Bedroom VS Stage Bass Tone | “I Can’t Hear Myself” | Thomann

Between this bass example and the guitar example, the real lesson is virtually ANY instrument sounds better individually with a "smile" EQ but every instrument gets LOST in a mix if mid frequencies aren't boosted. The mids are really what human hearing anchors on to distinguish between instruments. This also is a great illustration of the alchemy of recording and mixing music. You can have eight tracks that all sound PERFECT in isolation but didn't get recorded with enough EQ to allow them to MIX together and still provide distinction and separation. There can be other times when something sounds bad in isolation but unexpectedly fits PERFECTLY in a mix. It can take years of playing and recording experience to know how to override those first instincts to record a track for better mixing in the first place.

Love the jams! Y'all sound great together. Julia's always killin'.

Adding a little distortion can help create clarity in a live setting too. The settings on my amp are usually 50% for bass, 70% mids and 60% treble and it cuts through amongst the drums, keys, electric guitars and acoustic guitar. When I add just a little bit of grit to the sound it has much more tonal clarity. On it's own at home, it sounds like a crappy, mid-rangy guitar running through a cheap fuzz pedal. Live it sounds clean, clear and big and sits well in the mix.

This is what I've wanted to see on this channel. Jamming. Thank you.

Great subject! Wish this type of free education was available when I was starting out. Bass is the strongest wave in most indoor environments. This is where wireless is helpful - walk around and listen to the mix - typically there is more bass happening than what you hear on stage. The other cool thing to notice - this drummer is playing with good attack, great groove, and not over smashing his drums, enabling the music to find its tone. Great stuff! Keep it coming.

Need more of videos about adjusting bass sound, volume in comparison with the guitar, drums, vocals or keyboard! it is the most important thing when you play in front of people.

One thing I tell bassists on a stage, is just step away from the amp/cabinet. Move closer to center stage and you will get a better sense of how you sit in the mix. The cabinet is designed to project, you're not hearing it right when you are standing right in front of it.

Great demonstration and example! So many gigging bassists recommend high-pass filter for this reason. If you cut the ultra low bass, which a high-pass filter can do, you end up with a clearer tone that cuts through. You'll probably also annoy your neighbors less.

Funkyyyyyyy! Love this channel. Especially the timing of these Friday videos is excellent. I just finished work and now I'm starting the weekend with you guys. Thanks!

WOW! You can truly hear the differences. These vids are super informative and really fun to hear y'all jam.

Awesome video, thanks Julia! For me, what works best is playing a good bass guitar, keeping everything about at noon to start, and just bumping the bass and high on my pre-amp slightly (bass +10%, treble +20%). Very similar to Julia's approach. Sits well in the mix and gets compliments in clubs.

Having a long cable or a wireless setup can really help move around to hear your own sound on stage / room etc.. standing away from your bass cab can also help head your self better as the low frequency’s have time to develop. Played lots of shows where I was too loud but could not hear my self because I was standing right next to bass cab. Also under standing that an empty sound check is much brighter than that same room full of people. Love sound is very tricky and can one of most difficult and most important parts of playing out.

It's important to know what tone stack one's amp has in the EQ section, because "noon" on the knob isn't always halfway up or "flat," yet flat EQ is the best starting point for the amp in the low/bass, mid, and high/treble settings. An example of this is an amp on which flat EQ is 0 bass, 10 mid, and 0 treble. It's not intuitive, but we can either just use our ears, or learn which tone stack we're dealing with, and use that knowledge to help guide us in dialing in our sound. Get a good flat setting, with slight adjustment for the room, then customize tone on the instrument, changing as needed.

Well Julia, I bought my first bass (on Amazon) we'll see how this goes. You make it so cool! I'm a realist so I don't expect much; wish me luck!

I applaud what many others have contributed. What does not seem common on this thread is subtractive equalization. I have found it useful to consider positions prior to noon to achieve a balanced sound. Also if you don't have stage monitors (or the luxury of a personalized mix) ensure that every member is within the direct scope of each instrument's output. Please read this comment twice - the lessons were lost on me too often and too long.

Can’t understand at all, cause I got no friends and play alone 😂 But I CANNOT miss a vid with Julia ❤

genius advice! world of difference between what sounds good at home and on stage, which i only recently found out myself (P bass). you really need a stage sound that's a good deal more aggressive/mid range boosted than you'd think...

Very good topic! Thanks for adressing this! I also find it important not to stand to close to the Speakers. You will usually hear the bass much better when standing around 2m away from the speakers (depending on the room).

sweepable mid freq on the amp is the key for me. bass and treble flat, and a bump in the mids around 250hz helps the bass guitar to be heard

I am never happy with the sound of my bass. I can't configure it to my liking, it's a big battle but I will follow your advice. Thank you Julia!!!!