 'that' tone but I think it really makes the song on this occasion.

Help gratefully received!

Alex

Edited September 1, 2015 by Truckstop

[gary mac]

I don't know if I've nailed the tone Alex but I do know that each time we play it, the dance floor fills up.

Played it on Sunday, using my 60's P, sounded lush to me and none of the punters berated me for not having the tone


Sorry mate, no help at all, I'm sure someone who is more up on effects and so on, will be along soon.

[Nuf]

If you want to have the tone he has, you'll need a fiver if you want to play the notes he plays. I don't hear any octaver, just a typical 5 string modern JB or PJ sound for me...

[SteveK]

There's probably all sorts of the normal, and not-so normal, studio jiggery pokery going on with the bass.
However, the overiding audible effect, is the [i]"da-do-do, da-do-do" [/i]vocal tracking the bass - difficult to emulate from an FX unit. I used to have a Boss board that had vocal vowel fx - if yours has that feature, maybe give that a go.

[operative451]

I think the 'doh, dodo doh' parts are a sample of someone going 'doh' played on a keyboard. I've got similar using the 'yeah' noise on a Digitech bass synth wah if that's any help?

[gapiro]

As above - I think its actually a sample. I'm lucky in that I have a very deep voice and can hit that Low C and D

Think some sort of envelope filter (but very light on it) works well with an octaver if you dont want to get someone singing it. Or just sample it for a keys player.

I think just have a listen to something like this, and you'll see its all in the playing tbh !

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CT3rJHs82A8

[Roland Rock]

Try hooking a mic up to an envelope filter and singing the line - I've done this in the past with a Mutron and it sounds great. Bonus points if you can do that and play the electric bass part at the same time! 😁

[dannybuoy]

I would give the MXR M82 a go for this. Not dead on but can sound pretty vowel like, kinda like Bon Jovi's Livin' On A Prayer!

Just tried it for myself and it good enough to fool most of the audience!

Edited September 1, 2015 by dannybuoy

[gapiro]

[quote name='Roland Rock' timestamp='1441109786' post='2856070']
Try hooking a mic up to an envelope filter and singing the line - I've done this in the past with a Mutron and it sounds great. Bonus points if you can do that and play the electric bass part at the same time!
[/quote]
I've not tried hooking a mic up to an envelope filter, might have to try this next week !

[Roland Rock]

[quote name='gapiro' timestamp='1441110149' post='2856077']

I've not tried hooking a mic up to an envelope filter, might have to try this next week !
[/quote]

It's good fun. I don't have the Mutron any more, but remember setting the depth control so that it just kicked in with an emphasised vowel sound and the consonant sounds sounded nice and percussive.

I remember the line "Why don't you give a damn" with nice big vowel sounds and the D's on the one and three - that worked quite well.

Never quite made it to the stage though - narrow minded singer syndrome 😉😀

[seashell]

We're rehearsing this with the new band. It's completely different from anything I usually play. I haven't managed to nail all the fiddly bits, so am doing a much simplified version and hope it will be filled out by the keys player (if she ever turns up to a rehearsal, but that's another story).

I don't have pedals, so am just doing my best with the bass on its own. One thing though - it just doesn't sound right on the trusty Fender P so I am using the Ibanez SRX 500 for that one. Bit of a faff taking 2 basses to rehearsals, but at least I can just leave the Ibanez in dropped tuning and use the P for everything else.

[Dropzone]

Is it a slide or hammer on. My mate plays is slide, but I think it sounds like a hammer.

[seashell]

I'm going with hammer.

[FuNkShUi]

I know what you are saying, but i just play it with no effects. P bass.
Ive had no complaints. People definitely know what it is as soon as i play the main lick.
Crowd only really care about the vocals anyway dont they??

[synthaside]

I was determined to get this sound sorted out , but it comes at a bit of a price the rest of the band liked the vowely human sound so much ... that i dont actually get to play much of the bass line

achieved using a Tbird with the Tone nob completely Maxed ( used territory ) into a digitech bass synth wah on autowah Env down setting with the threshold very low so almost everything you do wah's ... into a octive down from my B3' finally I palm mute quite hard so it kind of burps it out .

... only issue is i dont have a seperate loop for it so i cant easily switch for playing slap later on when its less important.

[mrtcat]

Its the growl of the B string that gives it the distinctive sound for me. Lots of people play the riff starting with the D on the 5th fret of the A string but to me its only when you use the D on the third fret of a B string that you get the growl and depth of the original. As has been said it's also a very modern sounding bass on the recording. That said I've heard loads of people cover it well on a 4 string and punters are unlikely to care.

[SteveK]

Hows about actually singing the da-do-do, da-do-do's yourself? Shouldn't be too difficult, and (in theory) should be as tight as f***. Even if your voice isn't great, providing you step forward, do it confidence, and with a big smile on your face... punters can be very forgiving.
Hey, maybe even get the audience to sing the part with/for you. Nowt wrong with a bit of audience participation. They'll love you for it.

[quote name='FuNkShUi' timestamp='1441115400' post='2856131']
know what you are saying, but i just play it with no effects. P bass.
Ive had no complaints. People definitely know what it is as soon as i play the main lick.
Crowd only really care about the vocals anyway dont they??
[/quote]Ooh, controversial!
I think in this case the da-do-do vocal sample tracking the bass is an important hook of the song.

[whynot]

Our keys player sampled part of the recording and sounds perfect.
Any other band I play with I use a Markbass Octaver, not exact but emulates part of the effect.

[PauBass]

We do it on my covers band and don't use any effects for it, simple P bass sound, vocals and keys add to the overall effect.
To nail it, you'd just need a 5 string bass and use the low notes as he does.

[electriccheese]

I just tune mi E string to D for this song.

[JTUK]

Wouldn't bother with the tone...just that you need a pretty spikey attack to it that is going to carry the song.

Personally I think it is a slap part or nothing, but if you have the bass and drums slamming then it will work.
The part needs attitude above all else....that and the Vox are the songs... the bass will get them on the floor
and the vox do the rest.

If the bass isn't doing it... then dress the arrangement up so you can get to the vox asap..

[kusee pee]

I don't use a different tone, just slap the hell out of it. We use a key sample plus singing for the dohs. Use my Dingwall 5 through a markbass with a pretty clean tone. We also play it in B for the sake of the singer. The bass sounds better in the lower key too. Dance floor loves it every time.

[dannybuoy]

[quote name='electriccheese' timestamp='1441124962' post='2856254']
I just tune mi E string to D for this song.
[/quote]

There's a low C that you're missing out on then!

[electriccheese]

[quote name='dannybuoy' timestamp='1441130439' post='2856333']
There's a low C that you're missing out on then!
[/quote]

Yes, I play two times D, it's not the exactly line, but works better than play it on the above octave. Tune the E string to C it's too much on my basses.

[steve-bbb]

Play it clean

No amount of effects and pedals can compete with the power of the funk beamed down from the mothership

Hope this helps