rancid style bass tone

[maskedman72]

i have a punk band in and the bass player is a busy player doing lots of fills all the time and i want them to all cut through so they dont get lost in the mix.

going for a rancid type of bass vibe.

any tips/tricks to get that type of sound?

seems that the fills would have to sit in the mids to get them to pop out.

also perhaps roll off some lows to be able to push the bass up a bit without to much lows overpowering the mix?

not shure on the amp/head combo but the bass is a g&l 2000 and i will do a mic and a di.

[ScottTunes]

I'd suggest using the amp'ed sound for the lows (above the kick) and some low-mid punch, roll off everything else from the amp. Then use the mids and highs from the DI for definition, maybe hitting Amp Farm or another software distortion for the DI so it's not too clean. Obviously, track each separately.

[AudioFocus]

tifftunes is right. i love that bass sound, and it's all in the mids. i usually mic the amp close with a 57 or 421, as well as DI. I usually use the DI for the low end above the kick, and the amp for the midrange definition. it's all in the mids, it's all in the mids, i could go on...

[i51423]

I work to get the amp spitting out that tone as much as possible. I'd also be using the DI cleanly to solidify the low end.

[maskedman72]

mids,mids,mids! that is what i thought. ill work on the amp first.

perhaps i should roll everything off below 50-75hz so it dosent muck things up.

[BlueRadio]

You'll need the bass guitar first. It's really a great tone that you can't fake.

Any bright edgy bass will do, specifically a fender precision bass with some really edgy strings.

Also, don't go overboard with EQing the upper mids too much...rolling off the lows will be enough when you're playing the right bass guitar.

Might want to grab an 1176 for some fast smashing as well.

[tomdarude]

yepp..the obvious thing first....bass into a stellar D.I. !!!
reddi,U5, or a passiv di. into a nice preamp (Chandler TG,Germ,or something Neve-style,API...your choice)

than reamp (or track the amp parallel) for a complimenting "speaker-sound", move some air !!

combine these 2 tracks to taste (LittleLabs IBP is your friend!!)




NOW.....try to cut only the fills out,put them on another track and maybe compress/eq/reamp different, ride the fader...worth a try!

[GREENFENDR]

The right bass is most important. bright with the tone control open all the way, almost definatly a passive bass, light strings (maybe blue steels?), roundwounds obviously,

I've been able to get close to the rancid sound by slamming it through a distressor.

[maskedman72]

thanks guys, cutting the fills and moving them onto a new track is a good idea.

i think the bass itself will be good, it is a g&l 2000.

the chain will be; bass/amp(dont know what it is yet)-/mic (421 or 57 or d112)/ltd-1/mytek adc/pt.

the second will be bass/stuart adb-1/ltd-1/mytek/ptle.

ok here is a question, if i am recording 2 bass tracks and i have 1 good outborad comperssor do i use it on only 1 track going to tape or should i track without it and compress both bass tracks with plugs so i can have comp on both tracks?

[Jon Harter]

I think I'd go with the d112 on the bass cab and choose to compress one on the way in.
probably the cab.

[ScottTunes]

Originally Posted by maskedman72

thanks guys, cutting the fills and moving them onto a new track is a good idea.

i think the bass itself will be good, it is a g&l 2000.

the chain will be; bass/amp(dont know what it is yet)-/mic (421 or 57 or d112)/ltd-1/mytek adc/pt.

the second will be bass/stuart adb-1/ltd-1/mytek/ptle.

ok here is a question, if i am recording 2 bass tracks and i have 1 good outborad comperssor do i use it on only 1 track going to tape or should i track without it and compress both bass tracks with plugs so i can have comp on both tracks?

I'd recommend no compression going in unless you can compress both through a stereo compressor.

Since an SM57 has a frequency range going down to 40 Hz, it is sufficient to get the sound you're looking for.

For the sound you want, I like using a round wound string through a vintage Fender Princeton amp, getting top and bottom from the DI.

However, my personal sound is most like the '60's RnB, meaning recording flatwounds through a B-15 (sometimes the Princeton, sometimes both), and only adding enough of the DI's high mids for definition as needed, to clarify the sound coming from the amp(s).

If you do not need heavy lows or ringing top end, you can simply record the amp, or roll the top and bottom freqs off of the DI and just use the DI.