krispn

I recall getting asked..well the singer... getting asked if we did Call me Al by Paul Simon.The same woman asked after every song for a bout 6 songs in a row. Every time she asked I played the bass line and she never once noticed what I was playing. I was very tickled indeed! So in conclusion, and my final contribution to this thread... Sometimes the punter doesn't even recognise the SONG they have just requested let alone our tone! We've had people request a song, then play it only to have them come back and ask for it! Drunks eh! Now to start a new thread Do punters even know what music is?

I mainly play in an Irish bar here in Edinburgh for the majority of my gigs and we like to do a range of tunes to keep it interesting The most often heard comment I get is from English Toff students saying "Yeah slap that bass man!"...in the middle of a 'root-fifth' Pogues number or some other tune where that last thing anybody needs to hear is me slapping my plank but that's a whole other thread!

Muzz we do quite a broad range of tunes too. Depeche Mode, Dubliners, Dropkick Murphys, Rhianna, Avicii, House of Pain etc. And a solid bass tone is gonna do all of that with varying degrees of tone knob and right hand. It's then what we add to bring the tone in line with the recording. Bit of drive and salp and pop, tone off and using the thumb etc. I'd say all of us on here have a degree of competence on the bass and know how to elicit the tones we want via technique and with effects. I think I have a good bass tone and I use a couple of pedals. Do the punters know? I often see, presumably, guitarists/bassists looking at my pedal board pre gig or during the set or waiting to see what bass I pull out of the gig bag etc. Folk in the audience may or may not know about gear but they are unlikely that bothered if you have ten pedals or none, they just want you to play well and are more likely to comment that you sound good or tight rather or the tone used. I think those collective elements no matter how larger or small - tone, technique tightness as a unit - are what folk enjoy and it's often times hard to break each down or indeed pointless to over think it in isolation. You might be sloppy on the bass but have a great stage presence and a great tone. Poeple may well enjoy your 'performance' and forgive the sloppy playing...asuuming they even noticed in the first place.

Ná bí buartha 😉👍🏽

I just happen to have my passport with me for my ESTA visa application tonight at work

I’m still not a Scot 😉

It was tounge in cheek Al after your other post about the band not noticing your 5 string 🙂

But will anyone notice 😉

Skip to 11:30 and listen to the bass tone isolated. Is it a 'good' tone? Perhaps, perhaps not. Does it work in the context of the band. You damn skippy hippie it does. Now I've 'actively listened' to Epic following this breakdown I can hear all of these parts. Not sure I was fully aware of all of them before but I've always liked this song (decent headphones helps too). I'm not pretending to be one of these internet evangelists but these breakdowns really tune the ear if that's something that interests folk. From 0:00-11:30 they're talking drums and it's a great groove with some nice studio trickery on the snare I wasn't aware if either. Nice!

There are podcasts and you tube videos where a producer will break a song down track by track and explain why it’s great. Rick Beato does a you tube one and Christian Hand has some podcasts in which he does the same. They’re worth a listen just to contextualise some of the tone debate stuff on songs you will have heard 1000’s of times. Its a lot of fun for a geek like me. Maybe not entirely relevant but some guys here might be quite interested in such resources.

@Al Krow I’ve edited my post to include ‘bass’ 😀 Its two different thing ‘knowing why it’s good’ and appreciating that a band ‘sound good’. It’s gets into minutiae and a bit of a moot point though doesn’t it - tone v great tone v- superlative tone etc etc. It’s a good discussion point but ultimately boils down to if we feel good about ‘our’ tone. My point is simple. All band members should give some consideration to ‘good’ tone. I’d hope that the guitarist cares, I’d hope the drummer cares too. If we can’t be bothered to sound ‘good’ for ourselves then for whom? ‘Good’ anything’ is always subjective and it stands to reason that we can only do so much in this quest and we have to accept some truths in talent, musicianship gear etc. Punters will notice a bad tone more readily than a good one as there is an expectation that a band will be half decent if they’re out earning x amount of times per month. If a good tone makes you happy and relaxed AND play more in the groove then it’s a good thing. If the tone you have suits the song even better. I play gigs for the enjoyment of it and of course money is nice too. My concern when I gig is that the band sounds good and I hope that translates to the punters if they are conscious of my tone or not. Sure playing the correct note at the correct time is important too but that’s another thread 😀

Yes good bass tone does matter. *edited* If your band mates don’t care about tone they’re not tuned in to being in a band. If you’re not constructively listening to your band as a unit and aiming for consistency in your sound then you’re not fully engaging. To the point about simple set up we’re all capable of going bass>amp>speaker and we could all make that work but once we start trying to find our ‘voice’ with our instrument we do consider effects and enhancements to be more unique and distinguish is from others Why is tone important and why would punters care? Well we’ve all been conditioned by listening to professionally mixed music our whole lives to understand what sounds good and the human ear knows when things sound right or wrong. Too shrill we wince too boomy etc we know it’s wrong. A well mixed/good sounding band just feels and sounds right. Within that context we (irrespective of instrument) have a responsibility to play well, sound good and serve the song irrespective of genre. Why do live venues have a sound engineer? To make sure it sounds good of course so the punters come back! What I found with most musicians once they get some proficiency and begin to understand ‘how’ to play their instrument they take an active role in the sound as much as the technique. They know where they fit in the context of the song and they give a damn about making it work in the band. If these people are not in your band then it’s a sad day for you and the audience. Yes punters will dance to a bad band, they’ll even dance to bad musicianship. They may not know that that shrill noise is too much 2k but watch their faces when the feedback kicks in. Good sound should be a priority as should a good groove. If a musician is not considering their tone and the bands tone then they’re not really engaging in the process. Sure it can get ridiculous but as I’ve said elsewhere if we know how to use our gear, understand what makes a good mix and our place in it then we’re informed enough to get by and sometimes that’s the best we can hope for. I do know that I’d hate to be the one person in my bands who was ruining the vibe or the mix because I didn’t care enough to take an interest.

It goes back to what Jus Lukin said if you don’t know how the gear works or how to get the best sound out of it you’ll never sound good. If it’s not sounding right after learning how it works then move on. We are spoilt for choice. Plus we grow accustomed to a sound and want to expand our horizon hence pedals, basses, amps always getting punted.. how many folk have sold up gear only to regret it six months later.

Looks like this panel is part of a footswitxh to engage the drive or mid remotely from the pedal itself judging by the new fb post.

I know Darren, just suggesting folks check him out 😀