User Guide

Chapter 28 Sculpture 535
You’ve completed this section, and created a basic bass that’s articulated with your
fingers. Save this as E-Bass Fingered Basic. In the following sections, you’ll be using this
basic bass as a foundation for the construction of further bass sounds.
Modifying the Frequency Spectrum of Your Basic Bass
The scope for sound design, by altering the frequency spectrum of electromagnetic
instruments, is far more flexible than that offered by acoustic instruments. In addition
to the number of pickups, the choice of amplifier, the equalization setting within the
amplifier and, last but not least, the physical properties of the speakers and their
enclosing cabinet also play a major role.
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 different positions. This
will cancel out certain frequencies, and others will be summed together.
 Try turning on the Invert switch, even though this effect 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 will become.
 Shifting Object 1 will have a similar effect. Try different combinations here as well.
The Body EQ is ideal for giving the bass sound that final, finishing touch. Your electric
bass sound could be a little less smooth, and be a bit more precise in its attack phase.
Bassists like to use the terms drier and more bite to describe this phenomenon.
To alter the frequency spectrum of your basic bass with the Body EQ:
1 Load the E-Bass Fingered Basic setting.
2 Select the standard Lo Mid Hi Body EQ model.
3 Reduce the low bass frequencies by setting the Low dial to a value of –0.30.
4 Boost the mid-range frequencies substantially by setting the Mid dial to a value of 0.50.
Set the Mid frequency slider to a value of 0.26.
5 You’ll probably find that the boosting of the low mid frequencies is a little too strong at
this point, so please return the Mid value to 0.30.
6 The sound could stand to be a little more wiry, so set the High dial to a value of 0.30.