What's the true test of whether a recording is good or not?
Hint: It's not studio monitors.
Long ago back in the 1950s, this thing called a radio started appearing in cars. In the United States, the first radios in cars were AM band only with only one speaker.
The audio quality of AM radio was awful. No bass, almost no treble and mostly midrange is all you heard come out of that oval-shaped car speaker. And since there was one speaker, the sound was obviously monophonic and not stereophonic.
Most table top radios of the era were basically the same way and not much better than what was in the cars. Just a box, two dials (one to tune, one for volume) and one small speaker.
The only people who heard truly good audio were those that had high-fidelity stereo systems at home, and that setup was a record player, separate amplifier, two speakers and usually some means of equalization, even if it was only two-band. However, being that those systems were expensive, most just settled for table top radios and whatever radio was in the car.
Why am I telling you all this? Because it gives insight into how music was produced back then.
Many record producers specifically made a rule that recorded music must sound good on a monophonic crappy AM radio. And that meant no stereo separation, drums that had little to no treble, bass guitar that had a ridiculous amount of midrange in it and booming vocals to cut through it all.
Should you use the same 1950's method to record your music?
Yes and no.
While true there are still devices out there that use monophonic means of audio (smartphones, some laptops, some tablets, etc.), that doesn't mean you should test your audio mono-only. Although I will admit it is the "safest" way to do it.
Instead of using a crappy monophonic means of testing audio, you should use a crappy stereophonic means of testing audio.
For example, listening to your recording through a pair of JLab Buds.
I know what you're thinking. "Those are the worst things to test a recording with, because they're voiced in a way that does not represent the true sound."
Right. That's exactly the point. The ear buds above are voiced in a way that probably adds in unwanted bass as well as other unwanted frequencies. It's crappy speakers like the above that most people use to listen to music with, so if your recording sounds good using proper studio headphones and the crappy buds shown above, you can be pretty sure your recording will sound good everywhere.
Why ear buds?
When I see people listening to music today, they're using ear buds. Whether the audio is being fed from a tiny little iPod Shuffle, smartphone, laptop or whatever-it-is, the buds are what people use for the speakers to get the music to the ears.
True, I'm old-school and like listening to music using external speakers because I never liked ear buds that much. But I recognize that buds are the speakers of choice for most people.
When your audio passes the monitor test and then the crappy-ear-bud test, you're in good shape.
How to get a good recorded sound from a bass guitar the really fast way
I'm going to note up front that this is written from a guitar player's point of view, but it should serve well for bass players also.
If you're a guitar player that records music at home (which most people do), you've found out that using a keyboard for a bass sound doesn't really work that well. You've also found out that detuning your guitar doesn't really work well either.
The quick-and-dirty way to get good recorded bass tone
Do not use an amp. Ever.
This is a total waste of time if the goal is to record the bass quick. Positioning a microphone in front of a bass amp to get just that right bass recording is not a quick process and never has been. Possible, yes, but not easy and not quick. Save yourself a ton of time and plug in direct instead.
Use the tone knob. Always.
It's probably true that the sound you want is to have the pickup(s) volume all the way up and the tone knob all the way down (or almost all the way down).
Guitar players make the classic mistake of turning everything "up to 10" and expect that to work. On a bass, that rarely works. Turn the tone knob down.
Compress. Don't think about it. Just do it.
Unless you have fingers or a pick strike that can get exactly the volume you want 100% of the time, you're going to have notes that are too quiet with others than are too loud. The solution to this is compression. Use this cheap compressor to get that job done.
EQ bass down, midrange up and treble down
With the EQ "flat", the bass will sound awful and overpower everything else. And if using roundwound strings (which you probably will be), every time you move from fret to fret you're going to hear that "schrrrch" noise, and it will be loud in a bad way.
On a 3-band EQ, set bass EQ to 40%, mid EQ to 60% and treble EQ to 40%. You don't have to use those exact numbers, but it generally works out pretty well where the bass will cut through the mix without being overpowering.
