DIY compressor for bass guitar

[Kev]

[quote author="NewYorkDave"] ... I haven't found my "ultimate" compressor for bass yet, so I can't make a hearty recommendation for any particular model. [/quote]

no
and I know exactly what Dave is on about here.
This makes advising newbies so hard especialy if they are bass players and want to record their own bass ... for themselves.

All we can doi is fall back on old faithfulls that have worked on bass guitars and synths in general over the past 40 years ... hence things like LA2 and 1176 etc ...

BUT recording good bass can be so very difficult. This is at odds with the fact that it can be the easiest instrument to record adequately. All you need is a DI/adapter lead and plug straight in and record. Guitars and drums often need rooms and mic's and tricks and knowledge ... so hard for the beginer.

Years later you can still be scratching your head trying to control that bass during mixdown.

Bottom line is ...
decide if you want to record your bass
... or if you want to record bass in general.
This may have an influence on gear choices you might make.


CountryHick might be worth a look if you want to DIY a DI.
There are other good choices here for DI's

[quote author="Smoke"]..., want to share your tube supplier secrets? [/quote]
glad too
I'm afraid we don't have much locally.
no time right now

later ... :thumb:

 

[Smoke]

[quote author="tubejay"]I have to second the comment that you should look at improving your bass rig before using an eq on bass. The best bass sounds I've gotten are with absolutely no eq.[/quote]

I soooo agree with that. To be honest I totally love my bass sound. A custom build fender P, 2 sets of pickups thin neck and actives through a fender rig, it sounds lovely and to my style. i usually cut MIDS at 1k drasticlly, boost treble and bass and get an unreal fat,chunky sound with eirnie ball strings. However i'm still experimenting. the G9 sounds absolutely perfect for bass DI like gyraf said i cant wait to put it together.

About bass amps, im planning to build either an SVT classic, or a Mesa bass amp head. the negative side is that there is no detailed DIY project on the net like the G projects. If anyone has PCB's on bass amps I'd be interested in having a look.

Ethcing PCB's was pretty fun I hope I do better next time.

Smoke

 

[wilebee]

I have to agree with NYdave about the Gates level devil. its basicly like an La2a with a tube expander I think it woud be a great Diy the tubes are cheap and its relativly simple in design My 2 cents Wil

Wilebee

 

[CJ]

I think the guy playing the bass and the guitar that he is using is 99 percent.
Can't beat an old 62 precision with one of the funk brothers behind the wheel. The compression is done with the fingers and old strings!
A little tube rectifier sag is nice also. And some speaker damping which needs a good output transformer. And a sloppy speaker cone will mellow it out also.
Then there's the room, and the mic, the preamp, and finally.... the compressor.

 

[tubejay]

[quote author="cjenrick"]I think the guy playing the bass and the guitar that he is using is 99 percent.
[/quote]

How true. I just spent the weekend teaching a fairly good bass player how to play his bass to make IT sound good. Everyone was absolutely amazed at the tonal difference just from changing his picking style, and where on the strings he picked. That made more difference than anything I could ever do with mics, preamps, eq's, and compressors. Though my PM1000 preamps sound really thick and juicy on bass...and that certainly helps.

Why is it always the expectation that as the engineer WE are supposed to make shit players sound like they can play?? It seems like no matter how many times I tell people to listen to the sound THEY are making when playing their instrument, they still expect that the sound should come from me. I know I'm in trouble when the band comes in without amps and guitars/basses. I know I'm in bigger trouble when they come in and tell me to go dial in their sound on their amp. That tells me that they have no clue how to make themselves sound good, and that they in turn must not realize that HOW they play their instrument actually has something to do with the sound.

With good players, you can make superb recordings with crappy equipment. Same goes from drummers and singers. They should teach vocal compression in choir class.

 

[fum]

[quote author="cjenrick"]I think the guy playing the bass and the guitar that he is using is 99 percent.
[/quote]

I think this is a lot of it. I just ditched some really nice bass gear(needed the $ for diy anyway), because I found if I just crank the gain way the hell up on a tube preamp I built, with the bass plugged in di, it sounds beyond sweet.

The problem is that you *REALLY* have to watch your playing, and tread lightly. Heavenly bass sound , easy to fuck it up. Definitely not idiot proof :grin:


ju

 

[jrmintz]

The compression is done with the fingers

That's the real secret. No box, no amp can make up for someone who doesn't know how to get a good sound with his hands and his instrument. Look no farther! Frequently people have left-hand technique problems or bad vibrato that make them play out of tune inconsistently- nothing in the bottom of the track will ever sit. Sometimes the instruments aren't intonated correctly and again, nothing in the bottom of the track will work. Bass is deceptively hard to play well.

