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Chapter 13 Sculpture 313
The scope for sound design, by altering the frequency spectrum of electromagnetic instruments,
is far more exible than that oered by acoustic instruments. In addition to the number of
pickups, a major role is also played by the choice of amplier, the equalization setting within
the amplier, and—last but not least—the physical properties of the speakers and their
enclosing cabinet.
The central features of your electric bass sound are complete, but the sound can be improved by
paying close attention to some details. Here are a few general suggestions:
•
Vary the position of the pickups. Try placing each of them in dierent positions. This cancels
out certain frequencies, and others are summed together.
•
Try turning on the Invert switch, even though this eect is not typical for electric basses.
•
What is typical for bass sounds is the placement of the pickups in the outer-left third of
the string model. The farther you move them to the left, the thinner and more nasal the
sound becomes.
•
Shifting Object 1 will have a similar eect. Try dierent combinations here as well.
Alter the frequency spectrum of your basic bass with the Body EQ
The Body EQ is ideal for giving the bass sound that nal, nishing touch. Your electric bass sound
could be a little less smooth, and a bit more precise in its attack phase. Bassists like to use the
terms drier and more bite to describe this phenomenon.
1 Load the E-Bass Fingered Basic setting.
2 Choose the standard Lo Mid Hi model from the Model pop-up menu in the Body EQ section.
3 Reduce the low bass frequencies by setting the Low knob to a value of −0.30.
4 Boost the mid-range frequencies substantially by setting the Mid knob to a value of 0.50. Drag
the Mid Frequency slider to a value of 0.26.
5 You’ll probably nd that the boosting of the low mid frequencies is a little too strong at this
point, so return the Mid value to 0.30.
6 The sound could stand to be a little more wiry, so set the High knob to a value of 0.30.
7 To nish o, set the Level knob (to the right of the amplitude envelope) to a value of −3 dB.
The sound is now as loud as possible, without the low notes distorting.
8 Save this sound setting as E-Bass Fingered Basic EQ1.