Ajoten Posted December 29, 2021 Share Posted December 29, 2021 I have this crisis every year or so re wondering what the point is, playing bass, when always overlooked and undermixed etc. Or whether my expectations are a bit unreal. So tell me this: the band finished this album, but I almost threw in the towel when thought my er carefully crafted bassin' treated as - dunno - extension of drum kit? Few extra strings of a guitar? Instead of having equal billing with other instruments. https://soundcloud.app.goo.gl/fGTX1 Do YOU think the bass is loud/clear enough? And do YOU think it sounds similar volume/clarity vs other people's output these days*? (It is mastered btw). Coz rest of band thought on the verge of being too prominent tbh. So I on the verge of giving up. *My take? Everyone's bass unfairly nudged down in mixes. Always. With the exception of Esperanza Spalding, whose producers nail it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyTravis Posted December 29, 2021 Share Posted December 29, 2021 (edited) Come back down - Plenty Prominent Ticket - same Slide - same For an indie/rock band, I say that’s Bob on…Slide specifically is absolutely spot on. I could go through the lot, but it’s fine. Edited December 29, 2021 by AndyTravis 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyTravis Posted December 29, 2021 Share Posted December 29, 2021 I’ve sat through meetings - drummer arguing with guitarist that bass isn’t prominent enough…that was more indie/rock. Current band - I get away with murder 😂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skidder652003 Posted December 29, 2021 Share Posted December 29, 2021 (edited) bit of a mush tbh, sorry, not very clear IMO, some more mids perhaps and a little less bottom end? I was listening on pc speakers and a sub so not studio monitor quality. I've had another listen this morning and turned my speakers down. It's definitely not as mushy as I heard it last night (wine?) "Come back down" bass sounds loads better on cans but is a little quiet in the mix? On headphones "I should know" sounds much better, more prominent and there's obviously quite a bit more going on playing wise Edited December 30, 2021 by skidder652003 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doctor J Posted December 29, 2021 Share Posted December 29, 2021 Skipped through a few tracks and they sounded fine to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dubs Posted December 29, 2021 Share Posted December 29, 2021 I've not listened so can't comment on the mix, but I've been in similar situations that in hindsight I realise was more about my ego - do you want to contribute to the song or do you want to be personally recognised for your skill as a bass player. It's a difficult line to tread and it's so difficult to step outside of the situation when you're in it - there's no way I'm able to critique my band's mixes without some bias towards bass, and I've definitely ruined songs with over-playing. It's a tough one, I think everyone feels this at some point though. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted December 29, 2021 Share Posted December 29, 2021 I listened on my iPhone so the bass wasn’t that prominent, which in all likelihood means that on proper systems it will be in just the right place. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeFRC Posted December 29, 2021 Share Posted December 29, 2021 stuck it on (MacBook speakers). got on with other stuff. It stayed on in the background. sounds fine to me. Sounds like there's a bit of a disconnect of where the bass tone you've got going on, and where you've been put in the mix... but if anything I would tweak the bass tone to the mix rather than the other way around Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 29, 2021 Share Posted December 29, 2021 I listened to three tracks at random. The songs seemed not to be the kind of material where the bass line really needs to be up and driving everything along in a muscular way I think the problem is that the guitar sound is too raw and bright: those little details are being rammed in our face, distracting from the song, when they should be kind of how your bass already is, supporting the song (Now I've written that I want to go back to the first Geneva album, which I haven't listened to in many years, and hear how they mixed those kinds of guitar figures) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeFRC Posted December 29, 2021 Share Posted December 29, 2021 3 minutes ago, Ricky Rioli said: I listened to three tracks at random. The songs seemed not to be the kind of material where the bass line really needs to be up and driving everything along in a muscular way I think the problem is that the guitar sound is too raw and bright: those little details are being rammed in our face, distracting from the song, when they should be kind of how your bass already is, supporting the song I agree with all that. The songs and the production were good. Guitar sound got a little samey after a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hiram.k.hackenbacker Posted December 29, 2021 Share Posted December 29, 2021 Yes, agree with both @LukeFRC and @Ricky Rioli. I haven't listened to all of it, but there is a point around the 50 second mark in Come Back Down where whatever comes in there seems slightly too loud for everything else that is happening, bass included. On the other hand, I Should Know sounds much better and doesn't suffer from that. Unglued