BASS
THE MOST COMMON QUESTION | Gary Lunn
In between sessions and live gigs , I occasionally get asked great questions from bass players who work on the road with artists I have played for on their records . These questions always give me fresh ideas for subject matter to talk about and have a bolstering effect on past topics . Recently , I was asked the most common question , and my answer produced a new approach to this most common conceptual problem .
So here is the question ( in all its facets ): “ I play for the artist “____” whose project you played on , and I can ’ t seem to match your sound . How do you get your tone ? What do you use in the studio for your signal chain ? What kind of bass did you play ?” In other words , “ Why don ’ t I sound like you ?”
Sadly , I can generally answer the question with one answer : “ If you ’ re sure that it was me playing , well … it ’ s because I played it .” Ugh ! That sounds so arrogant and awful ! However , it is true — not because I am some sort of bass “ god ,” but because God gave me my finger shape , my ears , my taste , my bank account , and my career ! Let me explain further .
After he asked the question , several questions immediately came to mind : “ Who is the artist , what ’ s the name of the record , who produced the record , who mixed the record , and where was it recorded ?” I have to know all of these answers before I can even begin to answer this question !
Some back story : After all of these years , I am blessed to have some accounts that I service regularly ( if “ regularly ” is even possible in my line of work ). Because of the lesser presence of record labels these days , projects I play on now are usually funded by the artist (“ indie ” projects ). They come into the studio and record whatever they have the budget to record .
Sometimes I can play for a nine-hour day , at one studio , with the same musicians , but play for three to five ( or more ) different projects . The projects might all be from different styles and genres , and I might record anywhere from three to eleven songs in that time-period alone ! Each one of these songs may or may not require a different approach , different bass , different tone , etcetera , based on either my own or the producer ’ s personal standard . Also , I have to accommodate the situation in lightningfast time , play / compose the right part , and be professionally pleasant to be around . No pressure !
So back to the question by this bass player . After doing some research , I found the producer ’ s name , which led me to conclude who mixed the record and vaguely remember what bass ( es ) I might have played that day . The producer , who is also a great mix engineer , had mixed the record , so I was able to ask him if he had added or changed the sound of my bass tracks in the mix ( i . e ., plug-ins he may have used to make it fit in the track better , etc .). He mentioned one plug-in he may have applied to my tracks , but it was minimal and did not change the overall tone . Whew !
Upon further pondering the question , a new “ old ” answer occurred to me for trying to match someone ’ s bass tone . It came from something I used to do that I had completely forgotten about !
Here is some more backstory : I have always been very curious . As a kid , I used to drive tech people crazy with questions !
Practicing in my house growing up , I always made too much noise . So , after asking many questions , I figured out how to play my bass through my smaller stereo speakers along with the song I was practicing / playing with .
The main problem that I had to overcome was that I didn ’ t know how to connect the output of my bass amp ( bypassing the speaker ) to the input of my stereo without severely overdriving my stereo . Consequently , I was limited to using only the output of the bass into my stereo . I had no “ outside ” tonal help ! So , in essence , I was creating a studio environment in my own bedroom — I just didn ’ t realize it .
The long-term benefit for me was learning how to copy great bass tones within the same medium that I was hearing . Instead of listening through my amp ( which was totally different sounding … and loud ), I was listening through the same medium that the world listens through .
My suggestion to my new friend was to do the exact same thing : copy the bass sounds through the same speakers that he normally listens to .
My hope is that this method of monitoring will teach anyone how bass sounds translate from your fingers to the “ air .” In turn , this may help you change your tone merely with subtle EQ settings or by simply striking / addressing the strings differently . I have always said that most of anyone ’ s bass tone comes from the fingers , so blessings on the work of your hands … and fingers !
Gary Lunn Gary is a session player / producer / writer in Nashville . Contact him by Facebook or email with questions or scheduling . www . facebook . com / garylunn garylunn @ me . com