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Bassline Problems

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  • 29-03-2012 12:54pm
    #1
    WasterEx
    Registered Users Posts: 543 ✭✭✭


    Alot of melodies that I've come up with are really good but finding a bassline to match them is a nightmare :/ The note after the first note of the bassline is always either to high or to deep. It seems like when it comes to making up basslines your so limited. Is there an 'easier' method for coming up with good basslines?...Help :confused:


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    #2
    mordeith
    Registered Users Posts: 5,278 ✭✭✭mordeith


    If you're only using single notes and not chords then it shouldn't really be a problem. People with music theoy can proably explain it. Anyway in my experience its easier to start with a bassline and try to get the melody to match that. The percussion and the bassline form the foundation and groove of the track so it makes sense to try and build on that rather than the other way around. Well that's my opinion anyway :rolleyes:


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    #3
    WasterEx
    Registered Users Posts: 543 ✭✭✭WasterEx


    mordeith wrote: »
    If you're only using single notes and not chords then it shouldn't really be a problem. People with music theoy can proably explain it. Anyway in my experience its easier to start with a bassline and try to get the melody to match that. The percussion and the bassline form the foundation and groove of the track so it makes sense to try and build on that rather than the other way around. Well that's my opinion anyway :rolleyes:

    Can't believe I never tried doing that before. Just tested that method and that's unreal haha! Nice one :D


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    #4
    paulo6891
    Registered Users Posts: 352 ✭✭paulo6891


    I deal with trance myself, where big rolling basslines are important. However, I found that once I started introducing melodies, it never sounded as great as I thought. Part of this was down to my lead arp being too similar to the bass and I reckon frequencies were clashing. So at the minute, I'm going to try this... I will have my 'banging' rolling bassline at the start, and then as the song progresses and I introduce more elements, I am going to change the pattern of the bass and make it a lot more simple. Hopefully that will do the trick and my mixes will sound a lot more professional... but you probably produce something completely different and none of this will relate to your problems!


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    #5
    mordeith
    Registered Users Posts: 5,278 ✭✭✭mordeith


    paulo6891 wrote: »
    reckon frequencies were clashing.

    I think you're not really solving the problem if you start stripping the bassline halfway through the song. If the frequencies are clashing as you say and the melody is getting a bit lost and muddy then you need to work on EQing the bassline and melody. A of the lower end frequencies of the bass are probably not necessary and you could cut them off with an EQ plugin. Also you could maybe raise the higher frequencis of the melody to make it stand out more. Could be that your kicks are also adding to the problem so EQing here is another good practice. You could also run some sidechain compression on the bassline to have it duck a little on the kicks which will help clear up the mix a bit.


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    #6
    paulo6891
    Registered Users Posts: 352 ✭✭paulo6891


    Maybe you're right but I find that you can't really hear the mid/high bass once everything kicks in, so there's no real point in keeping all of the detail especially when it is going to be to the detriment of some other elements (eg having to EQ the lead too much). But I'm no expert on this and am not in a position to contradict anyone!


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    #7
    mordeith
    Registered Users Posts: 5,278 ✭✭✭mordeith


    Well they're your productions so you can address the problem how you like, but I think for a listerners point of view it could be dissapointing to hear an eregetic, complex bassline at the start of a track and then have it disappear halfway through. You wouldn't need to eq the bassline much to have it stand out a bit more. Even a small bit of eq can make a big difference. Then again maybe you're just using a bassline that's too high from the start. Try dropping it an octave and seeing how it sounds.


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    #8
    paulo6891
    Registered Users Posts: 352 ✭✭paulo6891


    yeah you could be right, although I reckon that you can possibly get away with it in trance. I'll finish the track using this method and we'll see how it turns out. Fingers crossed.


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    #9
    Highcontrast1
    Registered Users Posts: 185 ✭✭Highcontrast1


    When it comes to basslines - kiss
    Keep it simple stupid
    Make sure your kick is in the same key as your track
    With ya melodies try making them big then slightly pan
    Clean up bottom end with an eq
    I think I use an eq on every channel
    If it has a visualizer,use it.ull be surprised to some see how much some freq bleed n that can cause muddiness


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    #10
    Sky King
    Registered Users Posts: 4,431 ✭✭✭Sky King


    It seems like when it comes to making up basslines your so limited. Is there an 'easier' method for coming up with good basslines?...Help
    Google pentatonic minor scales and play with them. It's easy to build a fat bassline around a minor pentatonic scale.

    If you can be arsed learning that, then just hammer out melodies on the black keys starting on Eb (Eb is the black key to the left of E)..

    That's the Eb minor pentatonic scale.

    When you get one with a rhythm you like, then transpose it into the desired key. Voila!

    Shortcut to groovy basslines.


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