Drive it lightly
Overdrive does work on bass if you use it lightly. Ordinarily, a heavy amount of compression should add in just a hint of overdrive. If it doesn't, you can add it in using an overdrive pedal for whatever you have.
The trick however is that it must be overdrive and not distortion. A distortion pedal even on its lowest setting won't work out that well. Light overdrive however will work.
While true you will probably not hear the overdrive in the total mix of the song later, the point to using it is to ensure every single note gets through with even, consistent volume that cuts through the mix properly.
Order of effects?
Overdrive first, compression second, EQ last.
Other bass recording tricks you can use
Pan hard to a side
If you're having a problem with the bass getting buried too much in the mix of your song, pan it hard. As in pan the bass track 100% to the left or 100% to the right.
The bass is one of those instruments where it is absolutely OK to do this.
In fact, if you pan the bass and the rhythm guitar hard to one side, and pan the lead guitar hard to the other side, that kind of mix really works out well.
Do not be afraid to have your bass be a buzzy, "clacky" mess
Fret buzz and fret clack is something you can get away with on a bass guitar and still have it sound good. Best used with overdrive.
Need a 5-string sound but only have a 4-string?
Tune down to B-E-A-D instead of the standard E-A-D-G. Chances are pretty good you'll like B-E-A-D tuning so much that you'll keep the tuning that way all the time.
Which bass works best for the guitar player?
The "Fender bass sound" is the standard, except of course you don't want to spend a grand on a Fender American Standard bass guitar since you're a guitar player.
Squier to the rescue.
There are basically 2 body styles and 3 pickup configurations.
One split-coil pickup (it's split so it acts like a humbucker to eliminate 60-cycle hum but still has single-coil tone), one volume knob, one tone knob; a good workhorse bass guitar. Commonly known as a "P" bass.
2. Jazz Bass
Two straight-coil pickups. I actually like the Jazz over the P. The J-style body is a bit more comfortable (for me, anyway) and you can get more sounds out of it. It's also the same price as the P. The tradeoff is that the straight single-coil pickups can buzz. This bass is commonly known as a "J".
3. P/J bass
Best of both worlds here, mostly. Same price as the above two, has a P pickup in the middle and a J pickup in the rear. I say "mostly" because it's a P-style body and I prefer the J-style, but that's just me. You might really like the P-style body.
If you are absolutely unsure which bass to get, get a P/J whether it's made by Squier or not. Why? Because it covers all the tones you'd want out of a bass. Both pickups on gives you a modern sound, J pickup alone gives you 70's honk, P pickup alone gives you 60's big/bold fullness, and with experimentation with the knobs, you can get basically any sound you want out of it.
I own a P/J bass currently, but at some point I may get a Jazz Bass even though I know the pickups buzz. The J-style body is just really comfortable, and since I'm used to single-coil pickups that buzz and how to eliminate that kind of interference noise, I could deal with the J's buzzy straight-coil singles without a problem.
BONUS 4. SX Ursa 1
The only reason to get this bass is that it's ridiculously cheap, but at the same time made well. SX is a Rondo brand that compared to other like-priced brands actually delivers an instrument that's fairly good. The Ursa 1 unless specified otherwise is a full-size 34-inch scale proper P-style bass.
Note: Ursas usually sell quick because the price is so good for what you get, so if you see one from the link above, get it, otherwise it may be days to weeks before the link shows any in stock again. You can try the SX Ursa 2 if the model 1 doesn't show any in stock, and you might get lucky and find one.
Fender Yngwie Malmsteen strings... worst idea ever?
No, this is not a joke. Fender really did release a set of "signature" Yngwie Malmsteen electric guitar strings.
Is this one of the dumbest things they've ever done?
Let's talk about that.
I'm on YouTube, and I thought I'd go visit Fender's channel since I hadn't been there in a while; I found this video for Fender Yngwie Malmsteen guitar strings, released 14 May 2014, which at the time I write this is 42 days ago, so it's not old.
The video has ratings and comments disabled (which is not the first time Fender has done that with a Malmsteen video on their YouTube channel), and that immediately said to me, "Uh-oh.. this can't be good."
