Want to know about Bass Effects? Episode 5 of the Bass Tone podcast has you covered!

In this week’s podcast you’ll learn all about:

• Equalization (EQ), the cornerstone of a good effects chain
• Compression and Limiting to even out playing dynamics
• Multiband Compression
• Distortion, Overdrive and Fuzz Effects

http://www.EasyEarTraining.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/5_-_Bass_FX_1.m4a

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Download Bass Tone Podcast – Part 5 (right-click and “Save as…”)

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What’s your take on Bass FX? Special sauce or better off without ‘em? Let us know in the comments below!
And don’t forget to check out the recent “Bass Effects” article.

Traditionally, bass players didn’t use as many effects as guitarists, but I’m on a mission to change all that.

Used badly, bass effects can render your tone unsubtle and tiring to listen to, and result in you being totally lost in the mix. But use them well and you can achieve sonic nirvana and create brave new bass tones of your very own.

I think much of the bad rap comes from the terrible mess that guitar effects can make of a bass signal, but specialist bass manufacturers now make superb ranges of pedals, turning all that tradition on its head.

Boom and Bust

The place to start, before applying any effects, is your EQ. Setting the bass, mid and treble balance on your bass itself (or your amplifier) gives you control of the trade-off between articulation and low-end thump which is always key to a good bass tone. For example, dub bass calls for a thick, gloopy, neck pickup tone that will flap the bass bins and get the reggae girls bogling.

Players who favor high-register melodic or chording approach, like Chris Squire of the band Yes require a toppy sound without too much low end getting in the way of the speedy runs.

In this example I play a Sting style dub reggae riff with a dub tone, and then with a trebley tone

In the second example, I play an intricate and fast Chris Squire-style riff first with the dub tone, and then again with the trebly tone

As you can hear from that example, each tone suits a particular style of playing. There is no bass tone magic bullet!

Squish

Many bassists use a compressor or limiter. Unlike with guitar, which uses these to increase sustain and make picking sounds clean and level, on bass it is normally used to tame the percussion-like peaks that result from slap techniques.

A compressor (more precisely called a “dynamic range compressor”) is a device that Click to read the rest…

Picture a band rocking out and it’s likely you will see a wall of roaring amps behind them: huge eight-speaker cabinets pumping out maximum-volume rock and roll. We bass players have a rather more dependant relationship with our amps than guitarists, as an unplugged bass doesn’t make very much sound at all. Over the last few years, the range of technologies, shapes, and sizes of the bass amp has become almost overwhelming. In this article, we’ll explore the impact of amps on the quest for that elusive perfect bass tone.

One of the key differences between electric bass and electric guitar is the approach to amplification. An electric guitar recorded directly into the mixing desk sounds thin and uninspiring, while a bass can sound quite acceptable (especially if it has on-board EQ). We’re about to get pretty technical, so if you need a refresher on amps and distortion try these articles:

• Wired For Sound: Amps and Speakers
• Hearing Effects: Distortion

For an electric guitar, the amplifier and speaker are integral parts of the sound. Guitarists love the harmonics that hard-driving valve amplifiers bring, and the tonal shaping that the speakers apply. In contrast, bass players typically favour a more hi-fi approach to amplification. Valve amplifiers with sufficient power to drive a stage rig, due to their massive size, weight, and cost are relatively rare. Even the majority of professional bassists still choose solid-state amplification rather than valve amps.

Example: Guitar Amp vs. Bass Amp

To give us an idea of how bass amplification differs from guitar amplification let’s compare the set-up of a rock guitarist (in this case, Queen’s Brian May) to a typical bass set-up.

Click to read the rest…