Bass sounds weird when recording at home...

[CamdenRob]

Hi Guys, bit of a random one.

I've noticed that when I am recording my bass, either into my boss br80, or more recently into garageband through a core-1 interface something doesn't sound quite right... I'm happy with my sound through my rig, in fact I'm always able to get a usable tone live through house rigs, or straight DI, but when I record straight in something doesn't sound quite right, even if I put an amp sim first from my B1on.

The best way I can describe it is that it sounds almost doubled... like two separate tones. I thought I'd narrowed it down to something to do with using both pickups, as when I fade to only using one (on either a Wal or a jazz bass) I don't seem to get the issue. it sounds like something is out of phase, if that makes any sense?

Am I doing something wrong? could it be some sort of stereo issue or similar?

Edited February 24, 2016 by CamdenRob

[Dad3353]

[quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1456330406' post='2987954']...
Am I doing something wrong? could it be some sort of stereo issue or similar?
[/quote]

Any chance of posting such a recording on Soundcloud or similar, so that we can give it a listen..? I can't say that your description rings a bell, but a listen may help.

[cheddatom]

can you post a sample of it each way?

[Stylon Pilson]

This is very strange - you're getting it on two different recording devices (Garageband and the BR80) and on two different basses (Wal and Jazz). Are you using the same lead?

I'm very curious to hear these samples.

S.P.

[Dood]

Ok, this is a familair one.

It sounds as if you are hearing both your direct sound and what is called 'software monitoring'. You are indeed hearing a doubling. Your direct bass sound is instantaneous and that is what you'd like when recording. However it sounds as if somewhere you are also monitoring the sound out of the software too. This is subject to latency. This is the time for you bass sound to go in through the interface, be analogue to digitally converted, processed by the computer then back out to the interface to be digital to analogue converted. Even the very best pieces of hardware out there still suffer from this but to a much smaller degree.

The worst case is that a lot of effects units that you plug in, even before using your computer are subject to their own latency - add that to the computer's latency and any other 'digital' effects boxes you have in the path too will only compound the issue.

[Dood]

The way I get round this problem when recording is to turn off any software monitoring on the computer and directly monitor my bass sound *before* it goes in to the computer. For example my interface I use allows this functionality built in - though my recording set up pretty much does away with too many latency problems anyway, I am speaking generally about this issue. You 'll need to track down where the worst part of the latency is occurring.

[Dood]

Just had a quick look at GarageBand - on your track you are recording on there is a button called 'input monitoring' - if you enable that setting, that is the sound coming back from the computer (including any plug ins / effects added to the track in a DAW) turn this off and the problem will go away, but you won't hear that processing. The alternative is to find where your 'dry sound' is being added and mute that. Without knowing your full signal path, I can't isolate that straight away.

[Stylon Pilson]

Software monitoring was my first thought, but:

[quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1456330406' post='2987954']
[...] something to do with using both pickups, as when I fade to only using one (on either a Wal or a jazz bass) I don't seem to get the issue.
[/quote]

S.P.

Edited February 24, 2016 by Stylon Pilson

[Dood]

[quote name='Stylon Pilson' timestamp='1456333977' post='2988011']
Software monitoring was my first thought, but:



S.P.
[/quote]

I feel it's a red herring. The 'phasing' sound is a result of two signals, one of which is being delayed (latency) - as the two combined will cause certain frequencies to be cancelled out and others to be summed.

[Stylon Pilson]

[quote name='dood' timestamp='1456334305' post='2988014']
I feel it's a red herring. The 'phasing' sound is a result of two signals, one of which is being delayed (latency) - as the two combined will cause certain frequencies to be cancelled out and others to be summed.
[/quote]

I get what you're saying, but it doesn't seem right to say "hey, I've got an explanation, but one of your symptoms completely contradicts it, so how about we just pretend that symptom doesn't exist." I'm sure all will become clear in time.

S.P.

[Dood]

[quote name='Stylon Pilson' timestamp='1456334690' post='2988023']
I get what you're saying, but it doesn't seem right to say "hey, I've got an explanation, but one of your symptoms completely contradicts it, so how about we just pretend that symptom doesn't exist." I'm sure all will become clear in time.

S.P.
[/quote]

I'm not pretending it doesn't exist - but if it were a problem with the bass, then CamdenRob will have noted the pickup issue plugged in to an amp long before using the recording kit. Everything else, the phasing sound and the doubling effect is a very normal occurence when using audio interfaces with a DAW, usually in it's default settings. - I hope to be able to exclude what is the most usual cause (to those experienced with DAWs) and if the problem still exists, continue to locate it. - Maybe that comes across as confusing, but I blame many years in IT break-fix.

[JapanAxe]

That dood talks sense! My guess is that the phasing issue is more noticeable on a 2-pickup setting because it is a more harmonically complex signal.

[CamdenRob]

Thanks very much for the replies chaps... I will investigate the monitoring situation and post a link up if I can't figure it out. It sounds perfectly feasible that this may be the problem

[Skol303]

Sorry Rob, but this [i]definitely[/i] means that your Wal is knackered. Very happy to take it off your damp, tear-drenched hands for a small fee

But in all seriousness... it sounds to me like Dood is on the money with his comments above.

Let us know how you get on.

[CamdenRob]

[quote name='Skol303' timestamp='1456411643' post='2988748']
Let us know how you get on.
[/quote]

I will have a play around with it at the weekend and report back

Hopefully now I have something specific I'm looking for it'll be an easy fix

[roman_sub]

I think dood has most likely got this one right, I recall a similar problem / resolution occurring in my recording projects.