Getting Punchy Bass

[Nigel451964]

Hi,

I've noticed that my synth bass sounds punchier than my bass guitar so does anyone have any notions of why this might be and how to record the bass so that it's clean, powerful and punchy?

I have the Ampeg SVX plug-in which is great but it doesn't work too well if the original bass track is flat and sterile which is what it tends to be when recorded direct.

Cheers
Nigel

[paul999]

This is an awesome question. Depending on the style played, slap, country, riding notes, etc. The player matters so much here. Good quality compression is important. With weak players I usually squash the bass as much as is possible with my waves maxxbcl. It is important to find the eq frequency that brings out the punch. Some where between 100-225 hz. Then find the complimentary high frequency at around 1k that brings it out. With the low frequency that has punch divide the frequency by 2 and boost that on a narrow band as well. Sometimes this works. Next dig out these frequencies on the kick and guitars to make room for it. This should help to protect the punch you do get. I have found that a mic'd bass has far more punch with almost any mic.

I hope there is something here that helps.

[mindundermatter]

Record an amp instead of DI. Or use both an amp and a DI. Cut some of the low-mids and boost somewhere between 2-4kHz. Be sure your bass has new strings and good pickups. Use careful mic placement by taking your time and finding the spot that really sticks out before recording it. Compress the bass really hard. Pick your nose and go to bed.

[brandondrury]

I don't think the amp is necessarily the solution. The decision between a bass amp and a DI are more for creative/tonal reasons. If you were to reamp your DI'd track through a bass amp you'd find you have the same limitations as you do with SVX.

While the advice above has been good, the two things that really stand out to me are the player and their gear. If I need "punchy", I don't twist knobs, I make calls. This concept has been illustrated many times by Kevin Killen in interviews of his infamous Sledgehammer bass sound. His secret? He plugged in Tony Levin. He made millions of dollars because he plugged in Tony Levin into a DI because he was an in demand producer because of that sound.

Brandon

[Nigel451964]

Hi,

Some great suggestions here thanks. I do think the major problem I have is not having a top of the range bass on hand to give me a great sound to start with. I don't have the funds available at the moment to buy one so I'm using an inexpensive Yamaha BB14 which is nice and very playable but it has a cheap and hollow sounding neck which I'm sure has an impact on the overall sound. I have to turn the tone control way down in order to get any kind of punch out of it at all.

Cheers
Nigel

[Nigel451964]

Hi again,

As regards recording through an amp I haven't been able to get a decent sound with the amps I've got. My amps are housed in a vocal booth but the recorded sound is hollow no matter where I put the mic which is why I thought I'd give the Ampeg SVX plug-in a try. I've tried so many different ways but I think it comes down to no having great bass gear to start with.

Cheers
Nigel

[TonyB]

Originally Posted by brandondrury

I don't think the amp is necessarily the solution. The decision between a bass amp and a DI are more for creative/tonal reasons. If you were to reamp your DI'd track through a bass amp you'd find you have the same limitations as you do with SVX.

While the advice above has been good, the two things that really stand out to me are the player and their gear. If I need "punchy", I don't twist knobs, I make calls. This concept has been illustrated many times by Kevin Killen in interviews of his infamous Sledgehammer bass sound. His secret? He plugged in Tony Levin. He made millions of dollars because he plugged in Tony Levin into a DI because he was an in demand producer because of that sound.

Brandon

Do you have Tony Levin's phone number? I need him! <jk>

That's a good point though, just as much as a good performing drummer is critical in a recording, so is the complementary bass player. Sometimes you lose (or can't find the punch) if the drummer and bass player seem like they're playing two different songs (okay, exaggerated a little).

I get some bass players in bands where the band thinks he's a bonfide bass player, but to find out he used to play guitar in the band and recently converted to bass.

But back to the ranch, I typically do what Paul recommended.

[Audio~Geek]

I really, really like StudioDevil Virtual Bass Amp, totally blew me away with awesomeness.

My review of it is here: Audio Geek Zine Blog Archive Review: Studio Devil Virtual Bass Amp

[TonyB]

Originally Posted by Audio~Geek

I really, really like StudioDevil Virtual Bass Amp, totally blew me away with awesomeness.

My review of it is here: Audio Geek Zine Blog Archive Review: Studio Devil Virtual Bass Amp

Awesomeness? What about punchy?

I like the deep bass DI you dialed in. So beyond have a good bass player, it looks (sounds) like StudioDevil has some flexibility to get a good range of sounds.

I typically use the Tech21 Bass Sansamp DI Box, but my only complaint about it is that it is noisy.

I've tried the Bass Pro in Guitar Rig 3 but never got anything out of it I could use.

I might give StudioDevil a whirl.

[Audio~Geek]

I've got a Sansamp Programmable Bass Driver DI and I can't get great tones out of it.
And yeah, it get noisy when you turn up the presence knob.