how do you get tight and loose bass tones?

[mbengs1]

in my boss br-800 digital recorded, i can get different bass tones using the effects in the recorder. there's two basic sounds i use, one called 'tight bass' and the other called 'loose bass'. to my ears, loose bass sounds like van halen's 'for unlawful carnal knowledge' album as compared the tighter sounding 'balance' album. how do you achieve these two sounds? is it from the amp? pedals? pickups?

[WRGKMC]

The definition you use of tight vs loose probably isn't the best description words to use.

 

As far as the effect goes its first and foremost a playing technique followed by the proper coloration to highlight it.

Since many players can get this effect recording direct amplification isn't a big factor unless you're talking about live events or recording a live amp.

 

Tight bass sounds come from tight playing and quick finger stops. If you play bass with a pick you can get somewhat close deadening the string with the side palm of your hand resting on the strings close to the bridge when picking notes. You use the side of your hand to dampen the strings and produce a sharp pluck sound and absorb the sustain quickly. This creates sharp transients with silence between the notes.

 

A finger player picks and stops notes with his fingers for short durations instead of letting the strings sustain between the plucks. unlike using a guitar pick, this can be done anyplace on the strings to find the best tones.

 

Afterwards its simply a matter of EQing to highlight the picking tones. A bump in the 8K and 2.5K regions usually bring out the finger tones on bass guitars but it will depend on the instrument and mix.

 

For what you call loose bass tones its simply letting strings sustain between plucking them and not giving the strings any sharp attacks, or highlighting those attacks using an EQ.

 

Again, its mostly playing technique that takes a long time to develop. I'd also add slap bass tines can sound like tight tones too. That's just a matter of slapping the strings against the fret board to create sharp tones then brightening the tone to highlight them. Really good players often combine techniques. A good slap player can slap and stop his note durations very effectively. Its one technique I've never developed myself, Guess it reminded me of Disco too much, a music genre that tried to replace rock music but being a guitarist I was the limited guitar riffs Disco contained bored me silly even though there were many great bass riffs happening.

[Phil O'Keefe]

Don't forget the tonal changes you can achieve with compression too. With the right settings you can de-emphasize the attack and accentuate the sustain ("loose" or "round" bass tones) or do the opposite ("tight") and that, along with EQ and instrument / pickup selection, should get you most of the way there.

[isaac42]

In high fidelity circles, you'll often hear people refer to "fast" or "tight" bass. Usually this means rolling off the low end response, starting fairly high. A flat response down to 80 or 100 Hz, then a fairly gentle roll off below that gives what is often called fast, tight bass. Then there's what is sometimes called boomy bass, or even (one of my favorite terms) "flubby" bass. This is caused by a resonant peak in the midbass region, usually around 80-120Hz.

 

I don't know what your tight and loose settings sound like, but they might be related to these frequency responses.

[DeepEnd]

In high fidelity circles' date=' you'll often hear people refer to "fast" or "tight" bass. Usually this means rolling off the low end response, starting fairly high. A flat response down to 80 or 100 Hz, then a fairly gentle roll off below that gives what is often called fast, tight bass. . . .[/quote']

Back when I was into high fidelity equipment, "fast" or "tight" bass typically involved perceived quick transient response, in which notes would start and decay rapidly. Of course, this assumed the listener knew what the original sounded like.

[1001gear]

Interesting the concept applies to both the front and back ends.

[isaac42]

Back when I was into high fidelity equipment' date=' "fast" or "tight" bass typically involved perceived quick transient response, in which notes would start and decay rapidly. Of course, this assumed the listener knew what the original sounded like.[/quote']

Yeah, that's the perception. Measurements support my assertion.

[mbengs1]

the bass effects i use are in my recorded. it converts my guitar sound to a bass sound (2 octaves lower) but it can be 'loose' or 'tight'. the loose sound sounds cooler and bassier while the tight sound seems to have more mids. i dunno if that makes sense.

[WRGKMC]

Sounds like you're using an octave device which has its own set of adjustments. I have an old Boss unit that has two settings for creating octaves/pitches which could be considered Tight and Loose. It affects how quickly the not locks to an internal pitch generator. It does affect the sound but doesn't affect the string dynamics in any of the ways we've been explaining up till now.

 

Pitch shifters use a pitch generator and the guitar strings trigger these notes to be produced. There's a delay between the time the note is plucked and when the circuit detects and locks this pitch generator in. In my case the unit has two settings. One locks and releases quickly and is designed for higher pitched instruments. The other will lock in slowly and is designed for lower pitched instruments.

 

I have no idea what unit you're using. Your settings and why they sound different should be in your manual and it should explain what the unit is actually doing. You may want to read it so you have a better grasp on your own gear and settings.

 

If its that Digitec pedal you've spoken of here before, I have a similar pedal with the same pitch shifter.

I can tell you this right off, a pitch shifter isn't a very good substitute for a real bass. Some have gotten very good but the guitar strings simply haven't got the mass bass strings so. Pitch shifters can sound OK for adding voices when 50% or less of the normal string tone is mixed with the triggered voice but notes don't always lock properly and can be very glitchy and synthetic sounding.

 

A midi pickup and synth unit can be allot better. The midi voices are much more realistic sounding because they are stored in the computer and the strings trigger commands to produce these voices the same way keyboards do. Of course a midi setup lets you choose any instrument or voice to be produced.

 

Cost wise you're simply better off just buying a good used bass. You want the real thing get the real thing.

[Perfessor]

I had a girlfriend like that once.

[isaac42]

Could be tight or loose?

[Perfessor]

One way in some area and another way in another area....

[Phil O'Keefe]

Actually, electric bass is only one octave lower than electric guitar.

[WRGKMC]

A tight, loose girlfriend or a loose, tight girlfriend?

 

The title of this thread does suggest a GI condition involving low frequency Tuba Tones.

In that case its a matter of how tight your lips are. .

 

How do you get tight and loose bass tones?

[Perfessor]

Exactly!

[EllenThornton]

It was a difficult concept for me to understand. But in music lesson it was explained in a simple manner.

[mbengs1]

To help point out, on van halen records For Unlawful Carnal knowledge and Balance,the two bass sounds in each is different. For Unlawful sounds bassier a looser, while in balance the bass is tighter and less boomy.