Grunge Bass Tone

Gordon -10 · 15th April 2006, 01:11 AM

how do you get that old fat rolling dirty bass tone!?? I'm currently running my bass through a U5 D.I. Which has been great, but its a little to clean some times. I've been listening to some old grunge and loving there tone, but have no clue how they achieved it. So i clipped together a couple sound bites and uploaded them. I hoping some of you experts could lend an ear. The three clips are different tones, but they all that that rumbly fatness that im looking for, especially the first one.

Can it be achieved using a D.I. and pedal method? Or do we have to bring a cab into the scenario, and if so a specific amp? speaker??? mics?? strings?? pics... color of lava lamp in the room!??

by-tor · 15th April 2006, 01:21 AM

I think most of that is the player and the bass. BUT...I like to do a two DI thing. One kinda dirty DI like the little Summit Tube DI and one cleaner one like a avalon or focusrite or even a country man. Mix the two and bam all sorts of colors and tones. The summot also has variable impedence to help shape the tone a bit more. Of course given time and space a amp and a DI are pretty good as well! =)

slaves666 · 15th April 2006, 03:54 AM

I find that I can get great results with either Amplitube or Guitar Rig. I also track through a Sansamp PSA-1, with a DI split to run the plug-in.

superburtm · 15th April 2006, 04:47 AM

big muff and an ampeg rig

rainsinvelvet · 15th April 2006, 07:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by superburtm

big muff and an ampeg rig

This is THE answer to my personal bass tone. Fender P or J > big muff > Ampeg SVT classic with 8x10s = huge rock tone...

ERic

superburtm · 15th April 2006, 07:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rainsinvelvet

This is THE answer to my personal bass tone. Fender P or J > big muff > Ampeg SVT classic with 8x10s = huge rock tone...

ERic

yes sir..it's a thing of beauty

seaneldon · 15th April 2006, 09:27 AM

for the big, dirty, round rock and roll bass tone, i like:

p-bass clean di track through blackface 1176, input at 3 o clock, output at 1 o clock, attack at setting "5", release at "7", then set the ratio for the amount of sludge you want. all button for all of the sludge.

Gordon -10 · 15th April 2006, 04:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by superburtm

big muff and an ampeg rig

Big muff ey... ill have to look into that.

Now with out the rig, and something like a d.i. box can you get a similar tone? Or even using a smaller set up and something like a Hotplate to attenuate on a smaller cab. My problem is i have an apartment studio. I can put my guitar amps in there with a THD hotplate and get decent results, but a giant bass amp will still carry all the way through the building... any thoughts?

Blast9 · 15th April 2006, 04:28 PM

You could try a Sansamp Bass DI for that SVT type grind, and get a pedal like the Woolly mammoth, or the Fulltone bass Fulldrive (less gain than big muff... but it works realy well... Very amp-like distortion/overdrive) I'm talking Stone Temple Pilots/King's X/Geddy Lee/Billy Sheehan/Timmy C territory.

I have an Ibanez Phathed which has a good range of tones from nice fat smooth OD to horrible gnarly industrial clank..., plus it has the clean signal underneath the distortion. I plug it into the Sansamp.

If you do use a big muff I'd split the signal so you can blend the amp sound plus fuzz otherwise it will get messy!

I

hrn · 15th April 2006, 06:02 PM

The Sansamp Bass DI is nice. Remember that you can use it as a stomp box between your bass and amp too. You'll be surprised what it can do to the sound.

I also have had great results with an old MXR Micro Amp box which I used to get high enough levels to overload the input of the amp.

Don't forget to use a tube amp. Ampeg and Mesa Boogie are great.

nathanvacha · 15th April 2006, 07:21 PM

...not going to argue with the big muff suggestion...

The Spark · 15th April 2006, 07:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rainsinvelvet

This is THE answer to my personal bass tone. Fender P or J > big muff > Ampeg SVT classic with 8x10s = huge rock tone...

ERic

Bingo.

djui5 · 15th April 2006, 11:01 PM

yepo, and after the big muff and ampeg, wouldn't hurt to record it with a 421 through a Neve pre, into an 1176...

rainsinvelvet · 16th April 2006, 01:25 AM

just the other day I used a 421 and a d12 at the same time- both thru neves. It was an accident, I was only going to use one, but when I heard the 2 together I was super stoked! My new favorite setup.

ERic

G-Dawg · 16th April 2006, 01:31 AM

big muff'll do it. or any sort of fuzz.

Jason Poulin · 16th April 2006, 10:12 PM

Izotope Thrash sounds cool.

