Music

Achieving the Right Tone On your Bass Guitar (Part 2)

Welcome back !!

I hope that you had a great date with your bass (inside joke from part 1). Let’s dive right in.

The second step towards understanding your tone is understanding how to manipulate what amplifier/cabinet/system through which your bass guitar is being projected. This process can initially be time consuming but eventually it will become second nature. If you have an amp at home/studio/school/church etc… it is recommended that you take some time away from your scheduled event to sit down and play around with you ‘rig’ (amplification system). Each system is different but I would highly recommended setting our bass controls flat. What do I mean? For most bass guitars it means setting your bass knob, mid range knob, treble knob and your pan to the center. It’s then recommended that you get all the frequent controls on the rig to the off position and adjust the tone manipulators (contours, aura exciter, etc) in the off position. Then I would test the effects of the different frequencies have on the bass while operating at a moderate volume of course. After getting familiar with the frequencies then I would test the tone manipulators. During the process, grab your favor music cd, mp3, etc., listen to favorite bass guitar tones and try to match your rig’s sound to the CD’s quality. It might not be perfect but get it the closest the you can. Practicing this technique will allow you to master this aspect of your bass guitar over time. Have some fun with the process! Record your playing, play it back and compare what you’ve achieve to what you wanted to hear.

QUICK TIP KEEP YOUR TONE WHILE PLAYING

There is a possibility that after doing a sound check or getting to your setting early to check your tone that it will sound different when everyone is playing during the event. A good way to avoid this is to set your tone before the event and then compensate from the bass controls while you’re playing (if you’re able to). I’ve heard some people say adjust your amp while playing. However, practically speaking, if you’re in the middle of playing who has the time to turn around and do that? You might miss queues, hits, etc.

Remember that this is a general information post. There are other more intricate things that can affect your tone like: the cable gauge used on your bass, the cable gauge linking your amp head to cabinet (if not a combo), the combination of different amps/cabinets, whether or not your rig is sitting flat on the floor or elevated (didnt now that affected the sound did ya? just playing..i know you knew).

FEEL FREE TO POST COMMENTS, CONCERNS, QUESTIONS!! GOD BLESS

Achieving the right tone on your Bass Guitar (Part 1)

It’s been 13 years since I’ve been playing electric bass guitar and I’ve come a long way and still have much more to go. I’ve asked tons of questions during my time and have also been asked tons of questions. One question that has been resounding over the years is the age old question of tone. What is tone?

I did a little research to come up with a working definition and the two definitions that stuck out were found in the A&R dictionary online. They are as follows:

Tone 1

Definition: Sound, or the character of a sound, or a sound considered as of this or that character; as, a low, high, loud, grave, acute, sweet, or harsh tone.

Tone 2

Definition: Accent, or inflection or modulation of a sound as adapted to express emotion or passion. *

Now, there are many different interpretation to the definition of tone but once again, these are the ones that stuck out. It should be noted the 2nd definition was modified. It originally read ‘modulation of a voice’ but the word sound makes it more inclusive.

The bass guitar is an extremely unique instrument. The most stand-out characteristic about the bass guitar is that the actually a mid-ranged instrument and not a ‘bass-ranged’ instrument. Don’t believe me? Check out the musical staff and look in thee range that the notes fall. I sincerely believe that the first step towards achieving your tone is accepting this fact. That’s the end of the post!!

I’m just kidding, we’re not done. i had to get that out of the way though.

The next aspect of achieving the right tone is understanding the tone you’re trying to achieve and understanding your equipment.

I recently spoke to a young man that told me that he’s looking for a sound. This is a young man that as been playing for a while and has been playing professionally and at a level that I’ve admired. When he asked me the question, before he could finish the question I knew what he was going to ask. I knew this question because I’ve asked it at one point in my life. The first thing I asked this young man is “What is it that you want to hear?” He quickly confirmed some names of the industry’s great bassist and what they sound like. They all used a particular bass, and had a similar sound. Ironically, even though this young man didn’t have the bass that they had, he had a bass with similar pickups and electronics. Well..he understand the tone he’s trying to achieve so the next step is understanding his instrument.

Understand ones instrument is an intimate act. You have to take it out for dinner, buy it some flowers, a gift, maybe a little champagne…Oops, wrong blog. Forget what everything from the ‘taking it out to dinner.’ You are, however, required to understand the make-up of your bass though. What type of wood makes up the body, the frets, the neck? What type of strings are used and which ones give the sound that supports the tone that you’re trying to reach. What type of pick ups (PUPS) are you using? What type of electronics do you have? What are your controls on the bass? WHAAAATTT!!!…… Don’t be alarmed. This is just the sweet ingredients that make up your tone. Just like tweaking a good stew by adding items to make it a great stew , you need to know what you’re working with.

TO BE CONTINUED…..

If you don’t already know, then go do your homework and find out more about your instrument..ask it out on a date…haha. God Bless

Mastering The Recording Studio

Mastering the Recording Studio Mike Flannery is a composer, producer, engineer and children’s recording artist in New York City. A classically-trained musician since childhood, he got his start in rock playing in the NJ underground scene in the ‘90s. As a major label artist with LAVA/Atlantic in the early 2000s, he toured alongside major artists including Outkast, My Morning Jacket, LL Cool J and Ludacris. Around this time he also opened his own recording studio in Maine and started honing his craft as a producer, engineer and mixer. Eventually, Mike branched out into advertising and began to compose custom music for several high-profile national campaigns. In early 2012 he opened a new studio in New York City and continues to compose for brands, record with artists and also share his expertise on various music-industry-related topics through speaking engagements.

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