My instinct was right.
Fender, as far as I'm aware, is the first company to have artist signature guitars such as the Eric Clapton Stratocaster. Arguably, that model is the best artist signature guitar they make because it's one of the few that actually improves upon the instrument with features that a lot of players like. Another would be the Eric Johnson Stratocaster, also a true player's guitar. As for the rest of the signature guitars.. eh.. not-so much.
However, this is the first time I've seen Fender totally jump the shark when it comes to artist signature stuff. But maybe that's on purpose. I'll talk more about that in a moment.
Okay, so... the video shows a signature guitar that's been around for a while. But now it can be "accessorized" with signature overdrive pedal, signature strings, signature guitar cable (groan..), signature headstock tuner (double groan...), ugly strap and case with ugly lining.
Now you know, you know the marketing and PR people at Fender were up to something with this. What, exactly? Keep reading.
If you play guitar and play heavy metal at all, you've heard of Yngwie Malmsteen. And you figure out pretty quickly that the internet hates Yngwie Malmsteen. There are many guitar players who absolutely hate that guy. They hate his playing, his attitude, all of it. And when I say they hate the guy, they really hate the guy.
But as much as people hate the guy, fender his artist signature Stratocaster guitar is a good seller. If it weren't, Fender wouldn't still be making it.
I think what Fender is doing here is testing the limits to see how cheap they can go with "signature" before players stop buying. With a Malmsteen product line, Fender has almost nothing to lose because the internet already hates the guy to begin with. Only the most dedicated of fans would even consider buying stuff with his name on it.
If signature Malmsteen strings (which are basically nothing but Super Bullets in a weird gauge set and a black package), cables, bags, headstock tuners and the other kitschy stuff actually sell... well, that just opens up a whole new way for Fender to make money.
Anything classified as an "accessory" is something Fender doesn't have to make. They can simply license use of their logo, have someone else make the whatever-it-is, sell the product, Fender collects the checks and laughs all the way to the bank.
A whole bunch of "signature accessory" crapola may sprout up soon. Fender could work deals with every artist that currently has a signature guitar and "make" everything from strings to signature toilet paper. Wipe your backside with Yngwie's signature toilet paper? Hey, why not. Feel the power of Yngwie's shredding straight up your ass.
On a final note, the dumbest thing Fender "makes" right now is foam ear plugs, and you only get 8 of them. I can get 50 of them for just slightly more. And yes, THEY ARE THE EXACT SAME THING, just without the Fender branding.
Guitar gear made in China is not junk anymore
In the guitar world, Americans think that anything made in China is junk.
Not true.
Let's rewind the clock back to the early 1990s for a moment.
I remember, quite clearly, when guitar guys thought anything made in Korea was junk. Nobody would touch that stuff and considered it all garbage. But now? Korean made guitars are now considered high-end stuff.
So what changed? Two things. Build processes and attitudes, in that order.
Korean-made electric guitars used to be junk. Guitar players complained like crazy that nothing made in Korea was any good. Korea listened, improved their manufacturing processes, and now make many of the best guitars in the world.
When players started noticing that Korea was delivering some genuinely good, high-end stuff, players over time validated that yes, Korea does make damned fine guitars.
China at this point has turned the corner and now produces some seriously good, high-end stuff for both guitars and guitar gear as well.
The Hotone Skyline Series Wally Looper, a pedal I just bought, is made in China. It's probably true that every single component of that pedal was made exclusively in that country. Does that make the pedal junk? Not in the slightest. The Wally Looper looks high-end, feels high-end and performs high-end, yet keeps the price down because China knows how to streamline manufacturing processes.
Did you know every Fender "Modern Player" series guitar and several other models are made in China? It's true. And they're very well-made guitars. The Starcaster guitar is one of them.
If the fact those guitars made in China prevents you from trying one, you're an idiot that's missing out on an otherwise great guitar.
China build processes have progressed to the point where what they make is good
In the end, it's all about the build processes. Since around 2012, China has consistently delivered genuinely good, quality guitars and guitar gear.
