Bass Guitar Simulator??
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Posted on Dec 14, 2009 06:18 am
skeg0
www.dorian-music.co.uk
Member Since: Apr 04, 2008
hello,
Ive always struggled with getting a good bass guitar sound - mostly with it suddenly booming really loudly at certain frequencies. This is after trying to find the frequencies to reduce them, and by going from bass guitar, through my elec guitar processor to compress the sound, and then into ampeg svx amp simulation.. still not as perfect as I would like. Then I just thought, are there any decent bass simulation programs around? Kind of like bfd/ezdrummer etc, but with bass guitar sounds? I have a midi controller keyboard but have only really experienced old midi gm bass guitar samples which are probably (hopefully) outdated by now!
Does anyone have any solutions for this via software as opposed to hardware?
Cheers!
rory
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Dematrixhttp://www.reverbnation.com/2ndgMember
Since: Nov 27, 2007
Dec 14, 2009 07:15 am hey mate,
Pod Farm is the go.
Seems to be going mad around the traps.
its guitar, bass, and also has some awesmoe vocal presets (effects) too.
same sorta thing as EZ and BFD but guitar and bass amps, FX like pedals, gates, compressors etc. and all the amps you could ever need simulated from the originals, like Mesa and marshall etc.
i bought Pod Farm Platinum and think it the best thing since sliced bread.
cruxTypo SzarMember
Since: Jul 04, 2002
Dec 14, 2009 07:24 am I think skeg means more of an actual electronic insturment he can program a bass into so that he doesnt have to play a bass at all, even though really playing a bass direct into an amp model would probably remedy most of the stuff said in the post
in terms of actual VSTi's though there r a ton now that do quite adequately. I dont know which ones off the top of my head, but the big brands like Edirol and such never lose.
The newer samples r light years ahead of the old GM stuff and if programmed well (just like EZ drummer) r hard to seperate from the real deal.
Dec 14, 2009 09:19 am Ya its really a matter of choice. If you have a good, versatile bass and the skills needed to play it well, i'd definitely consider podfarm platinum. It will help with the guitar and vocals tremendously as well. Its really surprising how good this thing sounds!
If you are really set on a bass VSTi however, there are certainly some good ones out there that i've seen. I believe the one that comes from native instruments was impressive. There were a few others i saw on youtube though. I might look into it for you later tonight if i have time. I like working with midi. Its nice to have a piece of music that is totally fluid so when you realize "hey, that bassline sounds like total complete dog sh*t!) you can fix it at the click of a button. No worries about playing out of time either.
But ya, i'd seriously consider podfarm if you have a decent bass. I mean the VSTi's will sound just as good, better even if your bass is a $150 squire pile of crap ;] But when it comes to bass i do personally like getting into the grove, and you might be surprised at how good the guitar and vocal processing is as well. It could turn your home studio upside down in terms of quality.
Whats the price range here btw?
skeg0www.dorian-music.co.ukMember
Since: Apr 04, 2008
Dec 14, 2009 11:37 am thanks for the response guys,
yeah i was originally talking about synthesized sounds. Does that mean pod farm would be better than the amp modelling in ampeg svx?? If so then i will definitely give it a bash. I can play bass pretty well so thats not a problem.. It is a Samick bass, dont know much about it and dont know how much it cost when it was bought by my sister about 10 years ago - I did think it was pretty decent though. Its quite nice to play so I wouldnt have thought it was as low as "squire" standard!
havent really thought price range yet.. couple hunderd pounds/dollars?
Dec 14, 2009 11:42 am Expensive basses sometimes sound bad, cheap one's sometimes sound good, it's a crapshoot.
When you record it, do you do it via DI or mic an amp or what (sorry if you've already said this info). Compression can sometimes toughen up a bass sound, and old strings can sometimes really make problems with some notes, depending on the room and it's tuning...so new strings may help too.
skeg0www.dorian-music.co.ukMember
Since: Apr 04, 2008
Dec 14, 2009 11:54 am I tried going through a DI box which didnt really help me as I needed a compressor before going into my desk. I got a better sound putting it through my guitar effects processor (zoom gfx 8) and using the compressor on it before going straight into my desk and then using ampeg svx for amp modelling. I dont have a decent bass amp so I think this is the only way I can go.. Oh i have recently found myself with a Kustom KBA16 watt bass amp - which I have never used. but I assume its crap?
Dec 14, 2009 12:00 pm Ya never know until you try...I rarely knock something just cuz of the size, name or whatever...gotta try it...I had one crappy little Roland bass amp once...the speaker sucked, but it had a nice little preamp I pulled out, put into a rack unit and racked in my gear cuz I liked the sound.
Ya just never know.
TadpuiI am not a crook's headMember
Since: Mar 14, 2003
Dec 14, 2009 01:12 pm Try going direct into whatever preamp you're recording through and add compression later in software. I've always been pretty satisfied with the results of doing this. Any time I've tried using a stomp box compressor on the way in to my sound card, it's come out hard to control in the mix, booming at certain frequencies like you said.
When you add compression in software, you gain the ability to adjust it without having to redo the take. You can tweak all of the compression parameters and EQ till it sounds right.
Also, if your mix is booming at certain frequencies, it could be a matter of your monitoring setup/environment. Forum member MassiveMaster has written volumes on the subject at his website:
www.massivemastering.com/...ry-articles.php
Dec 14, 2009 01:17 pm I've found active pickups help a lot with bass too, seems to send a much smoother, controlled signal to the computer.
CptTrippsCzar of Turd PolishMember
Since: Jun 20, 2006
Dec 14, 2009 01:47 pm Bass is a tricky beast and the way it's played makes a night and day difference imo.
Aside from that, I like tracking two inputs, I model one after a good old school bass setup like an ampeg or silverface and then I like to take the second and add some distortion to it.
The cleaner one provides "most" of my plucking noise and natural tones and the distorted track provides a little extra cut through when needed and some of the lower end. I don't distort it that much and blend it so when in the full mix you don't really notice that it's distorted. Really fattens things up. May not work wold on folk but for rockin tunes I love it.
Now, I still get a little low end mudding up my mixes but that is to do with my room more than anything I believe.
Alas, everything I record is through a $175 (brand new price) Ibanez cheapo deluxe.
skeg0www.dorian-music.co.ukMember
Since: Apr 04, 2008
Dec 14, 2009 05:24 pm I think I'll maybe try using the pre on the kustom and see what happens. I spent months experimenting with my equipment before and found that the best solution was bass to compressor, to desk and then through ampeg svx and then further compression in nuendo. Other combinations didn't work as well. I'll also check out native instruments vsti's and see if they are any good, cheers guys! Oh and I'll try adding distortion as well as ive noticed that on some speakers the bass tracks are quite loud and deep whereas on others, they are quite quiet. I'm assuming they are lacking low mids so maybe distortion will help. Cheers!
