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  • Recording: High, Low, and In-Between

    Line6bassman, the Row's own audio guru in--the-making, has acquired a head full of savvy about recording tips, tricks, and techniques that he's willing to share. My philosophy is, if someone comes up to me and says: 'Hey, here's a fistful of gold for ya,' and it turns out to be real gold, I hold out both hands! This article is just the beginning. Go deeper, to get deeper.
    Ed.

    "Ok people, since I bought my 24 Track recorder I been trying to learn some things about what's the best way to record the bass etc. Actually I'm relearning these things
    because I had a studio with all the trimmings a good while ago where I recorded a few people and groups so I'm in a period of refreshing the brain you might say, ( and learning. )
    I thought I would put a tip that I learned for those who may be able to use this now are in the future. So as I learn some things that might be helpful to some in recording
    Bass, Drums, Etc I'll put them here.

    Here's one in a question and answer format. This one kind of goes along with our Riffs
    video thread.


    Question: How can I make sure that my Drums and Bass are
    always punchy, powerful, and clear? My beats and low end
    usually start out banging, but as I add more things to my
    song, somehow it ends up muddy and doesn't have the same
    impact when I'm finished.


    Answer: The first thing you need to do is ask yourself if
    this a Kick song or a Bass song? This is important because it
    will help you determine which should be the main focus.
    Here are some guidelines. Is the bass melodic, singable,
    hummable, and memorable. Is it a memorable line when it's
    soloed all by itself, if so, feature it as the main low end
    instrument because that is what everybody will lock onto
    and remember.

    Think back for a minute. Whenever you listen to a hit song
    that has a memorable and melodic baseline, you
    automatically have to sing along with it in your mind and
    the drums are just supporting it. How many times have you
    hummed a bassline to someone when you are describing a
    song?

    If the bass is mainly a rhythmic, pulsing, thumping,
    enhancement type of sound that is mainly following the
    rhythm and drive of the kick drum, it should play a
    supporting role for the pulse of the beat. The drums are
    definitely what's driving it. The drums are the propulsion
    and the bass is simply the low-end support. Decide on the
    balance BEFORE adding any EQ or compression.

    Many times there are songs that have "The Fattest Bass In
    The World" in addition to "The Fattest Kick In The World" -
    recorded all on the same song.

    You need to have contrast in the bass frequencies to keep
    it from getting muddy. It has to be one or the other, not
    both.

    You need one instrument to handle the low lows, and the
    other instrument to handle the upper lows, so that each one
    is out of the other one's way - that way you won't end up
    with a muddy sounding low-end because each instrument is
    playing separate, but supporting roles without getting in
    the other ones way and not competing to fill out the
    low-end.

    Hope this one may be helpful now are in the future."

    Line6bassman
    This article was originally published in forum thread: Recording The Bass? Etc? started by line6bassman View original post
    Comments 12 Comments
    1. Elmeaux's Avatar
      Elmeaux -
      L6B is indeed the guru of recording. Thanks for this insightful contribution!
    1. line6bassman's Avatar
      line6bassman -
      In order to sell your originally recorded tunes in the past you had to have a recording company to get the music on the radio for you.
      You were tied to a contract, using their A&R people to select the material, and tied to a studio they approved with producers that they hired. Very little creative control stayed with the artist, until they reached the higher point in their career where their demands would be met by the label executives.
      Today’s music world is totally different. Although home recording has been around since use of the wire recorder in the 1950′s (before tape recording) you could only make demo quality recordings, and had a hard time sharing the music with anyone. Even the best home recordings often got no exposure at all.
      Now you can make a great sounding recording with all sorts of devices, from laptop computers running studio simulation software, to hand held digital recorders with multi-track functionality. You can mix the tracks down, master them and turn out a quality recording anywhere.
      Then in the greatest change to the music industry, you can upload the songs to the web, have them available to download for free, or post them to sites that will sell them for you. You can then get your royalties paid to an account you set up at minimal cost.
      The artist now has creative control, business control, and total involvement in the music from the start to the finished product. This is what music in the 21st century is all about.
    1. line6bassman's Avatar
      line6bassman -
      Speaking of Hand Held Recording devices. A friend of mine just bought one of these, I've thought about it a couple of times.
      One day soon he wants to show me how it works I'll let everyone know what I personal think.

      Line6bassman

    1. line6bassman's Avatar
      line6bassman -
      Hey guys I know I'm a little late on this but if you would like to join me right now at telesiminar where you can ask a question on your recordings come join in with me.
      It's 8:30 central now should last for another hour. If time allows and can get in you can ask your recording question. It's sounding good and very informative!! Hear ya there!!

      Line6bassman

      Title: Interview YOU
      Time:
      Thursday, May 31st at 6:00pm Pacific
      Listening method: Phone + Web Simulcast
      To attend, visit:
      http://InstantTeleseminar.com/?eventID=29873118

      Phone Number: (818) 742-0029
      Pin Code: 4384126#
    1. line6bassman's Avatar
      line6bassman -
      Something Funny!! I think? At the bottom of this page.

