Bass sounding fuzzy

[Sheepdog81]

I'm not much of a bass player, or technical. More a songwriter who uses bass, so bear with me. I've had a Squier Jazz bass for about a decade and the same strings are on it. However, this is not a recent problem - My bass really fuzzes when I play any of the strings. I'll list my equipment underneath, but I detected the fuzz (though less apparent) when I owned a bass amp too (which I sold a few years ago). I've provided a sample here...https://www.dropbox.com/home?preview=Bass+problem.mp3

Does anyone know if this is a common or simple problem - is it just a case of the strings being badly put on, or the bridge too low to the fretboard? I thought I'd try here before I strip it down or seek help from a shop or something.

 

(I connect Bass to a Ultra-g G100 Di box via phone lead, which feeds in to a Behringer 1222fx mixer via XLR and I use a behringer UCA 200 interface to connect to laptop.)

[Sheepdog81]

Sorry, that last link did not work, here is the bass sample... https://www.dropbox.com/s/tssc9fpv4656qcf/Bass%20problem.mp3?dl=0

[WRGKMC]

I'm not hearing any electronic distortion. It may be the pickups are too close to the strings. you do have allot of drive. You're not using the best setup for recording either. That's probably why the bass sounds so muddy.

 

Original strings for 10 Years? Man, I get maybe 3~6 months max out of any strings made strings before they start sounding stale. Don't you think you got your moneys worth out of that $25 set of strings? If they were the original strings that came on the bass they are garbage to begin with.

I wouldn't even suggest checking anything else till you replace them. Be sure you use the same gauge too or you'll develop other issues when you change them.

 

Old strings can have notches at the frets which cause fret buzz and damages the frets. Another possible issue the pickup magnets being too close to the strings can pull the strings down and cause fret buzz. Third a neck being dead flat or back bowed can cause issues too. When you get new strings, try holding the first and last fret down on each strings, then pluck the string at the 9th fret. (use a capo on the 1st fret if needed) The strings should just clear all other frets. If the string frets out completely, then you have no relief. You would only need to tweak the truss a little. You mark the truss with a felt tipped marker before you make any changes so you know exactly where you started then tweak it no more then 1/8 turn at a time counter clockwise, then play the bass for a week and let the neck settle. Then try the test I just mentioned again till all strings just clear the fretboard.

 

 

** Note: Don't try this with old strings or you'll get a false evaluation. You're using the strings as a straight edge and old strings get bent at the frets.

 

Next check your pickup height. With the last fret held down, you should have 8/64ths on the low side between the bottom of the string and the pickup and 6/64ths on the high side. Overall string height may be off too. This adjustment needs to be done in conjunction with the Truss adjustment because on affects the other.

 

The owners guide shows you all of these adjustments in detail. http://support.fender.com/manuals/instruments/Fender_BassGuitars_manual_(2011)_English.pdf Read it carefully so you know what you're doing. Again, don't try anything until you have new strings on there and they have been broken in. New strings will tend to buzz a bit till they settle in. You may want to take it in and have a pro set it up for you. Having a good setup is the key to getting good recordings. Its much more critical then playing live because speakers mask many of the small imperfections.

 

 

For recording I suggest you get a amp emulated preamp to record with and dump the DI and Mixing board. I have a DI and Behringer mixer and they don't yield very good results. You want the bass to sound like you're playing through an actual amp, try one of these and plug it straight into your interface. http://www.musiciansfriend.com/amplifiers-effects/vox-stomplab-ib-modeling-bass-effect-processor?cntry=us&source=3WWRWXGP&gclid=CIzgg92gu8wCFZJlfgodthcLvQ&kwid=productads-adid^92666429427-device^c-plaid^140859264741-sku^H93382000000000@ADL4MF-adType^PLA

 

Once you learn how to use it you can choose a variety of different amp and cab combinations and they sound as realistic as you're going to get recording direct, and you wont have to use a bunch or plugins trying to make the bass sound realistic in the daw program either. There are others too. I have tried many over the 40 years I been recording but I can say I've gotten fantastic results with that little box and when you consider the price it cant be beat.

[Sheepdog81]

Thank you for this amazing response, I did not get a notification in my aol inbox, so did not think anyone had responded. I left the bass alone for a couple of weeks. I shall have to get this stomplab you have recommended. Though my interface does not accommodate 1/4 leads, so I guess its time to get a long overdue new interface.

