Bass Edu
How to Get the Cleanest Possible Sound Out of Your Bass Rig
How to Get the Cleanest Possible Sound Out of Your Bass Rig, Reprinted Courtesy of carvinaudio.com
We’ve discussed how to get a killer overdriven bass sound at length in previous articles, but what about all the bassists out there who want a clean sound? Don’t worry, we haven’t forgotten about you! For some serious pocket grooving, stripped down, low volume acoustic gigs, or certain styles of music, such a clean tone is indispensable. Whether you’re a bassist who likes to play with overdrive looking to clean up your act or a clean bassist who wants to make your sound even cleaner, this article will help you dial in your rig.
Dirtying Up Your Bass Tone: A Review
Generally speaking, the formula for getting a gritty sound is to keep the master volume low, then raise the input gain until you get enough overdrive from the preamp. Then, set the master to the necessary volume. Keep in mind though that overdriving the preamp will sound different on every amp, and especially when tube/solid state differences come into the picture. Overdriving a solid state amp, generally speaking, sounds harsher than overdriving a tube amp. On an amp like the Carvin Audio BX1600, turning up the drive increases the harmonic content of the signal in a pleasing way, because of its class A input stages.
Now, Let’s Clean it Up
Now that we’ve reviewed what creates an overdriven sound, we can look at what to do to clean it up. If you are looking to get a clean sound with plenty of headroom, you want to do the opposite of what’s described above. Run the master volume higher than your input gain. Then raise your input gain to the appropriate volume level for your playing situation. By using this method, you ensure that you maintain the highest possible headroom in the power amp stage and prevent clipping the preamp stage. On most amps, this setup will give you the cleanest, loudest, and most dynamic signal, but may add some noise. This noise would be less than the noise generated in a cranked up preamp dirty tone, but there can often be cleaner and quieter dynamics in the music where a cleaner tone is desired. This means the noise floor may be lower and a lower noise level may be perceived as not quite enough.
Headroom is Key to a Clean Tone:
We have talked about headroom before and it can be the difference from a clean tone and a clipped peak-less present tone. With your preamp cleaned up, the power amp needs to be able to supply the clean high dynamic peaks. These peaks can be four times the average output power. If you are seeing the clip indicator light up, if you are just hearing dull peaks, or even if you are hearing a clunk or buzz sound on the peaks, then your amp is out of head room. You can turn it down, but this lowers the average output level you need, and it may still not handle the peaks.
The first and best direction is to have an amp and rig that can handle the peaks at your needed playing level. This will have the most dynamic clean sound. The next and very common way to approach this is to use a compressor. The compressor can be set to only turn on if a certain level is reached. This is setting the threshold level. The Carvin Audio BX Series bass amps have a single knob compressor built in for easy and quick adjustments. Set it when you see clipping or hear any overloading of the amp. Using a compressor is a great direction to a clean tone when your rig is covering most of your needs and you only hit the high peaks occasionally. In this situation, you retain your highest dynamics most of the time and on the occasional extreme peaks the compressor kicks in and keeps your signal clean. If you are in compression most of the time and you are out of headroom, you may need to look into a larger amp or adding more cabinets. More cabinets will double your output letting you turn down the power amp. This is also adding more headroom, because of the added air moved from more speakers and because the added speaker will load your amp at a higher output power. Note: be sure your amp head can handle the lower impedance of adding more cabinets. Check the minimum loading of the amplifier and do the math on your total impedance of all your cabinets.
You also need to make sure that your bass cabinet and added cabinets can all handle the power of your head, to prevent blowing speakers. You don’t need to bring a behemoth of a bass cab to the show to get a clean sound, but it is important that you have a speaker that can handle the power of your head with room to spare.
Right: The Carvin Audio BRX10.4 can handle 1200 watts, which makes it a great match for even the most high-powered of bass heads.
Advantages of Clean Tone
A clean tone with plenty of headroom tends to sit in the mix better and provides a more “open” bass sound. Especially in a band context, with bashing drums and thrashing guitars, a clean tone can be the key to sitting in the mix, cutting through and ensuring the bass supports the overall sound. As a bassist, it’s important to know how to get both clean and dirty sounds and be able to adapt them in variety of different playing situations.
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Bass Edu
BASS LINES: Triads & Inversions Part I
Triads & Inversions Part I…
Hello bass players and bass fans! In this issue, we are going to study the triads and their inversions.
It is very important for all bassists to understand and master the triads, but it is even more important to understand their different inversions.
In Part I, we are going to learn what the triad is in fundamental position.
The Formula consists of root, third and fifth.
