How to get THIS Bass Tone

[Saudade]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozmBA88Q0EA

Super chunky and with that cutting raspy midrangy thingy. Heavy yet present and never boomy or flabby or overhyped by sub-sonics.

I have wet dreams recently not because of the video images in this concept album but because of this bass sound

Any insights into what was actually used during these sessions by the French legend? Doesn't sound like flatwounds to me (I use a set of Rotosound Trubass 88s), is it played with a pick?

Would be curious to know how to get as close to this as possible, though I know you guys are probably going to say: it's the player, XXX boutique brand amp/DI/bass/mic etc....

I am just a pseudo-bassist with only a cheapo bass guitar and the Tascam 22-2 tape machine mic input I am using as my DI(!!!)

[Kiwiburger]

It's a great bass sound - the sort of thing I go for too. I wouldn't like to guess what they used, but I would try to recreate it with a picked P-bass with flatwounds.

I'm just listening on crap PC speakers, but I think there is an amp/speaker/room sound there.

On a budget - you could try a plugin amp simulator, and a convolution reverb with a nice cabinet impulse. PC VST freebies that spring to mind are the Simulanalog marshal amp freebie, and SIR with some cab impulses from Noisevault.

You could experiment with cloning your DI track - using one track for the sub bass (maybe filter off the mids and highs with a high quality low pass filter - e.g. Refined Audiometrics PLParEQ3)

The second track would be your amp sound track, providing the mids. The distortion will add harmonics to your dull, thumpy flatwound or tapewound sound.

Apply the convolution reverb to the 'amp' track - or maybe both.

Or - you could try reamping or simultaneously tracking with a small amp. Even a little plastic 9 volt toy Marshal amp.

Use minimal compression - depends on how well your player can control dynamics.

These are just my ideas for getting close to that sound on a budget. I could be way off base.

I would use more expensive gear to reamp through my Mesa cab - but you've got to use what you've got to use.

I don't know if you've got a PC or not - but you have web access so i'm guessing you do. The software mentioned above is free or useable demos, and you can get many VST hosts free or cheap.

If you aren't using a PC, try the amp thing but the same basic principles apply. There is a whole lot of stuff to getting great bass sounds, and plenty of expensive solutions. I think part of the trick is to get a great sound on small speaker. You need the subs for people with large speakers, so you really need both things going on (and in phase with each other).

Have fun experimenting.

[dlmorley]

One of my favorites...
A brilliant song and the strings are beautiful.
No idea re bass, but it sounds like a semi acoustic bass to me. I have an old semi bass and it gives that kind of tone.

[chrispick]

You guys don't think it's round wounds? Sounds pretty fret-rattly to me.

[Kiwiburger]

I'm probably totally wrong. But I play fairly agressively with a pick, and prefer flatwounds, and I get a similar amount of fret noise. Less with Rotosound black nylons, but something like Thomastik Jazz flat wounds might sound like that.

I think the acoustic guitar is doubling some of the bass lines and contributing to fret rattle.

But for all I know it could be fingered roundwounds.

[initialsmm]

I did a session at the now deceased Unique in nyc years ago and the bass player we played with pretty much had that same sound happening. He was playing I believe a 70's fender p-bass through a vintage Ampeg SVT head/cab and eq'd it accordingly. Patrick Dillet the engineer used a 1176 or something at the desk. The moderate compression brought out the clicky character. It sounded very similar to the bass guitar on that Gainsbourg album. At the end of the day it really has to do with the playing and feel IMO.

[Sensenel]

hi !
im pretty sure that Sound comes from a Acoustic Bass with pickups , mix between DI and miked Signals ... have also Acoustic Bass in my Studio and it sounds very similar !

cheers

[baikonour]

Melody Nelson was recorded in London, also there's a bit of confusion on who played what on these sessions.
As far as bass is concerned, most people now thinks it was Herbie Flowers... Some thinks it is Tonio Rubio (french session player who played on Jean Claude Vanier's 'l'enfant assassins des mouches" and J-C Vanier did the strings arrangements on Melody Nelson and Cannabis.
So it would be probably a fender Jazz Bass with flatwounds played with a pick. (It does sound like it as well...a precision with flats does sound equally great but has a different tone ie Scott Walker's Scott 4, Carol Kay's stuff etc...
it does sound like an amp to me but i might be wrong.

Side note: Fender basses were issued with flatwound strings until the beguining of the 70's... fo a good reason, roundwound were a novelty arguably first used by John Entwistle who co-designed the first set (now known as rotosound 66) to get a more trebly guitar-like tone, sometimes in the late 60's...
Today there's a few flatwound sets available as it has been mentioned in the previous posts...I would like to add the Pyramid Gold as it was commonly used in the 60's ,first by the Beatles then byrds, Grateful dead, jefferson airplane and many others

[chrisp2u]

Originally Posted by baikonour

So it would be probably a fender Jazz Bass with flatwounds played with a pick.

I was thinking a Jazz bass as well with the pickup blend set mostly (if not all the way) toward the neck pickup. Definitely playing with a pick (prob a rather heavy/thick one).
---
c

[allencollins]

Sounds like p-bass played with a pick very close
to Carol Kaye sound. The bass part is doubled
by an acoustic at times which makes it stand out more


An in your face Bass sound is simple to achieve


JUST CRANK THE BASS IN THE MIX.......

[vincentvangogo]

For me this Gainsbourg bass sound is even better. I'm pretty sure its a pick, flatwounds and maybe a Burns bass of some kind, (you briefly see it in the clip.) I can't work out the amp or much else. Anyone got any ideas or further info?


YouTube - serge GAINSBOURG - studio creation - Initials BB (prt2) apr

[Methlab]

Use a fast attack on your compressor and boost the highs a bit to get the click, the fast attack will keep it under control.

[Glenn Kuras]

Originally Posted by vincentvangogo

YouTube - serge GAINSBOURG - studio creation - Initials BB (prt2) apr

I love the way he is on the mic and smoking at the same time.

Glenn

[Grizzly]

When I need that kind of sound, I put an additional condenser mic as close as possible to the strings to get that kinda ringy steel flavour... Of course, the bass amp has to be in a separate room...

[vernier]

Looks like Dean Martin and Agent 99 . . .

[u b k]

forget about THAT bass sound, and instead focus on making music THAT badass.

requirements:

arranger

group of gifted players

budget

cigarettes

black turtlenecks


tape would be a huge help in getting that bass sound, it has a magic on plucky bass transients. an old tube compressor would come in close second; hell, if you're gonna go there, go there... use both.

for a modern twist on this vibe, nab the soundtrack to ocean's twelve.


gregoire
del
ubk
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