 

I will buy new strings now and follow your advice when setting them up and let you know how I get on. Thanks again WRG.

 

 

[Sheepdog81]

If I got a Focusrite 2i2 interface. Would that be a good interface to plug the stomplab in to?

[Sheepdog81]

If I got a Focusrite 2i2 interface. Would that be a good interface to plug the stomplab in to?

Argh, just realised the 2 XLR input doesn't have a 1/4 input either. I'm not sure how to go around doing this, I'm so not technically minded. Ah, the 6i6 seems to accommodate my needs better.

[onelife]

The Focusrite Scarlette 2i2 has combination XLR/TRS jacks for inputs so it is indeed possible to plug 1/4" connectors into it.

[Sheepdog81]

The Focusrite Scarlette 2i2 has combination XLR/TRS jacks for inputs so it is indeed possible to plug 1/4" connectors into it.

My word, you learn something new every day. I never knew such an input which could host both leads existed! I wondered why it looked different from a typical XLR shape. Well, that will save me a few quid!

[Sheepdog81]

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/amplifiers-effects/vox-stomplab-ib-modeling-bass-effect-processor?cntry=us&source=3WWRWXGP&gclid=CIzgg92gu 8wCFZJlfgodthcLvQ&kwid=productads-adid^92666429427-device^c-plaid^140859264741-sku^H93382000000000@ADL4MF-adType^PLA

 

Well I bought the stomplab, but I had to order the bass strings, so waiting on them. I also bought the focusrite 2i2 which I am having a predictable meltdown over, because I'm having technical problems galore and its making me want to go out and commit mass murder. Therefore, I will likely post those particular problems in another area of the forum should I not be able to sort the problems myself.

 

Anyway, for now, just one of the relevant problems I'm having regarding this thread is this - I reckon that through direct monitoring the 2i2, the bass is NOT playing fuzzy, or at least the A D and G strings aren't. The jury is out on the E string - still sounding like previous, though not quite as bad. I am however experiencing remittent sound interference. My vocal condenser mic seems fine through the device. But the bass - which seems fine when initially plugged in - quickly begins to suffer from differing types of electrical noise (I've tried different cables). I don't know how much this has to do with the laptop and the problems I'm having there (its connected via USB, but again I am listening through headphones on the device, not through the laptop). I guess my question is - Is it normally ok to plug the bass directly in to the focusrite and expect a clean signal? I went on to Youtube and watched an excellent bass player plug his straight into the same device with great results I have been somewhat reluctant to open the stomplab, as I was initially pleased with the sound of the direct bass to 2i2 and I have guitar rig 5 which could do the job... having gone over budget a little recently (just bought an acoustic guitar too) I have considered returning the stomplab. I will very likely open it however. I was just wondering, would it sort out the interference between bass and interface? I know its probably hard to say without knowing other factors such as what is happening on my laptop atm.

 

*update - just put the DI box between the bass and 2i2. Improved the signal, but still unacceptable interference, which you can hear here. https://soundcloud.com/crackadorrecords/noise-test-2 (I have absolutely no idea why it is only recording in one ear on cubase - plays in both on device).

[Sheepdog81]

I've sorted my interface out, so bass is going through both speakers and with the correct drivers in place, the bass is sounding better, but still not good enough. When I plug my electric guitar either through the DI box, or directly in to the interface, it has an acceptable silence to it. I do get one of the same types of interference as with the bass, but not the same variety of noise. I do wonder if I'm having problems inside the bass. I'm wondering now if I have a friend who I can borrow a bass off to test it.

[isaac42]

Definitely test it with a known good bass. Also test the bass on a known good system.

[WRGKMC]

Hum - Does this electrical noise sound like harsh static or popping?

 

If so this may be a buffer issue with your DAW setup.

 

A DAW uses buffers when you record which temporarily store the data. Think of the buffers as a gas tank.

The CPU draws data from the gas tank and processes it then writes it to the disk. Think of this as the engine.

 

If the buffers (latency) is set too small the engine (CPU) sucks the gas tank (buffers) dry and it sputters.

What you wind up with is popping and cracks which sound like electrical noise.

 

Within your DAW program And/or the driver settings you should have some settings to increase the buffer size and or the latency.

Cant tell you exactly where you'll find the settings because each DAW and set of interface drivers are different. You can usually find the setting in most DAW under audio settings or options. You can check your manuals too. Most manuals should have a chapter on setting buffers and latency.

