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Post by Laker on Feb 3, 2020 20:13:10 GMT -5
It is really a sad situation that bass players are pushed to the rear of a recording. Without us there is no groove, there is no feel, and nothing that ties the melody to the song...
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gbfun
Wholenote
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Post by gbfun on Feb 4, 2020 3:57:35 GMT -5
Ah, go stand in the back and do your thing !  I feel your pain ! When I played bass in a 4 piece, the bass was pretty dang important. Nevertheless, the ego bound guitar/vocalist actually demanded the whole front of the stage and got mad at me for being a foot past the drums on a small stage. I hardly had room to play in ! That was my last day. But you're talking about recording. Yeah, for some reason, it seems the bass has been set back or mutated in sound or relegated to some light rhythmic action in the newer stuff...even dance music ! Maybe someone got tired of bold, solid bass ? I didn't ! Nothing better than a nice bold, solid bass line ! |
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Post by HenryJ on Feb 4, 2020 7:25:36 GMT -5
Maybe the music was mixed so that, when played on a car stereo with large, powered subwoofers, you don't hear just the bass in cars sharing the road.
That way you don't just hear bunga-bunga-bunga.
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Post by Peegoo 🏁 on Feb 4, 2020 12:01:25 GMT -5
Methinks you're listening to the wrong music! There is a whole lot of really great stuff that I never get tired of. Motown, Stax, and other soul stuff is Bass In Yer Fass  |
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Post by Laker on Feb 4, 2020 12:07:20 GMT -5
Methinks you're listening to the wrong music! There is a whole lot of really great stuff that I never get tired of. Motown, Stax, and other soul stuff is Bass In Yer Fass Mr. Goo, I'm very aware of many recordings with fine bass lines; I'm just thinking of poor sound engineer jobs where bass is considered secondary.  |
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Post by Taildragger on Feb 4, 2020 12:47:45 GMT -5
It's the REST of the band that's not valid!
Well...I might be willing t'give the drummer a pass if he promises to bathe sometime this month...
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Post by digiboy on Feb 4, 2020 13:16:19 GMT -5
It's part of the gig. Unless you are Sting, you are not the star. A lot depends on the type of music but for the most part, you can expect to get shoved to the back. Learn to sing or take up lead guitar if you want the spotlight. On bass your job is to serve the music and the song and to make the band sound good. Other good musicians know how important the bass is.
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Post by hushnel on Feb 4, 2020 13:19:26 GMT -5
Yeah, I noticed it early on but it never bothered me. Nobody cares about the foundation, just the pretty curtains hanging in the windows. I’ve meet a few guitarist that are aware of the importance of the bass. I’ve played with great guitarists that would loose their place in a lead and come out at the wrong place. Guess who’s there to catch them, I just smile and nearly laugh out loud when they are being complemented on their magnificent lead. They know, but most can’t handle the truth, others acknowledge that I make them sound better. Everyone screws up but we are in a position and on an instruments that can work it in, blow past it, often creating an even better line from the error.
I’m happy to be in the shadows, the best place to control everything. Without foundation there’s no place to hang the pretty curtains.
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Post by mountie on Feb 4, 2020 17:14:51 GMT -5
I used to play with a guy who learned the bass later in life. Playing live, he had to turn up loud enough so he could hear himself clearly over the rest of the instruments. Audience members complained about too much bass. I explained to him that the sine wave of a low E peaked 28 feet from his amp, then played bass for him while he stood out on the floor while the band played, and he got it then. A bass player who knows volume and keeps time is essential.
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gbfun
Wholenote
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Post by gbfun on Feb 5, 2020 0:08:08 GMT -5
On the bright side of backed down bass in songs... is that the world is now providing me with a seemingly inexhaustible supply of BASS BACKING TRACKS. Very handy that !  |
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Post by ninworks on Feb 5, 2020 7:21:05 GMT -5
It is really a sad situation that bass players are pushed to the rear of a recording. Without us there is no groove, there is no feel, and nothing that ties the melody to the song... Not the way I mix tracks although, a lot of it depends upon the sound of the bass. If it's a dull, thumpy, sound, it has to reside more in the background so it doesn't cover up many other things in a mix. If it has more mids or a sharper attack it can be brought to the front more. It also depends on the bass part and style of music being played. Bass frequencies are extremely powerful and just because they are lower in frequency than everything else, that doesn't mean they won't interfere. They most certainly will! Anyone with experience doing pro audio will agree. If it's a rock mix I usually let the kick drum carry the low end, around 50 - 60Hz, and roll off most of anything on the bass guitar below about 100Hz. That makes it so the bass can be pushed more to the front of the mix without masking anything else. A jazz mix doesn't require a lot of low end and the bass lines are likely going to be more intricate so, the bass can be brought forward. There are too many factors involved with how instruments in a mix can be stacked up to cite generalizations. Each song is different and as such requires different treatment of the tracks. All I can do is report how I do it and things I have found to be relevant with that approach. |
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Post by LTB on Feb 8, 2020 1:40:23 GMT -5
“Yes, and you better not rival the tone of a guitar (more treble, playing in upper registers).”
I say do your thing and tell them to get over it!
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gbfun
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Post by gbfun on Mar 5, 2020 22:35:02 GMT -5
Yep ! Geetars can go low when the bass goes high...FUN ! |
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