Thick Bass Tone - That's Affordable (No Plugins)
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- Опубліковано 10 лют 2025
- Here I share my techniques for achieving an authentic THICK 60s / 70s bass tone using:
-short-scale Gretsch with flat wound strings
-Jekyll & Hyde overdrive pedal
-DBX 163 compressor
-Teac 2a mixer
Once we hit the DAW there is zero processing.
With so much cheap unique vintage slept on analog gear, theres no limit to what you can add with your own digital recordings!
I wish you had 200 videos cause I would binge
Thats a high HIGH compliment, well I am committed to continue so expect higher frequency uploads!
Encourage him to make them with heart not just for the quantity.
I need this channel to remain small, so when you recommend gear the prices don't sky rocket. Also everyone should watch your videos because they're amazing :)
That -30db neck pickup sound makes my soul shake.
can I get a thickness witness!
Dude, this is an INCREDIBLY helpful video! Perfect demonstrations without fluff. Thank you! Looking forward to seeing more of your stuff. :)
My pleasure! More to come 🤝🏼
This channel is dope AF! What a great resource for young and old musicians & producers!
Appreciate that tremendously!
ngl, once you've started playing together with the drums it was an instant rhythm machine! such a great tone
Means a lot. I aint gonna lie these days I seem to spend more time working than playing. I get insecure sometimes thinking I am loosing my touch. Gotta get back to practicing DAILY!
I love how particular music is, from the beginning I knew I wouldn't care for the tone. The process was enjoyable to watch even though I knew it wasn't for me
right? and just like you I am a fan of curly fries but not arbys, yet this comment made my day 🙃
All I can cogently muster is this: Thank you for what you do. These vids are A++.
Great video - are you applying EQ at the mixer?
Tried this myself albeit without the mixer part, using an overdrive and fmr really nice compressor. Worked great - thanks!
Agree 100% on the best era and sound for bass. Very cool tones in the video.
Something went wrong with the bright round wound strings slappy slap era aha
You're my new favorite music channel, I appreciate the effort that goes into these.
Thank you kind sir, glad you are here! I really enjoy the long form nature and have many more videos cue'd up ready to go!
This has quickly turned into my fav channel at the moment 🥰
Really appreciate that!
This channel is a delight
Thank you!!
New favorite channel, just cause the visual effects are awesome
TY! I have fun with the edits :)
I’ve been really starting to get into recording and mixing my own music recently and I’ve just found your videos at the right time!! You really seem to know your craft and I hope I can achieve that kind of knowledge someday. Hope to see more from you!
Its a great time to start. I am excited for your journey! Never stop experimenting!!
If you haven't checked it out yet, you'd love neural amp modeler, the way it captures the character of analog gear is very impressive. It'd be really cool if you'd consider capturing some of your more niche gear/chains to share with us!
Oh are you asking for me to create my own digital models of my analog chains? I haven't studied the technique much but would be interested. Sounds like a good challenge.
Killer stuff. Gotta make sure you have them flatwounds for that vintage tone!
non negotiable!
My English is real bad but this channel is a bomb 💣 gracias 🙏
Thank you! More coming 🤝🏼
Last couple of videos have been great man! Really insightful
TY! I been writing out some different concepts so I hope to continue to pull the curtain back!
@@vvundertone I look forward to it!
I'm really enjoying your videos. Great content, and very we'll made. Wes Anderson meets Vulpeck.
New combo unlocked
This is just fabulous
Last few videos have been quite neat. Keep on posting
🫡
Nice video and cool mixer! Like your style man and I really agree with the overall philosophy. Cheers
Production Philosophy™ is what i'm on lately and I appreciate the love!
Excellent!
cool bass riffs
Appreciate that, bass is one of my favorites to get down on.
ur bob is so flawless.
😅 ty
I would love to be in that room and just play around. It feels like an art exhibit.
Also, flat wound strings...I find they make less fret noise, and therefore make for a less "bright" bass tone, with less high end artifacts from fretting and finger movement up and down the neck
the "im proud of you" took me out haha sick tut. g!