 

Most interface drivers should set up the optimal settings for the computer when you install them. Check your computer specs against both the DAW and interface specs too. Many new USB interfaces require you to run a Dual Core processor with a minimum amount of memory. If you use a laptop

and only have one drive, check the drive speed. older laptops only had 5400 rpm drives which cant record the data fast enough.

 

Then you have the issues with optimizing a computer to record well. You have hardware settings that can be changed, things like CPU throttling and software and services running in the background which may be hogging your temp memory which is causing the DAW to run low on resources.

 

You can google up "Optimizing a computer for recording Audio" and find all the tips you need. I have them all memorized but Its very involved and my posts are lengthy enough as it is.

 

You can also visit a site called "Black Viper" and optimize windows to get maximum performance as well.

 

Ideally you want to have a Desktop with two or more internal drives as a DAW. Dual or quad core processor and the maximum 4G memory for a 32 bit system. The main drive is for running your programs. The second drive is set up to record your wave files. The key with this system is, the main drive is set up to run fast and lean. No programs you don't use on a weekly basis. The wave file drive is separate. It doesn't get fragmented by your main operating system drive.

 

With two drives you have two independent sets of hard drive heads working at the same time. When you try and do everything on a single drive the streaming audio too and from the drive get constantly interrupted any time the CPU needs to do something. (This is the reason for buffered memory, the data has to wait till the information can continue on its trip too and from the drive)

 

Bass guitar for some reason takes allot of processing power. I often get pops and clicks if I try and record the tracks at higher gain levels.

Again it does sound like an electrical issue but its really a latency issue. The CPU is going to try and draw data from the buffers at a high speed.

If the buffer is too small for the incoming data from the interface to build up - the CPU will suck the memory dry and leave gaps in the string of numbers. This sounds like the signal is cutting out but its simply lost data.

 

I have found, you can often have the best settings possible and still get this digital noise when recording bass. It is most prevalent with the low notes that require the most power to generate and create the highest transients.

 

There are some things you can do that might eliminate the problem without making any other changes.

 

First, turn your recording gain down. Have your meters peaking no more then 50% in the green around -16 ~ -20db.

Second, you can try backing your pickup height down. Currently I have most of my bass pickups adjusted between 3 to 5mm below the string with the string held down at the last fret. You can even use the DAW recording meter to compare the output of your high and low strings.

 

The low strings will always be hotter then the high string but you don't want to set the gain for the high string then have your low E string peaking in the red zone. If a single transient hits 0db you'll get static in the recording. You may not see the meters go that high because they occur too quickly for the meters to see them.

 

You can always record a lower level signal then Normalize it up to around -6db later if it isn't loud enough for mixing purposes. you have a huge amount of headroom recording digital so use it,. If you track with headphones you may need to crank them up to compensate for the lower tracking level being used. If you have low sensitivity headphones even that may not be enough and you may need to get a better headphone amp or more sensitive headphones. I use AKG headphones and they don't do too good with my Interfaces headphone amp, Instead I use the headphone jack of a Hi Fi stereo which I also use for checking mixes along with my studio monitors..

 

I normally track bass through those big Hi Fi cabs too. I simply flip a switch to kick the Hi fi amp on and use it to monitor the mix so I can hear the lows good and not blow out my studio monitors. Makes it comfortable to track.

[onelife]

I should have asked this earlier - does your bass have a battery in it?

[onelife]

All the more reasons to use a Mac for recording music. They are far less complicated to setup and you can keep your head in the music. Not everyone can do the left-brain right-brain switch as effortlessly as some do.

 

With a Mac it really is as simple as plug and play - great for songwriters who are not technically minded.

[Sheepdog81]

Hum - Does this electrical noise sound like harsh static or popping?...

 

Thank you for your detailed response. I am lucky enough to have had my dad and brother set up my laptop for me, as they are both are both dab hands with computer hardware, so I am assured in general I have a good set-up. However, once I have done the bass test (I've arranged to take my equipment up to a friend's house in a few days, so I can use his bass), if there is no success, then I will get in to the technicalities you have outlined, some of those points do sound ominously familiar with the sound I'm getting with bass plugged in. I will keep you posted next week.

 

And Onelife, you did ask me about the battery, but no it doesn't have one. Its a Squier vintage jazz bass incidentally.