Degrees of the Triad
Major Triad: 1 – 3 – 5
Minor Triad: 1 – b3 – 5
Diminished Triad: 1 – b3 – b5
Augmented Triad: 1 – 3 – #5
Fig.1 – The C, Cm, Cdim & Caug triads
(Fundamental Position)
Bass Edu
Premiere! Bass Playthrough With Foetal Juice’s Bassist Lewis Bridges – From the Album, Grotesque
Premiere! Bass Playthrough With Foetal Juice’s Bassist Lewis Bridges – From the Album, Grotesque
Bassist Lewis Bridges Shares…
“Gruesome’s sparse intro marks a stark contrast from the intensity of the rest of the album. The original intention was to keep the bass simple but colourful, however as I worked on it, the lines grew more expressive and the more striking flourishes began to emerge. The intensity builds into a harmonic minor passage that takes us into the drop — a signature death grind cacophony. This is where Foetal Juice thrives. You’re getting a full-on right-hand barrage to in the face to take you into a groove-laden mulch-fest.
I owe my throbbing bass tone to the Darkglass Alpha Omega pedal borrowed from our sound engineer, Chris Fielding (ex-Conan), mixed with the clarity of the tried and true Ampeg SVT CL.
As mentioned earlier, colourful basslines are important, especially in a one-guitar band. Chucking some funny intervals and odd flourishes here and there brings life into the brutality. There’s no point sounding brutal if it’s not gonna be fucking evil too!
Recording this playthrough was hard work. This was not the fault of James Goodwin (Necronautical), who was kindly filming and is ace to work with, but because in true Foetal fashion, we had stinking hangovers — and that jam room was hot!”
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Bass Edu
Bass Lines: The Circle
Bass Lines: The Circle…
Hello bass players and fans of bass! This month we’re going to study “The Circle.”
The Circle of Fourths can also be called “The Circle of Fifths or just The Circle.
Practicing the scales, chords, and ideas in general via the circle has been a common practice routine for jazz musicians and highly recommended.
It is a disciplined way of working through all twelve keys.
Plus, many bass root movements to jazz and pop songs move through sections of the circle.
Fig. 1 – “The Circle”
See you next month for more full bass attack!
#bassmusicianmag, #basslines, #bmmbasslines, #groovemaniac, #thecircle, #thecircleoffourths, #thecircleoffifths,#scales & #chords.
Bass Edu
Approach Notes – Part 5
Continuing our lesson of Approach Notes, Part 5…
In continuing with the concept of approach notes being applied to chord tones, this lesson approaches the root, third, fifth, and seventh degree of each arpeggio inversion by incorporating a double chromatic approach from above, and a single chromatic approach from below.
The first examples approach the root of a G major 7th arpeggio as a double chromatic from above and a single chromatic approach from below -before continuing to the third, fifth, seventh, double chromatic from above/ single from below to the root, continue to the third, fifth, and come back down.
The next example approaches the first inversion of G major 7th arpeggio.
A double chromatic from above/ single from below approaches the third, continue to the fifth, seventh, root, double chromatic from above/ single below to the third, continue up to the fifth and seventh, and back down.
The third example approaches a second inversion of a G major arpeggio.
A double chromatic from above/ single from below approaches the fifth, continue to the 7th, root, 3rd, double chromatic from above/ single from below to the 5th, continue to the 7th, root, and back down.
This final example approaches a third inversion of a G major 7th arpeggio.
A double chromatic from above and below approaches the 7th, continue to the root, 3rd, 5th, double chromatic from above and below to the 7th, continue to the root, 3rd, and back down.
Be sure to pace yourself with these lessons to avoid burning out.
Being overly ambitious with your practice schedule can lead to unrealistic expectations. Try learning one approach note concept and one chord type a week. Change your practice routine as necessary and tailor it to your needs as a musician. Good luck!
Bass Edu
BASS LINES – The Blue Notes (Minor Blues Scale)
Hello bass players and bass fans! Happy New Year 2024!
In this issue, we are going to study the blue notes.
In blues, jazz, and rock, a blue note is a note that (for expressive purposes) is sung or played at a slightly different pitch from standard. Typically the alteration is between a quartertone and a semitone, but this varies depending on the musical context.
The blue notes are usually said to be the lowered third(b3), lowered fifth(b5) and lowered seventh(b7) scale degrees. The lowered fifth(b5) is also known as the raised fourth(#4). Though the blues scale has “an inherent minor tonality, it is commonly ‘forced’ over major-key chord changes, resulting in a distinctively dissonant conflict of tonalities”.
Blue notes are used in many blues songs, in jazz, rock and in conventional popular songs with a “blue” feeling.
Formula:
The A Minor Blues Scale
1 – b3 – 4 – (#4/b5) – 5 – b7
A – C – D – (D#/Eb) – E – Bb
The grades(blue notes):
b3, (#4/b5), b7
C, (D#/Eb), Bb
See you next month for more full bass attack!
#bassmusicianmag, #basslines, #bmmbasslines, #groovemaniac, #thebluenotes, #minorbluesscale & #bluesscale