What is thump?

[Graham]

Describing sounds in ascending order of frequency:

 

Thump

Punch

Growl

Clank

[TimR]

Isn't it all about attack and compression?

 

Some amps and speaker combinations will sound 'better' than others, and then add in playing style. 

[musicbassman]

2 hours ago, Graham said:

Describing sounds in ascending order of frequency:

 

Thump

Punch

Growl

Clank

 

So where does Grunt fit into this ?

Asking for a friend.....

[Graham]

1 hour ago, musicbassman said:

 

So where does Grunt fit into this ?

Asking for a friend.....

Usually experienced when lifting the cab

 

But maybe between thump and punch?

[Mykesbass]

4 minutes ago, Graham said:

Usually experienced when lifting the cab

 

But maybe between thump and punch?

Hence the lack of grunt with Class D amps and neo speakers?

[ezbass]

20 minutes ago, Graham said:

Usually experienced when lifting the cab

 

Given that grunt was another word for fart when I was at school, this seems accurate.

[Graham]

18 minutes ago, Mykesbass said:

Hence the lack of grunt with Class D amps and neo speakers?

I think you're onto something there 😁

[The fasting showman]

To me, thump is what happens when you play with a drummer that listens to your part and locks in sympathetically. It's a percussive quality and definition as opposed to a foggy vague rumble. 

 

Good band members can elevate mediocre equipment; suddenly you find yourself locked into a grid and it's all easy. Again, a definition in the sound rather than instruments bleeding into one another.

 

The relationship of sound quality to playing in a good musical environment and arrangement are experiences I look back on fondly: the exception not the rule! So often I have had great sounding gear yet I've been playing with musicians who don't see the big picture, it's very hard to sound good in a volume war or with players that don't replicate parts from gig to gig, rehearsal to rehearsal, or are oblivious to the interplay between sounds and parts, chord voicing etc.

So with eq and choice of bass / amp and cab I strive for thump, as in definition and the note length and diction I intend to put across. As to whether it comes off is down to the musical situation I'm in. 

 

Won't be the case for everyone I'm sure but true for me.

Edited August 9, 2024 by The fasting showman
Syntax

[TimR]

21 hours ago, The fasting showman said:

To me, thump is what happens when you play with a drummer that listens to your part and locks in sympathetically.

 

And Vice Versa. Its a communication thing.

 

The first thing I look for when auditioning. Is the drummer looking at their hi-hat or are they looking at you? 

[The fasting showman]

28 minutes ago, TimR said:

 

And Vice Versa. Its a communication thing.

 

The first thing I look for when auditioning. Is the drummer looking at their hi-hat or are they looking at you? 

True. I guess the obstacles to me obtaining thump, punch or definition have ( in my case) usually been external factors away from gear choice or settings. 

[Richard R]

Loudness is now very specifically defined using LUFS (Loudness Units Full Scale) and it's essential if you're mastering audio and want it to sound good on different platforms. The scale takes into account absolute signal level, the frequency response of human hearing, and a few other technical factors. There's a relatively simple introduction here: https://emastered.com/blog/what-are-lufs

 

Somewhere I have a really good cheat sheet translating a lot of common terms musicians use into something that sound engineers can adjust, but I can't find it. Will keep looking.

 

 Edit: this attachment isn't the one I was looking for and doesn't define thump, but it might be useful to someone. 

 

FrequencyCheetsheet.pdf

 

Edited August 11, 2024 by Richard R
File

[Downunderwonder]

11 hours ago, Richard R said:

Loudness is now very specifically defined using LUFS (Loudness Units Full Scale) and it's essential if you're mastering audio and want it to sound good on different platforms. The scale takes into account absolute signal level, the frequency response of human hearing, and a few other technical factors. There's a relatively simple introduction here: https://emastered.com/blog/what-are-lufs

 

Somewhere I have a really good cheat sheet translating a lot of common terms musicians use into something that sound engineers can adjust, but I can't find it. Will keep looking.

 

 Edit: this attachment isn't the one I was looking for and doesn't define thump, but it might be useful to someone. 

 

FrequencyCheetsheet.pdf 131.66 kB · 2 downloads

 

Any idea how some radio stations get away with so much more loudness than others?

[TimR]

7 hours ago, Downunderwonder said:

Any idea how some radio stations get away with so much more loudness than others?

 

They all use different compression and EQ at the broadcast stage.