Now this is not to say that China doesn't still make cheap stuff, because of course they do. But when you pay a little extra, such as for the Starcaster guitar above, what you get will be a seriously good instrument...
...and the same can be said for China-made guitar pedals, mixer boards, microphones, amplifiers and so on.
It's guitar player attitudes that haven't changed just yet, because it takes time for that to happen. With Korean-made stuff, it took players about 10 years to come around before they finally realized Korea makes good stuff. With China, not enough time has passed to convince the guitar player masses that China makes good stuff - even though it's well known that they do.
My advice? Try a China-made Fender branded guitar. If you like it, buy it now while it's still cheap, because the only thing keeping the cost down is where it's made and not how it's made.
How to stop hoarding guitars and guitar gear
I said in a recent post that I was going to write more about this, so here it is.
Compulsive hoarding as of the release of the DSM-5 in 2013 is a defined mental disorder. Humans have gotten to the point where the acquisition of stuff has become so bad and so destructive that we had to qualify it as a mental illness to try and figure out a way to stop it.
Since there is no magic pill to take to stop compulsive hoarding, the only way to tackle the problem is with good ol' willpower. That, and telling guitar hoarders in very blunt fashion that they are hoarding and need to stop it.
How many projects?
A common guitar hoarder thing is one who has a lot of guitars either in pieces or that are outright broken. He will label these guitars as "projects" to be completed later. But they never get completed.
Mr. Guitar Hoarder will spot some guitar on Craigslist or at a flea market, his eyes will light up and he'll say to himself, "I can fix that!" That's the moment of satisfaction that he craves, so he will flash cash and buy the thing. Of course, the guitar will never get fixed. It'll just go in the "work area", tossed in a corner and promptly forgotten.
Boxes and boxes of electronics junk
Knobs, pickups that don't work, pickups that are so cheap that nobody would ever want them, bad potentiometers, a massive tangle of wires (all bad), a massive tangle of cables (also all bad), and so on.
The guitar hoarder has several boxes of electronics junk, and in true hoarder style, truly does not know what's in each box. And if you ask him what's in the box, he will get VERY ANGRY at you for daring to ask, and blurt back "I KNOW WHAT'S IN THERE." No, I don't think so, pal. You haven't a clue what's in there.
Extreme clutter
When the guitars and electronics junk starts piling up enough, they get layered with dust, and after a while, bugs will nest inside those "project" guitars and/or their guitar cases, should they have them.
If you just said to yourself, "Eww! GROSS!", you're right, it is. And it does happen. Hoarders don't care about the guitars. All they care about is the acquisition of stuff.
In really bad scenarios, even the tools start getting layers of dust on them, because they're never used.
Standard excuses guitar hoarders say
- "This is worth something." No, it isn't.
- "I was just working on this the other day." No, you weren't. Moving one crappy guitar out of the way to make room for another crappy guitar doesn't count as actual work.
- "I was saving this for someone else." Oh, yeah? Who? And for what purpose? And why would you take so long to fix up that thing for that 'someone else'? I guess you must really not care about that 'someone else' that much to make them wait so long, huh?
- "I'm planning on selling this." Yeah, and you've been 'planning' for months (or even years) now. You're a liar.
Sound familiar? If you know a guitar hoarder, it probably does.
How to clear the hoard
This is basically a 5-step process.
Step 1. Dump the electronics junk and the junk parts.
Any electronic you have that is broken or non-functional gets tossed. ALL of it. All the busted-up wires, cables, pickups, pots, tuners, etc. It all goes.
When doing this, DO NOT stop to check every little frickin' thing. That's a hoarder tactic to slow the process down so nothing ever gets thrown out. Just empty those stupid boxes of those stupid broken parts and THROW. THEM. OUT. They are not worth anything to anyone and do nothing but take up space. Get rid of all of it.
Step 2. Put all your junk guitar woods together and sell as a pile.
It's probably true all your bodies and necks are from no-name crap brands. Put all that together and sell your hoard to another hoarder. I'm not kidding. Yes, I am saying to capitalize on someone else's hoarding disorder.
