Topic: Newbie Problem - Bass in Live recording

[LotusE]

Hello everyone,

I recently taped my first concert of some Irish band  with my zoom H1

However, the bass on the recording is too "strong". After a week of tinkering with audacity and Audiorefurb (I'm on a Mac) , I still don't get any good results. This is why I turn to you guys.

If I lower the db in the lower frequencies, my recording sounds "dull", like there is a "filter" in it. The voice and other instruments loose their "richness". 

If I don't lower the db, the bass is too "loud" and "vibrant". I don't know what to do anymore. Can anybody help me please?

This is a song from the master recording, so it's unedited so you can hear the bass. First there is a vocal section, which is ok, but after that the bass kicks in.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=7B7ZDBGG

This is also the equalizer setting I used in audacity to eliminate the vibrant bass:



Thanks very much for the advice!

Cheers

LotusE

[capnhook]

If I lower the db in the lower frequencies, my recording sounds "dull", like there is a "filter" in it. The voice and other instruments loose their "richness". 

If I don't lower the db, the bass is too "loud" and "vibrant". I don't know what to do anymore. Can anybody help me please?

Find somethin' in the middle.

[Chuck]

Man, that is a horrible looking EQ. There isn't much resolution between 0 and 24 db. I don't use a MAC, but there must be some good free EQ's out there for the MAC. I really like the WAVES Para-graphics EQ's, but they are pricey. Hopefully someone that runs a MAC will chime in with a good plug-in for you.

[stevetoney]

I haven't used Audacity before so I'm not familiar with the capabilities of the program, but I loaded your sample into Audition and I was able to isolate the lower frequencies fine and leave the higher frequencies sounding untouched.  I think you just need a better EQ tool.  That said, I personally thought the sample needed more warmth, not less but everyone has a different taste in what they like.

By the way, the band on that sample sounds pretty good.  Perhaps they'll succeed one of these days if they stick with it!     

[LotusE]

Hello Tonedeaf,

Yes, they could actually have a career if they keep practising 

Would it be too much to ask to put your edited file somewhere so I can listen to it? Or perhaps better: can you tell me which frequencies you adjusted and with how many db?

I've looked at Audition and it indeed seems a more "high-end" software than Audacity. Unfortunately, it's Windows-only... . So I'm stuck...

I'm looking at Wave Editor now to see if this gets me any further...

Thanks for the info!

Cheers

Steve

[LotusE]

hi Chuck,

Yes, I just wanted those heavy basses out of it, so I tracked them down and seems to me that they are located in the 40- 60Hz range. So I lowered the db's on those, leaving the rest untampered, but that doesn't really have a good result.

This EQ is about the 30th eq setting that I've come up with. The previous settings were bad either. Either, the recording becomes too "metallic" for the vocals, or too "dull". When I just leave the bass alone, burn it on a cd and play it in my car, it is as if my rear window will come because of the distortion when I the music loud (I like my music loud  )

Cheers

Steve

[DSatz]

It looks as if your filter reduced the energy between about 40 and 60 Hz by about 12 dB! For a person's first attempt at equalization, even though I haven't heard the recording and don't know your playback system or your preferences, I suspect that that might be too narrow a band of reduction, and also too much reduction within that band.

The best amount of equalization is often the smallest amount that definitely helps. Otherwise, as you are discovering, there can be unwanted side effects.

One useful trick when you are trying to find the equalization that helps you best is to try to find the frequency range of the problem by (temporarily) using the EQ to make it worse. When you find the range of frequencies that make the problem even more irritating when you boost (increase) them, then that is the range of frequencies that you want to reduce. But please try a more moderate reduction such as only 3 to 5 dB, at least initially.

--best regards

[stevetoney]

^ That's what I like to do.  Many EQ software tools provide the capability to increase the number of EQ bands, which can be handy for isolating the 'problem' frequency.   In Audition, I'll start with the 10-band EQ to get a general idea of the rough frequency range and then switch to the 30-band EQ to better isolate the problem frequency.

[Kush]

Have you tried running it through the High Pass Filter in Audacity? Something along the lines of cutting it at around 100 Hz?

[LotusE]

Hi Kush,

I'm gonna try that. I remember tampering around with the filter, but I know I got that result again, but I'll try it at the 100hz range. I'll let you know something.

Cheers

Steve

[it-goes-to-eleven]

When recording a band where I know the bass will be too intense, I like to get up there after sound check and stuff a pillow inside the kick drum.  It's the only way to be sure.

[LotusE]

Well, I asked Larry, but he wasn't too keen on the idea.
Bono didn't mind as long as it was a RED^TM pillow made by Amnesty International.
Adam however, was jealous because he wanted a pillow in his bass guitar too, but couldn't have it from his manager.
The Edge already used a pillow backstage just in case Bono started one of his speeches again. 

[stevetoney]

Breaking news...

...a deranged fan, appearing wild-eyed and rabid, has been arrested at tonight's U2 concert.  He was captured after running on-stage and, for reasons unknown, attempted to stuff a pillow into the bass drum of Larry Mullen's drum kit.  Witnesses said the perp, one LotusE, could be heard muttering incoherently something about bass roll off as he was carted away...

Details at 11.

[LotusE]

hahaha hilarious, you crack me up tonedeaf             

[capnhook]

hahaha hilarious, you crack me up tonedeaf             

Out of jail so soon...??