seems fine too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorks5stringer Posted December 29, 2021 Share Posted December 29, 2021 Listened on cans and Bass sounds spot on, nice playing👍 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dodge_bass Posted December 30, 2021 Share Posted December 30, 2021 Bass sounds great on studio speakers - fat and very present in the mix. Perhaps if you wanted to cut through a little more you might consider tweaking your sound a little. However it sits great, fills out the mix and as noted the playing is good. You should be happy with this I'd say. Also remember you need a good few years before you can be emotionally removed from any recording to listen to it properly! ...just arrived at 'ticket' - bass is fat and present and some of the higher register work in the chorus is very prominent in the mix indeed, perhaps more present than the vocals (!!). Nowt to worry about there 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Downunderwonder Posted December 30, 2021 Share Posted December 30, 2021 Everything is all up in your face all the time competing with the vocal melody. Not my cup of tea mix at all. Bass is quite audible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ajoten Posted December 30, 2021 Author Share Posted December 30, 2021 Thanks everyone, I very much appreciate your thoughts. Much better to get bass players' opinions on this matter, I don't trust guitarists... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyTravis Posted December 30, 2021 Share Posted December 30, 2021 7 hours ago, Ajoten said: Thanks everyone, I very much appreciate your thoughts. Much better to get bass players' opinions on this matter, I don't trust guitarists... shifty buggers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted December 30, 2021 Share Posted December 30, 2021 I've had a quick preview of a handful of the songs, and the bass sounds (IMO) about right in the mix for the genre of the band. It isn't right up front, but if you are listening out for it, all the notes can be heard. If I was in a band doing a cover of one of the songs I'd be able to work out the bass part from these recordings. On the other hand if you think the bass needs to be louder and more prominent, the only way you are really going to be able to do that is to form a new band doing music in a genre where it is accepted for the bass to more heavily featured in the mix and then write and produce all the songs yourself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EssentialTension Posted December 30, 2021 Share Posted December 30, 2021 Guitar is sometimes slightly too forward, if you ask me, but bass sounds fine, especially on Ticket, nice tone. Occasionally, e.g. Come Back Down, bass could be a little more prominent but still ok I'd say. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stub Mandrel Posted December 30, 2021 Share Posted December 30, 2021 Sound pretty evenly balance on my (decent) PC speakers, although the bass is bottom-heavy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zbd1960 Posted December 30, 2021 Share Posted December 30, 2021 not my area of expertise... but I played it back through my hi-fi (Naim amps and Neat speakers). Bass sounds quite nice. I had a listen to several tracks and my thoughts I see are similar to others which is the guitar is maybe a little forward, which might be what you're responding to? I'm not an expert on mixing etc so I'd just ad that caveat to my comments! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted December 30, 2021 Share Posted December 30, 2021 IMO the bass is good, maybe could be a fraction louder, but that doesn't detract. The guitar is way too loud in the mix. Who thought the bass was too loud? This guitarist? IMO giving up over this is an overreaction. OK, you're disappointed, but learn from this experience and fight your corner harder when you record and mix the next album. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ajoten Posted December 30, 2021 Author Share Posted December 30, 2021 Well... for me, I don't think I've EVER heard a recording where bass was too much, by anyone. Please recommend examples! You are right though re learning from it. And I think working 100% with the kit, and not try "melodic flourishes" (wtvr) will be better. Also I've just bought a beautiful fretless, and the lower that is in the mix the better 🙃 (Thing is of course, it all worked together nicely till guitar and vox went into the studio and recorded dozens of unexpected overdubs, thus diluting a lot of what I'd done and rendering it a bit daft tbh.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricky 4000 Posted December 30, 2021 Share Posted December 30, 2021 Have you got access to the individual tracks, to play around with mixing it yourself? 🙂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pigface Posted December 30, 2021 Share Posted December 30, 2021 1 hour ago, AndyTravis said: shifty buggers Hey! Some of us on here are strings-fluid, you know. Or non-binary, maybe ... or something like that, anyway. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyTravis Posted December 30, 2021 Share Posted December 30, 2021 2 minutes ago, pigface said: Hey! Some of us on here are strings-fluid, you know. Or non-binary, maybe ... or something like that, anyway. I am also a bass player who dabbles with guitars…😑 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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