      Last nights teleseminar was simply great! Yet on simplicity of certain things that people do that make people remember
      your song for a life time that you record!! Just confirmed once again to me as a bass player that it's not always for the most part that you do some type of great solo that people remember ( for the most part ) but it's that great simple bass
      line riff in a song that HOOK UM FOR A LIFETIME!! Are any other simple instrument sounds that they may place in a song that hook you for a life time. Sort of like a lot of songs in this thread.
      http://www.thunderrow.com/showthread...ack-In-The-Day!!
      Although if I could change the name of this thread I would call it SIMPLE BASS RIFFS THE HOOK YOU FOR A LIFETIME!!
      Don't know if that can be done by Admin but if you could that would be great but not necessary As a matter of fact as I've been learning, lots of these hooks in song are not there by accident but are placed there in a song for that purpose
      by people who know what their doing to get you hooked. So now you know that.
      I don't usually recommend a book and I have not read it yet but I think I'm going to order it today. You can order it here.
      http://www.amazon.com/Hypnotic-Music.../dp/1460917804 Here's the description of it.

      "Hypnotic Music Secrets" is written by Grammy award-winning engineer/producer Khaliq Glover also known as Khaliq-O-Vision based on his vast experience of working with the world's top recording artists. Some of his clients include Michael Jackson, Prince, Herbie Han****, Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera, Marcus Miller, Jeffrey Osborne, and more. See how a young kid went from Pittsburgh's St. Clair Village Projects, and other poor neighborhoods, and was able to make his way to California and end up working side-by-side with the music industry's top elite recording artists. Khaliq explains why music is irresistible to everyone from around the world, no matter what language they speak, or what culture they come from. In this book you will learn some of the secrets used by the world's top recording artist to make their music irresistible. SOME OF THE THINGS YOU WILL LEARN… * The elements that make a song a hit * What advertising and the music industry have in common * Tips from interviews with recording legends * Lessons learned from Michael Jackson doing "We Are The World" * Why hip-hop is hypnotic * Why the vocal is always King (or Queen) * How subliminal suggestion is used in hit music * Resources to help further your music career

      OK, with all that said, now the funny part, ( I think ) I guess only something goofy like this can come from the
      line6bassman. On the teleseminar last night I proposed a question but not really a question but just a response
      to what I had heard though out the night about these things. So they read my response on the show so I put a little
      mp3 on the bottom of this page for you to hear it. I wish I could put the whole teleseminar up because to me it was great but I would have to get permission. Have a great recording life if that's what you do, like learning bass and anything else in life there's a lot to learn in this game but having a great time learning this field and bringing it to you.
      Again and a WOW!! It amazes me how the simplest things in life bring the most enjoyment in life!!
      For me I'm sure of that!!
      Attachment 2023
      Line6bassman

      PS. Let me know if the mp3 doesn't work for you?
    1. Elmeaux's Avatar
      Elmeaux -
      I missed the webinar (putting up an album review at the time).

      The Mp3 worked fine. Keep the great info coming! You're a fantastic resource on this topic!
    1. line6bassman's Avatar
      line6bassman -
      Since this is what I"ve been known to say, (Back in the day). I found this interesting in tricks of the recording game.
      Here's the question and answer.

      The Phenomenon Of Mastering Music With Increasing Loudness Is Known As What?

      Answer: Loudness War

      If you feel like music is becoming louder and lower quality sounding over time, you’re not simply imagining it or suffering from a “Back in my day…” moment. For almost four decades there has been a slow and steady push towards producing new (and remastering old) music to sound louder and louder while, as an unfortunate sound effect, reducing the quality of the sound itself.

      Although the introduction of the CD and digital mastering greatly accelerated the phenomenon, known informally as the “Loudness War”, examples of remastering for intensified loudness reach back into the days of records and 7″ singles. Back in the time of analog juke boxes, the individual singles were held on 7″ vinyl records. The jukebox almost always had a fixed volume, set by the owner of the establishment. Singles would be mastered to be “hotter” than the industry standards in order to really stand out against other singles in the jukebox. A “hot” record would get more playtime and catch the attention of the nearby patrons. The medium itself served as a limitation to how far the loudness of a given song could be pushed, and for a time the change was negligible.

      With the advent of CDs and digital playback, the physical restrictions were removed and audio engineers were able to push the envelope further. Consumers can easily test the creeping volumes in the loudness war by looking for old CDs of popular music at thrift stores and yard sales. Albums in released in the mid-1980s sound much softer and have a greater auditory range than remastered versions of those same songs by those same artists released later on.

      Attachment 2071


      Here's a reply by a guy named Larry, for all you Rush fans. Prime Example: Rush’s Worst Album Ever, Vapor Trails… This album has more compression than a stroked 509 on alcohol….


      Hope you enjoyed this little tidbit for today.

      Line6bassman
    1. Elmeaux's Avatar
      Elmeaux -
      Enjoyed it very much, as usual.

