Create a "Virtual Bass Rack" for Faster Recording

Speed Up Workflow when Recording Bass by Creating a Virtual Bass Rack Track Template

By Craig Anderton

Certain processors/track setting combinations have become my “go to” starting point for recording bass with DAW software. It used to be necessary to create these settings from scratch for each project, but now most DAWs let you create and save Track Templates (also called Track Presets) that remember effects and control settings—like a “virtual effects rack.” One such program is Cakewalk Sonar; we’ll show how to create a “virtual bass rack” template in Sonar, although the same principle applies to other DAWs, such as Steinberg Cubase.

FIRST, GET IN TUNE 

Insert a tuner as the first plug-in for your virtual rack - but note that some chromatic tuners are designed for guitar, and can’t deal with the bass’s low A and E strings. If so, play harmonics on those two strings, and (assuming your intonation is correct) tune to them. With Sonar, turn on “Input Echo” for the tuner (Fig. 1) or the signal won’t go to the tuner. Also, note that in Sonar, enabling the tuner mutes the track signal.

Fig, 1: Sonar’s tuner plug-in works with both guitar and bass.

WHY YOUR TEMPLATE NEEDS TWO TRACKS 

A Sonar Track Template can contain multiple tracks. This is important for bass because you almost always want to retain the low end; applying an effect like wa in series with the bass thins out the sound—but applying it in parallel “overlays” the wa effect on top of a solid bottom. So, the secondary track is used mostly to layer effects. 

When recording, record into both tracks simultaneously. If you’re processing an existing track, copy it into the second track so you have two identical, parallel audio tracks.

MULTIBAND COMPRESSION FOR BASS 

On the main track, a Multiband Compressor follows the Tuner (Fig. 2) because it serves as both a compressor and, if you adjust the various bands’ levels, an equalizer. I use lots of compression in the lowest band (under 200Hz or so), with light compression in the lower mids so that the bass doesn’t compete too much with more “midrangey” instruments like piano and guitar, and fairly heavy compression in the upper mids to bring out pick noise. (This allows more latitude when mixing the bass in relation to the kick, as pick transients make the bass “speak” better if the two instruments compete.)

Fig, 2: The complete virtual bass rack in Sonar.

During mixdown, you can tweak the high and low ends easily by adjusting individual bands in the multiband compressor - you may not even need standard track EQ. 

Sonar’s multiband compressor includes a limiter function. Enable this under the “Common” tab to affect all bands; this will trap strong transients (great for slap bass), and can bring up levels of individual bands to “push” the limiter for a more squashed sound - without having to vary the band’s compression controls.

THE FX TRACK 

The second track contains several effects, but I rarely use them all. The first effect is a wa, because if you use envelope-followed wa, it wants to “see” a signal with maximum dynamics. Next is a compressor, which serves as an effect. While the multiband compressor in the other track provides more traditional, transparent dynamics control that preserves bass transients, the compressor can mix a heavily squashed signal in with the main track. This provides a ringing, sustained effect when used subtly. 

Distortion is good for “grit,” and Sonar’s TL64 Tube Leveler effect is a good choice. However, as this adds “crunch” more than heavy-duty distortion, I typically follow it by a lowpass EQ to trim the distortion’s high end. Native Instruments’ Guitar Rig 4, the final effect in the chain, serves as a sort of “universal” effect because no matter what I want to layer on the bass, odds are Guitar Rig can do it.

LET’S MIX! 

The final advantage of this approach is the ability to mix the two tracks independently. Use automation to bring in the crunch track during the big chorus, and pull it back for the verse...tempo-sync effects parameters to the host tempo for a tight rhythm section...you get the idea. Best of all, because you’re starting from a template, you’ll get to the mixing stage much faster.

Craig Anderton is Editor Emeritus of Harmony Central. He has played on, mixed, or produced over 20 major label releases (as well as mastered over a hundred tracks for various musicians), and written over a thousand articles for magazines like Guitar Player, Keyboard, Sound on Sound (UK), and Sound + Recording (Germany). He has also lectured on technology and the arts in 38 states, 10 countries, and three languages.