Help with bass tone

[Troll1337]

Hey guys. So far I'm loving my Helix, but I have kind of hit a snag regarding my bass tone. Pretty much anything I do currently results in a very boomy bass tone. I've been trying for so many hours but to no avail. I've tried using both stock cabs and IRs of bass cabs.

 

The bass tone that I am trying to get is one similar to this: https://youtu.be/91eo0NXIsgQ#t=22m58s

(If the clip does not start at the correct time, it's ~22 minutes and 58 seconds in.)

 

It seems to me there is a big dip around 100-200Hz in that bass tone, but when I try to cut our frequencies around there my bass tone just sounds thin. I am also having difficulties getting those pronounced higher mid frequencies.

 

In short: could somebody help me get a bass tone similar to the one shown in the clip? Whether it's a tip on amp, cab, eq, comp - I'll try it. If someone even makes a CustomTone, that would be much appreciated.

[duncann]

Not too sure about the particular bass tone you're after as I'm usually after a cleaner, more defined tone. I also have an extaordinarily difficult time with bass tones myself, regardless of the modeling device. It drives me nuts. But a suggestion that might help would be to first settle on a cab/mic or dual cab/mic combo and then add a Cali Q Graphic EQ after the cab(s). Try cranking up the 6600Hz band, cutting the 750Hz band, and increasing the 80Hz band slightly. Adjust the other bands to add in or take out by experimenting. This should provide a scooped tone - that's the most prominent feature that jumps out at me from the video - and maybe a good starting point.

[roscoe5]

Try pulling the bass cabs down to a second parallel path and let some of the amp directly through.  You can mix the balance at the signal split.  This simulates a DI out from the back of a bass amp, mixed with the mic'd cab.

 

I find that a single path through only the bass cabs is a little muddy for my taste.

[Troll1337]

@duncann @roscoe5 Thanks a bunch for your suggestions! The Cali EQ managed to scoop out some mids/lows, which got me to a good starting point! Then the routing solved a LOT of the boominess (I'm at A66 at the moment, A being the channel without a speaker emulation).

 

I routed the bass like this:

Deluxe Comp > Parametric EQ > GK800Preamp (or whatever the name is...) > Cali EQ > 3-4 Parametric EQs, all of them targeting different specific frequencies with varying Qs in the lows/low mids

---> (next DSP) 3 Red Squeeze Pedals in succession, all with the same settings: 1.0 sensitivity, 50% mix and 6.0db level

 

I found all the frequencies I wanted to cut by listening through REAER and having an EQ with a very narrow Q that I singled out the frequencies with.

 

Now I finally have that growling low end and high mids without the boominess! Next up on my list will be getting a Darkglass Pedal... That'll probably elevate the tone to new heights!

 

Again, thanks!

[aepoc]

This info will be very helpful to me too.  Thanks all!

[duncann]

I forgot to mention that if you use the Cali Graphic EQ after a cab for boosting the low end, it's probably a good idea to decrease the bass control on the amp. I find that the Cali EQ provides a less muddy, flabby, boomy, pick your word, low end than an amp generally does. It works good for guitar too, not just bass. I'm really glad Line 6 decided to make an effect block out of this EQ from the Mark IV amp when they added that amp in a recent update.

[Troll1337]

I forgot to mention that if you use the Cali Graphic EQ after a cab for boosting the low end, it's probably a good idea to decrease the bass control on the amp. I find that the Cali EQ provides a less muddy, flabby, boomy, pick your word, low end than an amp generally does. It works good for guitar too, not just bass. I'm really glad Line 6 decided to make an effect block out of this EQ from the Mark IV amp when they added that amp in a recent update.

I actually went the other way around. I found that 240 and 750 were really boomy frequencies with my bass guitar, so I cut some of them out and left the 80Hz parameter alone, which made it possible for me to raise the bass parameter on the Preamp slightly. :)

[duncann]

I actually went the other way around. I found that 240 and 750 were really boomy frequencies with my bass guitar, so I cut some of them out and left the 80Hz parameter alone, which made it possible for me to raise the bass parameter on the Preamp slightly. :)

 

Glad you got something working for yourself. I really like this Cali EQ cause it allows me to turn the EQ on my bass off and still get very similar results, and without the headache of trying to remember where I turned the knobs on the bass because I usually forget to write that bit of info down. Plus no more guessing when the battery is dying.

[MakeItShredNo1]

Guitar mixes are very nearly always 100% include the amp and cab - it's not normal to talk about a guitar mix that includes the dry signal. But bass mixes very often include the direct signal, the preamp before the speaker, and a cab mic'ed up - all blended together.