Nectarios
Martian Arts
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Posted : Oct 8, 2012 17:44
After experimenting with many settings, my way of compressing bass is as follows.
Make the patch so that it sounds the best (to my abilities) without compression.
Then add a compressor with slow attack time, fast enough release so that it releases before the next note, but not too fast as to distort the bass. The theory behind avoiding too fast release times is that low frequencies have long period, if the compressor's release is faster than the period of the waveform, then it acts as some kind of envelope on the waveform and gives a nasty distortion (not the harmonic distorion people like).
Compress to about 2-3dB of gain reduction with a 3 maybe 4:1 ratio, as to give some extra punch to the transient. If I compress more, then I am robbing too much bottom end from the bassline and I have to resort to boosting low frequencies with a low shelf, something that I want to avoid.
The compressor that I mostly use nowdays is the Waves API 2500.
PoM
IsraTrance Full Member
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8087
Posted : Oct 8, 2012 19:41
do similar here, around same ratio and gain reduction. sometimes i use faster attack and very little compression, depend where i want to grab with the comp.
i find the more grabby the compressor is the most suited for psy bass punch it also depend where it grab
sachin22
IsraTrance Junior Member
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Posted : Oct 13, 2012 11:27
Nectarios: In like your sound mate. Its quite clean aswell. How do you manage to do this dude? Any hint about kicks please. Or how to gel kick and bass together? I can't seem to get the right kick for my track. Do you use samples or do you load them on a sampler? I have Battery.
fractal fields
IsraTrance Full Member
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Posted : Oct 13, 2012 14:00
I'm far from pro, but made this offbeat bass using massive (kick also massive)
I think it has some snap to it.. maybe not for very fast kbbbk lines.
This patch is pretty simple:
1 osc saw 1 osc sine 12 semitones off.
Low pass filter triple controlled by env1 (triple for some snap)
zero to low attack adjust decay, decay level and release to taste.
In oc tab retrigger used osc and play with phase...done
Nectarios
Martian Arts
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Posted : Oct 13, 2012 14:51
Quote:
On 2012-10-13 11:27, sachin22 wrote:
Nectarios: In like your sound mate. Its quite clean aswell. How do you manage to do this dude? Any hint about kicks please. Or how to gel kick and bass together? I can't seem to get the right kick for my track. Do you use samples or do you load them on a sampler? I have Battery.
I use Logic's native drum synth, Ultrabeat and make all my kicks from scratch. I use one instance of Ultarbeat, one oscillator as I find I can cover a lot of ground without resorting to a second oscillator. Don't usually use more than 4 bands of EQ including the high pass filter and most of the times tune my kicks to the fundamental frequency of my bassline.
Then just tweak Ultrabeat's pitch and amp envelopes until I get the sound I want.
No special formulas, just basic sine wave pitch modulation.
Thanks.