DO NOT overprice the pile. Price it real cheap, post to Craigslist and say first come, first serve. Some idiot will buy it. Sell it all, and enjoy the cash - but don't spend it on more guitar crap.
Step 3. Sell all functional guitars you don't use.
If you have 10 guitars and they all work, sell every single one you don't use. And yeah, that may mean you end up with nothing but 1 guitar left. Do it.
Step 4. Sell all broken amplifiers and cabinets for parts, and sell cheap.
Craigslist again here. Rip out all the amps and sell as electronics parts. Both guitar guys and maybe even some ham radio guys would be interested in this. Don't even bother cleaning it up. Just put them all in a pile and sell. Sell cheap and get rid of them.
Step 5. Sell all working amplifiers.
Craigslist once again here. Amps and cabinets are a pain to ship, so don't bother with that. Just sell local and sell cheap.
Got friends to help? Let them sell off the hoard for you.
It may be too emotionally distressing to sell all this stuff yourself. If that's the case and you've got friends to help, this is the process:
- Pick out 1 or 2 guitars you want to keep.
- Pick out 1 and just 1 amp you want to keep.
- Pick out working cables and minimal effects (KEEP IT SMALL) you want to keep.
- Get your friends over, point to the room where your hoard is and say "Just clear it out. I don't care how. Throw out anything that doesn't work. Sell anything that can be sold. Just do it."
On step 4 in particular, don't be there. If your friends are trustworthy (and they should be if they're people you call friends), just let them clear out the whole thing and don't even worry about the money made from it. If you make even so much as 50 bucks, consider yourself lucky because up until this point you've been spending money and going in a negative fiscal direction.
When I say "don't be there", I literally mean don't be there. Don't even be at the house. Find somewhere to go for the afternoon that's not there.
I guarantee you will feel a tremendous sense of relief when you see that emptied room after you come back.
You totally want to put yourself in that danger zone where you know the stuff is going to be cleared and there's not a damned thing you can do about it. Otherwise, that pile of crap will never get out of your house.
The next step: Start thinking smaller with your guitars and guitar gear
Right, so the hoard is now gone. Good for you. Now it's time to rethink how you do guitars and guitar gear.
With guitars, thinking smaller is easy. Just find a guitar you like, stick with it and don't buy more.
With effects, going smaller means using multi-effects units. Instead of having a bulky collection of pedals, use in-amp effects or a single external multi-effect unit like the Korg Pandora Stomp, DigiTech RP255 or like unit. And yes, I know, multi-effect units don't look "cool". Who cares? The point is to get something that has as many effects in it as possible so you don't have to spread that out into a bunch of noisy separate pedals.
With amps, there is a lot of joy to be had in smaller units. Have you see the Bugera BC15? I don't like tubes, but that one is small, tidy and looks great. And cheap! Or for something small that packs punch and has effects built-in, it's really tough to beat the Fender Mustang I. If on the other hand you need something with some real balls to it that can belt out some loudness, Fender Mustang III.
Yes, it is OK to have a practice amp and a gigging amp, obviously. But don't go beyond that or you'll end up with a hoard again.
Basically, the point I'm making here is to get the most for your money, instead of just constantly hoarding more and more guitars and gear.
Remember, a hoard ultimately wastes money just by existing. You wasted money on buying all that crap, and it's whacking you again by taking up space and might even be causing a safety hazard in your own home.
Clear out the hoard first, go small, and try to buy stuff that you can really, you know, use.
Consider switching your hoard out for a properly-made studio
This is the last bit of advice I'll give to end this one.
If you've got a room full of guitar crap, and that room is large enough to where you could get some recording gear in there, converting that to a usable studio is actually not a bad idea.
I personally think building a recording studio in a house is a waste of time. However, given the choice between a guitar hoard and a studio, the studio is obviously the better choice because it's actually usable. With the space gained from removing the hoard, it's probably true a whole band could fit in there even with the recording equipment present.
Even if it's just you and your friends doing for-fun recordings, that's still a whole lot better than a dirty, useless guitar gear hoard.