      BTW...I'm working on lowering some of the censoring standards around her so words such as C E L E R A and so on are not starred out. Stay tuned.
    1. line6bassman's Avatar
      line6bassman -
      Alright guys it's that time for another tip and a trick on the home recording trail today. This is something I learned
      awhile back ago that is so simple I tell my myself, why didn't I think of that? But I didn't. So lets dive right in here.

      TIP QUESTION.

      WHAT CAN I DO TO HELP ELIMINATE THE P'S, B'S AND S'S ETC BEFORE THEY START AND SUCH IN MY HOME RECORDING
      FOR MY VOCALS WHEN I DON'T HAVE A POP FILTER TO USE.

      TIP DISCRIPTION

      FIRST OFF I'm hoping you use a good or at least fairly good Condenser Mic for lead vocals if at all possible, their
      actually cheaper then Shure57's etc most of the time and are made specially for vocals, all tho you can go crazy here
      but don't if your just starting out unless you have money to burn. If you don't know what a condenser mic is they look like this- Attachment 2185 This is the mic I use, different model.
      Most people I'm sure when first starting out at this (just like I did) are going to set their mic up just like the mic here in the photo (straight up) and straight way in front of their mouth and depending on the power of the vocal part and vocal
      technique being used you might have problems with the B's etc sounds. If you do try this.

      HERE'S THE TIP- Try experimenting with the mic turned upside down where the top of the mic end is about even with your mouth. DUE TO THE NATURE OF THE WAY THE MOUTH IS SHAPED THE P'S ETC HAVE THE TENDENCY TO GO
      DOWNWARD. TRY THIS. PLACE YOUR HAND IN FRONT OF YOUR MOUTH WHERE THE TIPS OF YOUR FINGERS ARE ABOUT EVEN WITH YOUR MOUTH AND START MAKING THE P SOUNDS ETC AND YOU SHOULD FEEL THE SOUND PRESSURE ON
      YOUR HAND, RIGHT? NOW TURN YOUR HAND UPSIDE DOWN WITH THE TIPS OF YOUR FINGERS EVEN WITH YOUR
      MOUTH AND TRY THIS AGAIN. WHAT JUST HAPPENED? ALL MOST ALL OF THE PRESSURE IS GONE!!! ALTHOUGH THIS
      MAY NOT GET RID OF IT ALL, IT GETS RID OF IT BIG TIME AND IT DOES HELP!!

      NOW THE ARE YOU KIDDING ME? NO I'M NOT PART!!

      IF YOU STILL FEEL LIKE YOU ARE STILL IN NEED OF A POP FILTER, (AND CHEAP 2) GET YOURSELF
      A COAT HANGER AND SOME LADIES STOCKING!! AND THERE YOU GO!! POP FILTER!!

      ARE YOU KIDDING ME? NO I'M NOT

      Line6bassman

      HERE'S ANOTHER TIP ON THIS I JUST READ AN ARTICLE ON BUT NEVER TRIED BUT I'LL PUT IT HERE.

      RECORD ON LINE6BASSMAN

      It might sound strange if you haven’t tried it, but having a spare pencil and a rubber band or a piece of artist tape is yet another one of those practices that has saved me in recording sessions. When there’s a particularly aggressive vocalist and you have a lot of problems with P’s, B’s and air hitting the microphone diaphragm…. and you have no pop filter…. then it’s time for the famous pencil technique.

      The pencil as a pop filter. My saving grace. Take a regular old pencil and tape it to the outside of mic so that it is over the center of the diaphragm (of course, make sure the tape is NOT over the windscreen. Tape the bottom at the base of the mic so the pencil extends up over the diaphragm). It’s not big enough to significantly change the sound, and it essentially blocks a big chunk of air from hitting the center of the diaphragm. Some air will “wrap” around it, (and it looks sort of strange), but overall it can be a quick fix when you don’t have the time to teach the vocalist how to have good mic technique.
      If your sibilance is extremely bad, then consider trying a foam hat (afro) for the mic. They’re used much more for live, but this will do the most reduction on pops as well as the ssssessss. Just be very careful that you’re not losing too much other high-end frequencies that give the vocal sound character – lose those and the vocal will sound flat and lifeless.
    1. line6bassman's Avatar
      line6bassman -
      Doing a check here?
      Line6bassman
    1. Elmeaux's Avatar
      Elmeaux -
      More great advice from our home recording guru. Very expensive gear needed for this stuff...
    1. line6bassman's Avatar
      line6bassman -
      Quote Originally Posted by Elmeaux View Post
      More great advice from our home recording guru. Very expensive gear needed for this stuff...
      Glad you brought that up. Because what I was planning for this next time is why you should definitely NOT buy a lot of very expensive
      equipment!!?? It's like this, You can buy yourself a $15,000 bass and not know a note it's useless, and someone can buy a $5.00 bass
      and knows what to do with 2 notes in every song and somethings happening here!! That's what's coming next.

      Line6bassman
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