BassAdder60 Posted June 24 Share Posted June 24 Noticed recently that several bands I’ve seen the bass players tone are very lacking in deep bass and more “ guitar” like in tone Must admit I much prefer a deep full bass tone hence why I hear the difference compared to a pick played bass which is great for some songs. Curious to why bass players want to have such a tone without a deep bass sound ??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted June 24 Share Posted June 24 What sorts of bands are you talking about? Could be anything from genre, there are plenty of genres where the bass is deliberately placed in a different sonic space in the mix compared with where it would normally be, to the fact that the bass player simply wants to be able to hear what notes they are playing and having too much bottom end in the sound gets in the way of this. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed_S Posted June 24 Share Posted June 24 Can obviously only speak for myself but I find deep bass on stage really unhelpful as it just makes everything harder to hear and mix, so if my stage/amp sound is my room sound then both will be a bit lacking in deep bass. Where the amps are just for stage monitoring I provide a lightly driven and moderately EQ'd signal from my Sansamp to the desk rather than a clean DI, and I work on the basis that if the FoH engineer feels it needs the low EQ boosting a little more for the room, they have that option. If the stage is big enough that the amps are just visual props and there's a monitor desk/engineer I'll always ask for my low EQ to be reduced in the foldback and it's never been questioned so I've always assumed it's not uncommon. I suppose that if you're stood right in front of the stage you might have a less bass-heavy experience than if you're more under the influence of the house PA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassAdder60 Posted June 24 Author Share Posted June 24 I’m not talking about deep dub type reggae bass which is what you expect in the genres that suit but many young covers and original bands seem to favour a bright mid sounding bass very close to guitar mids etc and out front there seems to be a gap from drums to where traditional bass would sit then guitars. Perhaps in pursuit of small lightweight rigs the clout from big bass cabs is a thing of the past especially when they are not going through the PA which for small venues is typical as a vocals only PA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Munurmunuh Posted June 24 Share Posted June 24 30 minutes ago, BassAdder60 said: many young covers and original bands seem to favour a bright mid sounding bass very close to guitar mids etc Sounds lovely, something like... ...? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tauzero Posted June 24 Share Posted June 24 2 hours ago, BassAdder60 said: Perhaps in pursuit of small lightweight rigs the clout from big bass cabs is a thing of the past especially when they are not going through the PA which for small venues is typical as a vocals only PA There's nothing stopping small lightweight rigs having plenty of bass. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahpook Posted June 24 Share Posted June 24 4 hours ago, BassAdder60 said: Curious to why bass players want to have such a tone without a deep bass sound ??? They may just like it that way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The fasting showman Posted June 24 Share Posted June 24 (edited) Is it as a result of the festival type earthquake kick drum sound that's become the norm? My taste in production ( everything really!) is rooted in the past, I prefer a toppier, punchier kick that allows for the fullness of the bass eq to sit lower in the spectrum; the cut of the kick quantises the bass when they play together almost. I'm thinking late'70s Bowie, Blockheads, costello and the disco / RnB of that era. Tastes in sound change though. The age old struggle to get the bass heard. Edited June 24 by The fasting showman Typo 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The fasting showman Posted June 24 Share Posted June 24 (edited) 1 minute ago, The fasting showman said: Edited June 24 by The fasting showman Duplicate post Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gasman Posted June 24 Share Posted June 24 If the OP decides to go along with this new trend, he'll have to change his handle to 'BassSubtractor'... 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted June 24 Share Posted June 24 I hear most players using low mids rather than a ton of actual bass. That's what the Precision has always done and most players I see are in that ball park. The bass on most records on the radio are in the low mids area. Bass heavy sounds are usually not helpful on a gig to the sound of a band. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted June 24 Share Posted June 24 2 hours ago, Munurmunuh said: Sounds lovely, something like... ...? Oh good call sir. My favourite Duran track. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted June 24 Share Posted June 24 18 minutes ago, Gasman said: If the OP decides to go along with this new trend, he'll have to change his handle to 'BassSubtractor'... 1 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reggaebass Posted June 24 Share Posted June 24 5 hours ago, BassAdder60 said: such a tone without a deep bass sound What is this strange tone you speak of 😁 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Misdee Posted June 24 Share Posted June 24 6 hours ago, BassAdder60 said: Noticed recently that several bands I’ve seen the bass players tone are very lacking in deep bass and more “ guitar” like in tone Must admit I much prefer a deep full bass tone hence why I hear the difference compared to a pick played bass which is great for some songs. Curious to why bass players want to have such a tone without a deep bass sound ??? Difficult to say without knowing what tone the bass player was aiming for and in what circumstance. If you're talking about live sound at a gig, a common trick sound engineers use is to cut a significant amount of low end on the bass in an attempt to make it more audible in terms of being able to distinguish the notes and articulation. In terms of on recordings, using a more mid-focused and/or trebly tone can be a way to avoid competing with deep bass from drums and synths ect. The bass guitar needs to find it's own territory in the mix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mykesbass Posted June 24 Share Posted June 24 Could it be that most music is listened to on phones and ear pods via streaming these days? None of this is particularly bad friendly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JapanAxe Posted June 24 Share Posted June 24 For quite a few years now I’ve avoided having too much low end in my bass amp sound. Sometimes that means turning the knob labelled ‘Bass’ slightly to the left of centre. I’m generally shooting for a warm, round sound as a starting point, and ime too much ‘bass’ militates against that and reduces clarity and punch. But I definitely don’t want to be getting into guitar territory. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musicman666 Posted June 25 Share Posted June 25 On 24/06/2024 at 16:17, Munurmunuh said: Sounds lovely, something like... ...? i'm surprised he had the front to repackage the rio bassline quite so obviously. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Munurmunuh Posted June 25 Share Posted June 25 39 minutes ago, Musicman666 said: i'm surprised he had the front to repackage the rio bassline quite so obviously. Never heard of Brahmsian Developing Variation? Tut tut. Stay after school to catch up on your Schoenberg reading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musicman666 Posted June 25 Share Posted June 25 1 hour ago, Munurmunuh said: Never heard of Brahmsian Developing Variation? Tut tut. Stay after school to catch up on your Schoenberg reading. oh it's rife. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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