Technique... maybe

[januaryscar]

So i re recorded my bass yesterday for my bands upcoming release.

Here's the deal. In order for the bass to be more present in the mix, i recorded with a boosted midrange.

However, in doing this, the bass sounded 'clanky'.

Is this because i am picking on maple fretboard? Will switching to a rosewood one solve this?

Or is it plain and simply my technique?

BTW, after turning down the tone knob on my bass, this clanky-ness was eliminated, but the bass's growl and definition suffered.

[bassplayinguy]

i think its more of an EQing thing, you can probably get rid of some of the clankyness by removing some of the mids, your sutdio engineer should know how to do this.

[phatster]

You need to use soft felt pick and eq to taste.

[sunburstbasser]

I think that a lot of clankiness comes from technique mostly. I find that when I play more across the string, it clanks a bit less. When my fingers make a more up/down motion, there is more clank.

 

If I pick closer to the bridge, and with a lighter attack, it seems to clank less. Try it yourself.

[januaryscar]

Yeah i did all of the above...

i think i ll get a rosewood fretboard ed bass fo our next recording. I want one anyways.

[bassplayer7770]

Did you try it without the mids boosted? My bass usually sits pretty well in a mix with the EQ set flat.

[bnyswonger]

It's got a whole lot more to do with your technique and setup than the fingerboard material...

[Archon_113]

You may want to try lowering the mids and boosting the low mids instead.