:sam:

 

[Smoke]

[quote author="jrmintz"]

Bass is deceptively hard to play well.[/quote]

I so agree here. playing the bass right is the key to better sound.
Being somewhat a technically enthusiased bass player, I somehow feel my stuff sounds good

 

[Smoke]

There seems to be an ongoing debate on transformers that never seems to end.
It would be interesting is some of the pro's here do a thorough testing of different types that best suit DIY projects like these. From reading posts here it seems like there is no real winner as each project/unit and user have different requirements and applications, and it all has to match one's ear.
Trying out different brands is not always financially feasable aswell. It's pretty hard for a first time DIY begginer to figure out the best value for money product.

I'll buy 4 OEP's with 4 screening cans for the G9 from RS components pretty soon unless someone advises me on a better option(Australia). It'll cost me $220 AUD and it feels like alot, oh well nothing good is without a price.

I'd still be interested in some comparison data between transformers, the only research I read said that OEP are bad and not suitable for the Neve.

Smoke

 

[clintrubber]

from Smoke:

About bass amps, im planning to build either an SVT classic, or a Mesa bass amp head. the negative side is that there is no detailed DIY project on the net like the G projects. If anyone has PCB's on bass amps I'd be interested in having a look.

I guess building especially one of these monsters is even more a mechanical challenge than an electronic ! :wink:

Could rule that out of course by using an existing chassis and empty that for the SVT or Mesa stuff.



About recording and the various influences on the end-result: more than agree that the playing is most important.

But in addition and of course depending on the sound you're looking for, apart from DI do try a mic as well. Often blending DI & mic does the trick. The usual suspects here: D12, MD421, MD441, RE20,...

Bye,

Peter

 

[Helsing]

Play hard and even and you dont need a compressor. I learned that from my old bass teacher Carol Kaye. Bass is a bit like drums in that respect when it comes to studio work. A firm hand does wonders.

Helsing

 

[jrmintz]

[quote author="Helsing"]Play hard and even and you dont need a compressor. I learned that from my old bass teacher Carol Kaye. Bass is a bit like drums in that respect when it comes to studio work. A firm hand does wonders.

Helsing[/quote]

Exactly, and you know you're in trouble when the engineer slaps a compressor on you without listening to how you play.

 

[StephenGiles]

An aspect of bass playing which nobody has mentioned is how you play - whether using a plectrum (or sawn up credit card as I do), thumb in a number of ways or fingers. Now surely all these styles would have a marked (and spaced perhaps) effect on how and if a compressor can be used. In addition, it can depend on whether you play bass properly, as in country music - ie A BASS PLAYER, or whether you insist on playing lead guitar on bass!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Stephen

 

[Buttercup]

I'm intrigued by CJ's T4b cap shorting hint.
Never heard of doing that before and it would certainly help
on the DI'd bass I have run through it but would it improve
the overall frequency response too or should I unshort the
thing when I'm using the LA for vocals etc again?

 

[NewYorkDave]

Since the EL panel is a capacitive load, it will still tend to respond more to higher frequencies even with the additional cap shorted out. But it's true that without the added cap in the circuit, it will respond more to lower frequencies than it would otherwise.

 

[Buttercup]

Ahhhhhhhhhhh........
Cool!

Perhaps I'll put in a special switch on the front panel when I finally
get 'round to putting my next LA2 together labelled 'mo phat' or
something.

 

[StephenGiles]

.....might as well talk to a brick wall......

 

[BYacey]

I play bass, on a DIY bass guitar in fact. I have never found any need for compression. If your pickups are set up properly and you play with a steady firm pull on the strings it isn't difficult to get an even level. If the playing involves lots of hammering, whimpy plectrum style, or other off the beaten path effects (which reduces phat) then I can see where a compressor might be used to advantage. Most if not all good bassists I have recorded didn't need any compression at all.

 

[NewYorkDave]

I'm a guitarist who plays bass only on his demos. I definitely need a compressor for tracking bass! :green:

As an aside, my favorite bass sound is a P-bass through a Portaflex. Classic.

 

[StephenGiles]

BYacey - by and large (Spanish?) I agree with you. However some might think that home made basses are wimpy!
Stephen