Microphone Heaven.
Bass Tone
Many bass guitar players seem to struggle
with their
sound. They like a bottom-heavy bass driven sound, but
wonder why they can never hear themselves in a mix and
have difficulty in telling what notes they are playing.
If you look at the eq settings on many of their amps, or
how they set the eq on their active basses you may see an
answer.
Having too many low-mid frequencies boosted
on a bass
guitar signal can cause a bass guitar to get lost in the
mix. Boosting anywhere between 250 Hz to 500 Hz can
create a sense of muddiness in the bass tone. You can
lose clarity very easily in those frequencies. This is
often the frequency range that people perceive as warming
up their tone when they are practicing at home. The same
frequencies that give them a "warmer" tone at
home make
them lose definition in a live or recorded situation,
though.
Definition and clarity can be added in most
cases by not
boosting the low mids, or by cutting them slightly. Also,
boosting the high frequencies or the high mids can create
a sound that cuts more through the mix. Boosting the high
mids between 700 Hz and 2000 Hz can create a more cutting
mid range sound. Also, boosting the high frequencies
between 3000 Hz and 6000 Hz can create clarity, especially
if the bass player is slapping at all. Unfortunately,
this high frequency boost can be very obvious to the bass
player on stage, or while recording. You tend to notice
more fret and finger noise, as well as perceived mistakes.
The reality is that this is generally not heard as much
by
the audience, because these frequencies are covered up
some by the electric guitars and cymbals. Also, when
recording the bass these frequencies will be more obvious.
A lot of it can be smoothed out in the mix though, and
will naturally smooth out as more tracks are recorded.
The last area of bass eq is the bass! A lot
of players
boost too much in the bass frequencies on their amp, or
on
their active bass preamp. This is a chief source of
boominess and lack of clarity in a bass signal. It seems
obvious that bass guitar should have some bass tone in
the signal. But sometimes it already has plenty without
boosting, depending on the bass, the amp, and the room.
Yes, even the room dictates the sound of the bass
frequencies. Playing in smaller venues with low ceilings
can really boost the bass frequencies. Speaker placement
can also effect the tone. If your cabinet is in the
corner, or sitting directly on the floor the bass
frequencies will be boosted as well. This is usually the
range of frequencies that needs the least amount of
boosting. There are exceptions, of course. If you are
playing a five string bass and need the low B to be more
present, boosting the bass (slightly) on an active eq can
bring it up more in the mix. Also, boosting 100 Hz to 150
Hz can make the low B more present.
So remember, too many low mids can muddy the
mix. Too
many lows can create a boomy bass sound, especially with
low ceilings. If you want to add more cut to the sound,
boost the high mids. If you want more clarity, boost the
high frequencies. I've only used frequency ranges mostly
because a large part of what gives you an individual bass
sound is which specific frequencies make up your sound.
So, play within the given frequency ranges to find which
frequency ranges you like. And I hope you find that bass
sound you're looking for. You might just find something
you didn't know you were looking for in the process.