🤣 TY! 💸
I came for the tone but I'm leaving with more important advice: "... try not to let what you don't have hold you back from making your best music..." 👍
I'm happy that resonated with you. Now lets create!
For everyone out there. U can achieve a sick bass tone grabbing a cheap amp/ir pedal (there are lots of Harley Benton for 40 bucks). They have a decent drive, and a fucked up ir. But if u r going through a sansamp or just DI, it would help u a lot.
I didn’t even know they made ir pedals. My mind is blown
Just discovered your channel and I'm hooked.
I'd be interested to see how you eq bass
When tracking in I keep it subtle but later mixing is when things can def get surgical! Recording a vid on this soon
You're blowing my mind with your amazingness. Subbed. My new favorite channel!
Welcome! So glad to have you hear 🤝🏼
Wow .
The sponge dude.
I have never thought about it.
Its day and night! Helps with the groove too!
SICK
Mang... se see eye to eye on a lot. Super rad sleeper crutch for my bass tracking is the MXR Bass Compressor (AKA the "Studio Compressor" same pedal, different color paint.) Looks like a little 1176. It ain't an 1176. But it is great to crushing Bass and a mono drum track. It has adaptive input an dcan take a line input from a board or interface. It rules. I also will sometimes run bass through a DBX 155 noise reduction unit just smashed the input. Is nice.
A pedal with built in line is genius! Wish more did the same. Just looked up that dbx unit and it looks so pretty! I absolutely love that era of design. Hopefully I stumble upon one at the Salvation Army!
Could this hardware work on a bass synth?
this is great man!! Please can you do one on vocal tones (without plug ins)?? Would be really good to see what analog gear you use for recording vocals.
Oooh okay this is a good challenge. Will do!
@@vvundertone thank u! looking forward to it!!
I recommend: Harley Benton PJ 74 or other P bass, flatwound strings, foam (optional), harley benton/joyo american sound pedal for the hairy sound (harmonic distortion)
Woa a P for 159?! Never heard of them. TY for turning me on game!
❤
Nice Sound.
ty mate
I use the zoom ms60 b into a tascam 4 track recorder, bounce the bass to a cassette and then record it via an audio interface into the daw
What a great chain! Love Zoom stuff. First time doing anything with music production was a Zoom MRS-4. Nostalgia :)
Fuck yeah that sounds like a record baby
That's always the goal! (Best compliment) 🔥
in this video are you using both of the dbx compressors or just one? i’m assuming you might be using one for peaks and one for the dynamics i’m looking to buy one and wondering if it would be beneficial to get two. thanks in advance i love your channel ❤
Thank you!! In this video I’m actually using only one. Usually when people use 2 it’s 2 different types of compression. One fast for peaks like 1176 style and one LA2A style for smoothing. I chain the DBX together sometimes, but for drums to emulate a really smashed SP303/404/555 comp sound. Since this compressor is fairly affordable, I think it is wise to get 2 because even when not chaining together it can be nice to compress kick and snare. Saves time!
@@vvundertone thank you so much you’ve been very helpful in this beautiful world of analog gear i’ve learned so much from you ❤️i just get so excited when i hear that perfect dirty tone on that bass
this channel seems so familiar
I think flat wound strings are the secrets sauce to get that 70s sound
absolutely. everytime I pick up a bass and it has rounds i'm like ew no
Mmmm… yummy bass and yummy playing. And yummy multicam setup! I need MOOOORE CAMERAS!!!!!
🤣 someone noticed! Overhead camera mount my favorite investment by far 😛
Do the dollar bill trick like Johnny Cash with various types of paper and give the UA-cam bass looper guy with the Bass VI and Toft EQ a shout out 😊
Thats a good idea. I love a good practical hack!