Jason

wwittman · 17th April 2006, 12:33 AM

the answer is: mic an AMP

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15th April 2006, 04:28 PM	#9
Blast9 Lives for gear Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: London Posts: 2,653	You could try a Sansamp Bass DI for that SVT type grind, and get a pedal like the Woolly mammoth, or the Fulltone bass Fulldrive (less gain than big muff... but it works realy well... Very amp-like distortion/overdrive) I'm talking Stone Temple Pilots/King's X/Geddy Lee/Billy Sheehan/Timmy C territory. I have an Ibanez Phathed which has a good range of tones from nice fat smooth OD to horrible gnarly industrial clank..., plus it has the clean signal underneath the distortion. I plug it into the Sansamp. If you do use a big muff I'd split the signal so you can blend the amp sound plus fuzz otherwise it will get messy! I __________________ :: my band is called protoangel . My guitars: Atkin OM (sitka spruce top walnut back: sweet mids):: Atkin Small Jumbo (cedar top, rosewood back: big bottom, sparkly top):: Jap Tele with fat frets (rude and fat):: . My amps: 1973 Hiwatt DR504::Framus Dragon ... Latest purchases Kel Audio HM-2d TC Electronic Nova System, Chameleon Labs 7602Digi 002 + PTLE

15th April 2006, 11:01 PM	#13
djui5 Lives for gear Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Phoenix Posts: 6,673	yepo, and after the big muff and ampeg, wouldn't hurt to record it with a 421 through a Neve pre, into an 1176... __________________ _________________ "What is a crossfire hurricane & why wasn't I born in one?" Randy Wright http://www.myspace.com/djui5

16th April 2006, 01:25 AM	#14
rainsinvelvet Lives for gear Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: California Posts: 1,018	just the other day I used a 421 and a d12 at the same time- both thru neves. It was an accident, I was only going to use one, but when I heard the 2 together I was super stoked! My new favorite setup. ERic __________________ http://www.thesleepoverdisaster.com (my Band) http://www.myspace.com/thesleepoverdisaster It is a very mixed blessing to be brought back from the dead. Kurt Vonnegut

16th April 2006, 10:12 PM	#16
Jason Poulin Lives for gear Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Sudbury, On. Canada Posts: 1,684	Izotope Thrash sounds cool. Jason __________________ most important gear I own are my ears! visit my band www.apparatusmusic.com www.myspace.com/apparatusnumetal

15th April 2006, 01:21 AM	#2
by-tor Gear addict Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: SF Bay Area Posts: 404	I think most of that is the player and the bass. BUT...I like to do a two DI thing. One kinda dirty DI like the little Summit Tube DI and one cleaner one like a avalon or focusrite or even a country man. Mix the two and bam all sorts of colors and tones. The summot also has variable impedence to help shape the tone a bit more. Of course given time and space a amp and a DI are pretty good as well! =)

15th April 2006, 03:54 AM	#3
slaves666 Lives for gear Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Montreal Posts: 1,273	I find that I can get great results with either Amplitube or Guitar Rig. I also track through a Sansamp PSA-1, with a DI split to run the plug-in.

15th April 2006, 04:47 AM	#4
superburtm Lives for gear Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 2,307	big muff and an ampeg rig

15th April 2006, 09:27 AM	#7
seaneldon Lives for gear Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: North Attleboro, MA Posts: 1,940	for the big, dirty, round rock and roll bass tone, i like: p-bass clean di track through blackface 1176, input at 3 o clock, output at 1 o clock, attack at setting "5", release at "7", then set the ratio for the amount of sludge you want. all button for all of the sludge.

15th April 2006, 06:02 PM	#10
hrn Lives for gear Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Gävle, Sweden Posts: 566	The Sansamp Bass DI is nice. Remember that you can use it as a stomp box between your bass and amp too. You'll be surprised what it can do to the sound. I also have had great results with an old MXR Micro Amp box which I used to get high enough levels to overload the input of the amp. Don't forget to use a tube amp. Ampeg and Mesa Boogie are great.

15th April 2006, 07:21 PM	#11
nathanvacha Lives for gear Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Orlando Posts: 1,180	...not going to argue with the big muff suggestion...

16th April 2006, 01:31 AM	#15
G-Dawg Gear nut Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 116	big muff'll do it. or any sort of fuzz.

17th April 2006, 12:33 AM	#17
wwittman Lives for gear Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: New York Posts: 1,598	the answer is: mic an AMP __________________ William Wittman Producer/Engineer (Cyndi Lauper, Joan Osborne, The Fixx, The Outfield...)

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