New Mesa Boogie Mark IV Clip: Bass Guitar Mix Advice

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gibson5413

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I just put this together in about 20 mins and was hoping to get some advice on how to get the bass to stand out more and not sound so muddy.

Any suggestions?

No laughing at the song choice, please!

Not a huge fan of Warrant but I always liked this tune (Uncle Tom's Cabin). It isn't the whole tune, just enough to get some bass mix tips.

Sorry about the sloppy lead playing. My setup is in my basement with no heating whatsoever. You try playing where it is 48 degrees all winter long!


http://www.mp3lizard.com/download.cfm?id=25452
 
wow...That guitar tone is AWESOME man. I don't really hear any muddy bass, but I'm just using laptop speakers that includes a very small sub woofer on the bottom. Great sound though man, and great playing!

-AJH
 
Hey mesaengra412, u like wvu?? hell yeah man, lived here 27 years and i was at the game when pitt beat us a few weeks ago. Rodriguez just left to go to michigan. They are not going to let him coach the fiesta bowl, but here in wv no one is going to watch the bowl because we are all still disgusted they blew it like they always do.
 
nathan28 said:
Hey mesaengra412, u like wvu?? hell yeah man, lived here 27 years and i was at the game when pitt beat us a few weeks ago. Rodriguez just left to go to michigan. They are not going to let him coach the fiesta bowl, but here in wv no one is going to watch the bowl because we are all still disgusted they blew it like they always do.


Yeah man, I was born in Charleston, and I have lots of family up there around Kanawha City, Charleston, Beckley, Parkersburg and Vienna (aunt, uncle, Grandparents, great grandparent, etc.). I'm pretty displeased about that game, but, since Rod has taken this job, i kinda question the motives and that particular game against Pitt. It was a bummer that Pat White got hurt, but, even if he didn't, I don't think it would've helped much. They weren't prepared for that game at all, and I think that may have been Rod's doing, trying not to get in the Championship game to show off his offense (that we now know he'll be using in Michigan next year) to try and beat Ohio State.....which is one of Michigan's big rivals.....it's a little fishy to me. It seemed like the only people on WVU's team that showed up to play that day was the defense...the offense looked like high schoolers out there.....


-Sorry to hijack the thread Gibby :lol:

-AJH
 
the bass is very boomy and muddy, so you're on the right track about realizing that you need to fix it. It also feels very separated from the guitar. There's a big gap in frequencies that either the guitar or bass should take over. Guitar sounds great, as always.

I play bass in a band and am very critical of my sound. Unfortunately I've never had the chance to sit next to the engineer when he mixes. However, I have a good idea of frequencies to mess around with. Hopefully these can help you out some. If it helps, my ideal tone is anything on the Incubus records Science, Make Yourself, and Morning View.

20-40hz: ultra deep lows. These should most often get cut slightly in my opinion to give more definition to the bass. They can eat up every other frequency the bass is projecting. If you boost them, do so because for whatever reason they enhance the mix.
80hz: good punch/smooth lows
100hz: can be very boomy, so be careful. May want to dial this back some, but can also provide some warmth is boosted.
165hz: i seem to like this one better for overall punch and cut
250hz: extreme punch and low mids growl. Boost this, but realize this frequency is the one every instrument wants to dominate their sound. Snare, guitar, etc. all want to hog this frequency.
300-500hz: these are some magic frequencies for bass. They produce a great low mids growl that can make a mix feel thick and heavy.
650hz: smooth mids for bass
700-800hz: honky, nasal tone. Use wisely. This is what gives Carlos Santana his sound.
850-1.5: upper mids...I hate these on bass. They usually come out when you play with a pick. The bass loses all of its deepness.
2.5khz: described as "snarl." This is typically a guitar frequency, so mix to taste.
4-4.5khz: great aggressive growl. Bass should have no problem taking this one as few instruments need it.
6khz: bordering on the edge of getting plinky. fret noise
8khz: sounds like an ice pick in the north pole

If you are able to get a smooth bass tone, you may want to start adding aggressiveness and crunch to it (if it's your thing). These frequencies lie elusively around the mids and lower highs.

P.S. What frequencies were you working with?
 
thanks Elpelotero, great explanation! I often have the same problem of gibson5413, that helped

gibson5413, great guitar tracks, as always!
 

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