LETTERS

Aug 1, 2004 12:00 PM

ON BASS

Maureen Droney's article “Sweet and Low” (June 2004) was thorough and informative, but I'd like to add a couple of thoughts.

There could have been more discussion about phase issues. A small phase discrepancy can make a big difference to the bass sound. Some amplifiers and DI boxes may actually flip the phase of the signal, so when lining up tracks in a DAW it's important to watch for phase that is actually inverted, not just slightly misaligned. Most DAWs have a phase-inversion function that can correct this.

With multiple tracks in a DAW environment, one must also consider latency-induced phase shift from plug-in processors. To avoid phase problems, I usually track bass parts by using a miked amp and a DI box, busing both tracks to the same aux send, and using the same plug-ins on both tracks.

There could also have been some discussion of frequency “sweet spots” when mixing bass against a kick drum. For example, I usually try to “voice” the low end of the bass in the 80 to 128 Hz area while trying to voice the bass drum lower, say, in the 30 to 60 Hz region. That allows me to keep the bottom range of each instrument somewhat distinct in the mix.

Finally, a recording trick I use for creating a tough-sounding bass is to track a DI signal while miking the bass through a guitar combo amp that's set up to distort a bit. The amp track by itself sounds weird, but when it's mixed 15 to 20 dB lower than the DI track, it adds a nice presence that the DI tends to lack.

I hope this information is useful. Thanks again for a great article on an important subject.
Jon Gordon
Jon Gordon Music
Production

Although I enjoyed Maureen Droney's article in the June 2004 issue on recording the electric bass, two words should be included in any such article: fretted and fretless. As a long-time studio bassist and personal-studio owner, I believe that failure to distinguish between those two types of electric basses is only slightly less egregious than a failure to distinguish between recording a Fender Strat and a Martin acoustic.

I've had the misfortune of playing fretless bass on sessions in which the engineer's sole concept of proper bass equalization was to use the classic “smiley face” curve. This may work fine for getting Motorhead's “Lemmy sound” or even the “Victor Wooten sound,” but it is hardly appropriate for capturing the low- to midrange warmth that characterizes the sounds of fretless players such as Jaco Pastorius, Alain Caron, and Kai Eckhardt. Ideally, most of that sound comes from the instrument anyway, rather than the mixing board or preamp.

I believe that this article should have at least acknowledged the existence of fretless bass guitars. Alternatively, it could have been titled “Recording the Fretted Bass,” or something along those lines.
Bob Blount
via email

CONFERENCE ROOM

While I thought that Kevin Smith's “Desktop Musician” article “Conquering the DAW” (June 2004) was very helpful, I felt it overlooked the most helpful resource that I encountered in my own experience with DAWs.

The Digidesign Digi 001 was my first DAW. Although the Digidesign folks were very knowledgeable, the single most useful (and free) resource was the Digidesign User Conference (“DUC”). Not only did the DUC get me up and running on my Dell Pentium III/700 MHz PC, it also helped me build my current DAW on a $600 budget. My DAW is rock solid and can rival many DSP based systems.

The DUC is a core group of “regulars” who provide reliable support that is above and beyond that of any tech-support team I have ever experienced. It gives you a chance to help others with what you have learned and to make new friends around the globe. In fact, many musical partnerships are established within the DUC.

I imagine that there are similar user conferences out there for other DAWs that are just as helpful. I encourage newcomers to use this most valuable resource.
Jerome Altschul
via email

ALONE AGAIN, NATURALLY

Thank you, Larry the O! I write children's musicals. I write alone, and I always have. I've never even considered collaborating. It was so encouraging to see you put those thoughts in print (“Final Mix: In Defense of the Lone Arranger,” June 2004). I've heard more than once (from people who have neither seen nor heard my work) that my shows would be better with someone else's input.

I have long felt that having another hand in the mix wouldn't necessarily make the show better, just different. And different isn't necessarily better. Through my shows, I'm telling a story the way that I want to tell it, the way I want the audience to hear it. As you suggest, some people work best in collaboration, while others don't. The trick is to discover which type of artist you are.

It's strange that nobody ever suggests to an artist who paints portraits that he let someone else have a hand in his portrait.
Kevin M. Reese
KMR Scripts

EARS GONE BYE

Bravo to EM for its recent article on what you can do to save your hearing, “Ears to You!” (May 2004). As a 55-year-old musician-producer who has recently suffered from tinnitus, I can only echo the good advice of Dr. Charles J. Limb and personally urge other musicians to give serious consideration to this urgent matter. Please don't make the mistake of thinking that you are invincible and it won't happen to you.

Tinnitus can take many forms, but for me it's like being in a room with a tea kettle that whistles for 24 hours a day. There are occasional brief interludes of blessed silence, but they are few and far between.

While I am not a crusader for preventing hearing loss, I encounter frustration in trying to caution young musicians about the dangers of high-volume music. I can totally relate, having been there and done that. For years, I stood in front of a cranked tube amp. Everything changed radically, however, in just one night. After going to a concert featuring a very loud Pink Floyd tribute band, my hearing was never the same, and I began hearing the constant high-pitched sound that has become a part of my daily existence.

Now that I am living with tinnitus, I have learned my lesson the hard way. Many thanks to EM for this important article.
Michael Diamond
San Rafael, California

The article “Ears to You” (May 2004) was great. About a year ago, I purchased some fairly expensive ear buds. I now have serious cerumen compaction (wax buildup) in my ears and have to get them professionally cleaned out. I can't lay my head down on one side for 30 seconds without experiencing reduced hearing in that ear when I get up, and I have to do the “wiggle my finger” routine just to open up a small canal for hearing.

Given the popularity of these things, I would imagine I'm not alone in this. I love the ear buds, but they're causing me big problems.
Rick Manwiller
via email

Rick — I discussed your concern with Rachel Cruz, a research audiologist who works with the House Ear Institute (www.hei.org), a great organization that promotes hearing health. According to Cruz, there's nothing inherent in the technology of ear buds in particular that would cause your problem. However, there are some people — and it sounds like you're one of them — who are more prone to wax buildup than others. Closing up their ear canals with custom-fit earplugs, custom-fit in-ear monitors, or even noncustom-fit ear buds (as in your case) will definitely cause the impaction (blockage) that is so problematic for you, and it may contribute to the buildup of wax. Cruz recommends that people with this tendency get their ears cleaned once or twice a year by either an audiologist or a physician (different states have different laws governing who's authorized to do cerumen removal). “If you know that you're prone to it, make a routine appointment, like the dentist,” advises Cruz. Regular cleanings, she says, can greatly reduce such problems.
— Mike Levine

APRIL LOVE

I just wanted to compliment EM on its April 2004 issue. The three nicely composed features — ”A New Approach to Personal-Studio Acoustics,” “Mixing Strategies of the Pros,” and “Tracking the Elusive Vocal” — are great. Keep up the good work, and I'll keep on purchasing the product.
Alex
via email

WE WELCOME YOUR FEEDBACK.

Address correspondence and email to “Letters,” Electronic Musician, 6400 Hollis Street, Suite 12, Emeryville, CA, 94608, or emeditorial@primediabusiness.com. Published letters may be edited for space and clarity.