Nice tone on that for a DI do you ever mic up a bass cab when I record I always try to use an amp too
I do like to do both. But right now I don't have a means to do so. But that is the best tone for sure. Adding the room vibe is a game changer. Creates depth and space!
loved the video! quick question, is the mixer necessary in this process or could i use a pedal and the compressor running into an audio interface?
It’s not completely necessary. I do like to add it for further color and some saturation, but it’s always best to use what you got and get the most out of it. When the time is right, a tasty preamp will arrive in your life.
I’ve been trying to get more into analog gear especially after watching these videos as they make me really inspired! However, I am struggling to find good places to buy analog gear and what gear I should start with… Anyone have any suggestions?
All my friends absolutely crush it on Facebook marketplace. I haven't used it because Facebook makes my brain melt but the deals I have seen are jealously inducing. Highly recommend that, Offerup, stopping in random small music stores, thrift shops when traveling. It really depends on the music you make, and what tone goals you have. I would say a good start is getting some kind of cassette recorder. A DBX 163 compressor, and possibly even a Pioneer SG-540 type 70s silver face graphic EQ to experiment with!
What brand of flatwounds are you using here?
D'Addario Chromes. For whatever reason bass strings are always exponentially pricier than guitar strings!
@@vvundertone thx - I have the same bass (in green) and have been thinking about trying flatwounds on it.
sound kinda muffled like the compression output is too low or could use make up gain? i think it’s maybe just how that bass sounds tho ooowell
I think I just like muffled bass tone. The round sound strings remove a lot of treble, then I roll the tone off even more on the actual bass.
@@vvundertoneyeah gotcha, i see. also harder to hear bc of drums being pretty loud but yes great work on them drums! i’ve using a mesa booger ‘walk about’ bass amp head for years.. it’s other worldly i think you’d like how versatile it can be w parameetric eq!
i love you
love you back mate! 🫡
Luh you, from one space monkey to another
now do the plugins version, cos im a broke uni student, that cannot afford this type of analog gear, yet...
I feel you, money is tight for us all these days. I try to highlight the fact most of this gear is the same price as plugins. the dbx 163 can be found for around $150 - quite the score. And if you end up needing some cash you can always resell it, unlike a plugin.
To all the kids that own zero outboard gear, you can sound 99% like this with in-the-box and freebie plugins. EQ and hand technique does so much.
yea, but for a lot of us that isn't very fun or inspiring. if you're an engineer only interest in career, stick to in the box. If you're an artist, art should be fun so follow your curious heart. it's great that everything is accessible through our little plastic brain boxes, but much like the difference between a DJ and a band, there is magic and inspiration with the multiple analog human brains converging within a band to create something in it's imperfections and unpredictable nature compared to a single brain controlling a quantized plastic super brain. same goes for the use of primitive, imperfect analog gear and it's varying unpredictable analog componentry. it's different for everyone, but with the raise of AI it's not long before more people become desensitized to the modern techno world and start desperately grasping for all things analog and human. It already seems to be happening at a pretty exponential rate.
@@mrsvancesnightmare my thoughts exactly, great take.
@@mrsvancesnightmare Techno here to stay sorry brother
Yes and no... for me and so many, using analog gear isn't only about the sound. It's also about *slowing down*, committing to a tone (rejecting the concept of endless revisions), embracing limitations, sharing equipment with friends, modifying, customizing, and not to mention recording music with no screens make it's a lot easier to stay focused. And then the argument of if you know you know - there is no comparison to real tape, tubes, wires, speakers, air, microphones, and transformers.
the part about "desperately grasping for all things analog and human" is brilliant. I think this is the logical pendulum swing once the peak of hyper refined and processed starts to fatigue the world.
I have expensive bases and yet I am playing like beginner...:-)
I hope you spend at least 3 hours a day without! That'll get you our the beginner mode ASAP!
why does he look like a hippy Benedict Cumberbatch
Can’t nobody afford nothing in 2024
This is fact
all that for just a standard bass tone you can get with the stock amp sim plugin on any daw
huge respect for this video, massive 🫡
Ty for watching G.