Members Nayland Posted December 28, 2007 Members Share Posted December 28, 2007 Having neglected my ear training for a while, I want to get back into transcribing songs from records. Problem is, though, that sometimes the bass can get easily buried. I'm mainly thinking of older jazz records with double bass, but it can happen with just about any other kind of music - especially if the recording is older. Is there any decent method of separating the bass line to any degree? For example, I notice that Winamp has a graphic EQ, maybe that would work with the right settings. Any ideas? I usually use mp3s rather than any sort of analog medium. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jazz Ad Posted December 28, 2007 Members Share Posted December 28, 2007 Typically I run the song in Audacity, compress heavily and boost lows. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rhat Posted December 28, 2007 Members Share Posted December 28, 2007 Having neglected my ear training for a while, I want to get back into transcribing songs from records. Problem is, though, that sometimes the bass can get easily buried. I'm mainly thinking of older jazz records with double bass, but it can happen with just about any other kind of music - especially if the recording is older. Is there any decent method of separating the bass line to any degree? For example, I notice that Winamp has a graphic EQ, maybe that would work with the right settings. Any ideas? I usually use mp3s rather than any sort of analog medium. Start with the root chord change notes and get those down ,,,, then go for the bass line. It will narrow down things and make that bass line easier to find. rat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members countrybass Posted December 28, 2007 Members Share Posted December 28, 2007 Man, I don't know of anyway other than how I do it. I always put whatever I'm learning whether it was a record or a cd onto a cassette tape. That way I can go back and forth until I get all the notes. Or at least really close. I'm sure there are better ways, but that how I've been doing it for 30 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DevilRaysFan Posted December 28, 2007 Members Share Posted December 28, 2007 Something I do occasionally is try to find a real good free MIDI file (Theres a billion free MIDIs on the net) of the song and either (A) solo the bass track and learn the part by ear or (B) quantize it (if needed) and print the sheet music.... Now, granted, a MIDI file is some programmer's interpretation of the part(s) but some of these are really accurate ( Its a weeding process) and have helped me learn many parts in the past........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Nayland Posted December 29, 2007 Author Members Share Posted December 29, 2007 Typically I run the song in Audacity, compress heavily and boost lows. Hey that's not a bad idea, thanks. I used to have one of those Ibanez bassman dealies, where you could put a cassette in, slow it down, boost the lows, etc. Those were the days! It's long gone though, but this should do the trick. Thanks all for the suggestions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members someotherguy Posted December 29, 2007 Members Share Posted December 29, 2007 I'm not the best at this, but I just usually play the CD and use my stereo's 5 band EQ and/or bass boost. I like Jazz & DRF's ideas a lot though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Giddry Posted December 29, 2007 Members Share Posted December 29, 2007 +1 to the Audacity suggestion. I've done this and it works pretty well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Derek5272 Posted December 29, 2007 Members Share Posted December 29, 2007 I guess I'm old fashioned. I spend an obscene amount of time playing, stopping, backing up, and playing again until I've learned every part. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Nayland Posted December 29, 2007 Author Members Share Posted December 29, 2007 I guess I'm old fashioned. I spend an obscene amount of time playing, stopping, backing up, and playing again until I've learned every part. Oh, I do plenty of stopping and backing up, but there's a difference between trying to transcribe, say, a Geddy Lee bass line (which is usually fairly easy to hear) and trying to transcribe a Percy Heath or Ray Brown bass line that was recorded in some nightclub. Anything that makes hearing the bass easier will minimize the stopping and backing up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Hanky Posted December 29, 2007 Members Share Posted December 29, 2007 i use winamp + pacemaker plugin - with winamp i turn down the mid/high freqs - with pacemaker i put the whole song 1 octave higher and slow it down (without changing the pitch) this is a efective and free solution. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members frunobulax Posted December 28, 2013 Members Share Posted December 28, 2013 nothing interesting here. it was a smarmy reply to a spambot, but the spambot has been returned to the ether from which he came (or the MF cube from which he posts). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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