I've been playing around with the Alesis board and my Eden bass head the last two days. This is in the attempt to flesh out my plan to reduce my on-stage gear.
I run my five string Warwick Thumb into the Eden WT-405. I take the headphone out from the Eden and run that into channel one on the Alesis. I take the headphone out from the Alesis into my headphones.
At first, the tone I was getting from the Warwick was not what I wanted. Too much low end and distortion in the headphones.
The usual settings I gig with - for both bass and amp are listed below.
Bass
1) Volume 100%
2) Active preamp turned on (there is a passive mode on the bass)
2) Pickup selector set to default middle notch
3) Bass preamp set to default middle notch
4) Treble preamp set to default middle notch - however I very this based on the song. Less treble for 50's and 60's tunes and more treble for 70's and later.
Amp
1) Gain set to 9 (4:00 on a clock face)
2) Compressor set to 3 (9:00 on a clock face)
3) Enhance set to 2.5-3 (9:00 on a clock face)
4) Bass set strait up (12:00 on a clock face)
5) Midrange set strait up (12:00 on a clock face)
6) Treble set strait up (12:00 on a clock face)
7) EQ button set to "normal" (not pushed in)
8) Mid shift button set to 2.2 KHz (pushed in)
9) Bass dynamic boost off
10) Treble dynamic boost off
11) Master volume changes with each gig - usually between 4-6 (11:00 and 1:00 on a clock face). I don't think I've ever had the amp higher than 7.
12) I've had the "Warn" button on and off at various gigs. With the fretless, I was finding I liked it on. But with the Warwick, I like the sound better with it off.
13) Gain button is off
That has been how I ran my rig at gigs. Truthfully, I was never really happy with the way the Warwick sounded. It always had a metallic twang to it. I remember a Melissa Etheridge concert I attended back in the late 80's. What stands out (still to this day) was Kevin McCormick's bass - both his playing and his tone. He played a four string fretless Warwick Thumb back then. Towards the end of the night, he took a solo where everyone left the stage except him. The tone he pulled from that four string was so woody, so warm, so easy to listen to. yesyes, I'm sure his playing added to that - he is a brilliant player. But the sound of that mid-low Warwick growl grabbed me.
I think my gear hunt over the years has been my attempt to try and recreate that sound.
Anyway...
This weekend I started playing around with the bass and amp settings. What I ended up with is both way cool and surprising.
Bass
1) Volume 100%
2) Active preamp turned on
2) Pickup selector set to 100% bridge pickup
3) Bass preamp set to max (100%)
4) Treble preamp set to min (0%)
Amp
1) Gain set to 9 (4:00 on a clock face)
2) Compressor set between 3-6 (9:00-12:00 on a clock face)
3) Enhance set to 2.5-3 (9:00 on a clock face)
4) Bass set to 9:00 on a clock face
5) Midrange set strait up (12:00 on a clock face)
6) Treble set to 9:00 on a clock face
7) EQ button set to "normal" (not pushed in)
8) Mid shift button set to 2.2 KHz (pushed in)
9) Bass dynamic boost off
10) Treble dynamic boost off
11) "Warn" button off
12) Gain button off
Way cool because I hear no more metallic twang. The brass frets of the Warwick don't sing out all bright and bell like. I hear the fullness of the fundamental note and when I get after it with my right hand, I hear the compression of a woody note.
Surprising because I have never used the back bridge pickup solo on any bass. It always sounded thin. And I never ran with 0% treble boost on the bass - it always sounded muddy.
Live and learn. Old dogs and new tricks do indeed belong in the same sentence. Without the "can't", however.
More time with these settings is needed and more experimentation too - but I am really happy with the tone. Over the next few weeks, I'll take these setting into band situations and see how well they translate live with drums and guitars.
I run my five string Warwick Thumb into the Eden WT-405. I take the headphone out from the Eden and run that into channel one on the Alesis. I take the headphone out from the Alesis into my headphones.
At first, the tone I was getting from the Warwick was not what I wanted. Too much low end and distortion in the headphones.
The usual settings I gig with - for both bass and amp are listed below.
Bass
1) Volume 100%
2) Active preamp turned on (there is a passive mode on the bass)
2) Pickup selector set to default middle notch
3) Bass preamp set to default middle notch
4) Treble preamp set to default middle notch - however I very this based on the song. Less treble for 50's and 60's tunes and more treble for 70's and later.
Amp
1) Gain set to 9 (4:00 on a clock face)
2) Compressor set to 3 (9:00 on a clock face)
3) Enhance set to 2.5-3 (9:00 on a clock face)
4) Bass set strait up (12:00 on a clock face)
5) Midrange set strait up (12:00 on a clock face)
6) Treble set strait up (12:00 on a clock face)
7) EQ button set to "normal" (not pushed in)
8) Mid shift button set to 2.2 KHz (pushed in)
9) Bass dynamic boost off
10) Treble dynamic boost off
11) Master volume changes with each gig - usually between 4-6 (11:00 and 1:00 on a clock face). I don't think I've ever had the amp higher than 7.
12) I've had the "Warn" button on and off at various gigs. With the fretless, I was finding I liked it on. But with the Warwick, I like the sound better with it off.
13) Gain button is off
That has been how I ran my rig at gigs. Truthfully, I was never really happy with the way the Warwick sounded. It always had a metallic twang to it. I remember a Melissa Etheridge concert I attended back in the late 80's. What stands out (still to this day) was Kevin McCormick's bass - both his playing and his tone. He played a four string fretless Warwick Thumb back then. Towards the end of the night, he took a solo where everyone left the stage except him. The tone he pulled from that four string was so woody, so warm, so easy to listen to. yesyes, I'm sure his playing added to that - he is a brilliant player. But the sound of that mid-low Warwick growl grabbed me.
I think my gear hunt over the years has been my attempt to try and recreate that sound.
Anyway...
This weekend I started playing around with the bass and amp settings. What I ended up with is both way cool and surprising.
Bass
1) Volume 100%
2) Active preamp turned on
2) Pickup selector set to 100% bridge pickup
3) Bass preamp set to max (100%)
4) Treble preamp set to min (0%)
Amp
1) Gain set to 9 (4:00 on a clock face)
2) Compressor set between 3-6 (9:00-12:00 on a clock face)
3) Enhance set to 2.5-3 (9:00 on a clock face)
4) Bass set to 9:00 on a clock face
5) Midrange set strait up (12:00 on a clock face)
6) Treble set to 9:00 on a clock face
7) EQ button set to "normal" (not pushed in)
8) Mid shift button set to 2.2 KHz (pushed in)
9) Bass dynamic boost off
10) Treble dynamic boost off
11) "Warn" button off
12) Gain button off
Way cool because I hear no more metallic twang. The brass frets of the Warwick don't sing out all bright and bell like. I hear the fullness of the fundamental note and when I get after it with my right hand, I hear the compression of a woody note.
Surprising because I have never used the back bridge pickup solo on any bass. It always sounded thin. And I never ran with 0% treble boost on the bass - it always sounded muddy.
Live and learn. Old dogs and new tricks do indeed belong in the same sentence. Without the "can't", however.
More time with these settings is needed and more experimentation too - but I am really happy with the tone. Over the next few weeks, I'll take these setting into band situations and see how well they translate live with drums and guitars.
