Tight live sound with bass compression

It's hard to deal with novice bass players in a live sound situation. Their playing can be all over the place, erratic and way too dynamic for a bass player. 

Their notes pop and their playing is uncontrolled. Consequently, the band doesn't sound tight since his dynamic range is all over the place.

Novice bass players sometimes don't understand that their playing needs to be level and constant, in order for the band to sound tight and controlled. 

Obviously, it depends on the genre, but bass players should be concentrating on locking with the drums to get a solid groove and rhythm going.  

Maybe they have more leeway when they are funking out, but the typical novice bass player isn't playing funk, he's playing garage rock.

As a sound engineer, you need to be aware of how you can control and manage an erratic bass player. Sometimes you have to process a bass that much that it just provides a thick foundation to the song, keeping it level underneath everything. There are a few tricks you can adopt next time you are dealing with a bad bass player.

bass Compression

Since a bass player's playing is so erratic and dynamic you need to be able to control his dynamic range. There is no better way to control dynamic range than by using a compressor. With bass compression the erratic all-over-the-place playing suddenly sounds more controlled and level. 

Ratio

Use a high ratio, starting at 8:1 in order to flatten out as much of the playing as possible.

Threshold

Turn the threshold down until it's constantly compressing the bass. By letting the compressor stop compressing you run the risk of sudden notes popping out, ruining the steady balance you're giving the bass by compressing it.

Fast attack

Use a fast attack to grab the loud transients. Novice bass players pluck or pick notes very unevenly so some notes just pop out at you while others are ill defined. You are better off leaving the attack very fast so the compressor chomps down on those random notes right away.

Limiting

If you are still dealing with a bad sound and uneven playing you can heighten the ratio even more, and start limiting the signal. That way all the notes get cut off at the threshold instead, essentially eliminating all the unwanted playing.

Smaller Venues

These settings described above might seem a little extreme, since we are essentially squashing the bass, taking out some of the attack and making it sound like a "low frequency mud carpet". (Thanks @siggidori)

In a sense that's true, but at smaller venues, where novice bass players and underground bands usually gig, there is plenty of information coming from the amplifier itself as well. The amplifier, coupled with the thick processed sound from the PA system gives a result, that from experience I know will work.

Compress when needed

Not every bass player needs such a drastic treatment to his sound. There are bass players that are so good they don't need processing at all, their playing perfect and their dynamics just right. 

But when you find yourself in a live sound situation where you are dealing with an erratic and uncontrollable bass player, it's a good idea to control his levels for him with some heavy bass compression. 

With compression you can control and tighten up his playing, making your job easier and letting you focus on other, more important things during the gig.

Go back to the live sound page

Here are 7 great live sound mixing tips

Don't understand bass compression? Here's a guide to the compressor!

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