Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Hey guys,
Our band recorded a few more songs and there is an annoying overtone in one of the bass parts so I decided to retake my bass take.
For some reason I can't "sit" on our take, my original bass take sits perfectly and sounds great (apart of that annoying overtone in the C part) but whenever I try recording a new bass take it feels detached at best or even totally out of sync
I noticed that in most songs I "pull" the rhythm with my bass, that is - my bass is always a bit ahead of the rhythm, it sounds weird when the bass is by itself but great with the entire band, what am I doing wrong? am I such a bad player? what's going on???

Thanks.

Are you using Sonar, Gil or some other software? I suspect that you may have a latency issue. In other words for some unknown reason there is a small delay getting the feed to your head phones and then your overdub bass part will not quite sit in the pocket. I need more info to be able to assist as much as I am able.

I am not an expert btw. I have just barely scratched the surface of the technologies involved after all these years of recording songs on digital medium.

I am using tracktion.
I thought it's a latency issue but it is not it - I tested it by recording a thump with a click and then re-recording over it, it was in perfect sync, I also took down the buffer in my soundcard so the latency is down to 0.4ms which is really low.

Try recording both through a direct box and also live with the track playing at a decent volume through your monitors.........in other words don't use headphones on the second test. See what that does to the timing issue. These are just tests, so don't expect the recording quality to be anywhere near perfect.

What is the nature of the overtone? Is it a vibrating string or more like a hum? I don't know what kind of sound you are using, but can you EQ it out with a filter? I did a recording and my output jack was crackling, but I didn't need any zing in the track so I just set a low-pass filter low enough that it removed the crackles...

If you do end up re-recording the part, are you playing along with your original bass part or playing along without it? I would just suggest experimenting with different approaches, and as Brian suggested, don't be concerned yet with recording a usable take, just mess around without that pressure. (Assuming it isn't a latency issue, which it sounds like it may not be)

I've been using Cakewalk and sometimes I've experienced a latency when using effects or a mastering program. I think it's time to wipe out my computer and start over again...or get a new computer.

Thanks guys,
Brian - I'll try your suggestions - thanks!
Harry - Check it out - gil.disatnik.com/brave.flac.zip - you can hear the overtone which sounds like an out of tune note every time I play the riff's opening "B" 2 minutes into the song (C part).
This is a really early mix so please be gentle
Joey: That's a good idea, I'll try recording with all plugins off.

Thanks again.

I have sometimes noticed the musicians trying to overdub a previously live part will drag just a little. I always put it down to reduced adrenalin compared to the live cut, or some version of the "click track" effect (where drummers will lag or lead because they can't her the click when they're right on top of it). I usually start cutting a few milliseconds at a time off the front of the new track and seeing if it sounds better. At times , I've moved drum parts as much as 20 ms to make the feel more urgent or laid back. I Start by cutting 5ms off, then go on doing the same until the part is obviously "leading" Then I go back by adding 5ms of silence to the front until I get the best lock.