buzzy bass

[EnSkorSang]

when recording my bass I send it through a mixer, interface then to the pc. The mixer has a setting for 'line' or 'mic'. First, logically, I would set this to 'line', however the bass is very very very very quiet..if I set it to 'mic' it buzzes (it also buzzes faintly on line)..anyone got any ideas?

[brandondrury]

The mixer shouldn't be adding any buzz. I have a feeling that it isn't. Mixers typically have noisy preamps if you crank them up high enough, but that is more of a "hiss" sound.

I'm guessing the noise is being picked up through the bass (possibly a CRT computer screen or something else like flourescent lighting or a space heater) and you are just hearing more buzz as you crank up the gain. I'm guessing the level of the buzz is staying proportional to the bass sound.

Try moving around the room with the bass plugged in and listen. This will help you find the problem.

Brandon

[magno]

Maybe you have a bad cable?
Try using a different cable, as short as possible.
Or try moving the cable around to see if there is any changes in the noise.

[polyneux74]

If your bass has active electronics it requires a 9V battery to operate. If the battery is going dead it will start to buzz when you play (sounds like you have a fuzz pedal on the bass).
This could also be an issue with the channel on the mixer, have you tried a different channel? It could also be the preamp on your bass overdriving the mixer's preamp. Depending on what kind of mixer you're using it's headroom capacity could be overdriven by the bass's pre. Try turning down the volume on your bass to mid-way and then turn your mix pre up to the 3 o'clock position. From there you might be able to carefully dial in the bass volume--all tricky biz though. Another thing you could try is to hook up a D.I. box before you run out to the mixer, this can stabilize the signal from the bass and allow a fuller signal to reach the mix pre so you don't have to crank up the mix pre. You could also use a dynamics compressor to help even out the quiet spots as well. Some folks are against compression before the mastering process but honestly it is something done all the time in professional studios. Not sure if you do the mastering but if you do you will just want to make note of the use of the compressor and the settings if at all possible.

[EnSkorSang]

I believe Brandon is right..it is not the cables or the mixer as I send a keyboard through it no problem. It doesnt sound like the bass is going through a fuz pedal as the buzz is seperate from the signal...
The bass doesnt have active electronics and I use a D.I but the problem remains...my only problem now is what exactly about the bass is causing it and how to fix it?

[polyneux74]

Originally Posted by EnSkorSang

I believe Brandon is right..it is not the cables or the mixer as I send a keyboard through it no problem. It doesnt sound like the bass is going through a fuz pedal as the buzz is seperate from the signal...
The bass doesnt have active electronics and I use a D.I but the problem remains...my only problem now is what exactly about the bass is causing it and how to fix it?

If your bass is passive and when your playing if you are facing the CRT then it will cause some buzzing. If you turn away from the monitor so the instruments pick ups are facing away from the monitor that should make it a little better. Also, it could be a bad or loose connection on a ground in the instrument as well.