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Upgrade Your Worship Bass Playing

Bass players are CRITICAL on the worship team, but while it’s easy to learn bass, it’s a hard instrument to play really well. I’ll teach you my tips for upgrading your bass playing and tone, no matter if you’re brand new, or been playing for a while.
Sign up for the Virtual Sound Check Challenge here: bit.ly/vscchallenge
Links:
Sire P5 Bass www.zzounds.com/a--3980957/it...
JHS Moonshine www.zzounds.com/a--3980957/it...
PRS Mary Cries Compressor Pedal www.zzounds.com/a--3980957/it...
Boss GE-7 Graphic EQ Pedal www.zzounds.com/a--3980957/it...
Sansamp bass driver v2 amzn.to/427hrD7
zZounds bass pedals www.zzounds.com/prodsearch?ca...
EHX Soul Food www.zzounds.com/item--EHXSOUL...
Aguilar Tone Hammer amzn.to/40dmxfg
P.S. Those links are affiliate links, so if you buy after clicking through, it generates a small commission for me at no additional charge for you. It's just a way you can help support the channel :)
00:00 Intro
01:31 Timing is everything
03:06 3 steps for great timing
08:55 Tone consistency
12:01 Utilize your tone knob
13:03 Send a balanced tone
13:43 In-ear monitor challenges
14:39 The balancing act
15:42 Utilizing pedals to enhance your tone
17:18 Playing with dynamics
18:10 Adding distortion
21:32 Distortion and overdrive
23:03 Using a compressor pedal
26:34 Virtual sound check challenge!

Пікірлер: 77

  • @juanmontenegro6164
    @juanmontenegro6164 Жыл бұрын

    Playing is not boring at all, James 😂 You have a huge responsibility as a bass player, you cannot play a wrong note, anybody else can play a wrong note but the bass player. Such a fun instrument to play and so important in any type of music.

  • @AttawayAudio

    @AttawayAudio

    Жыл бұрын

    The song I yawned through (I was probably just sleep deprived, but still) was a 1/3-4-5 through the whole song, and I only liked the style a little more than polka.

  • @kdub9398

    @kdub9398

    29 күн бұрын

    I prove you wrong everytime I play. I have yet to play a perfect song without some little mistake.....

  • @robainsworth4384
    @robainsworth4384 Жыл бұрын

    Great video James ... much appreciation for sharing your experience

  • @baron1c
    @baron1c Жыл бұрын

    Such a timely video. I’m going to share this with my bass player, we were just talking about this kind of info

  • @philipstrickland9224

    @philipstrickland9224

    Жыл бұрын

    lets just hope he doesnt read comments haha

  • @AttawayAudio

    @AttawayAudio

    Жыл бұрын

    I would be honored if someone cared enough to send me a video about how to get better 😀

  • @audioworkbench
    @audioworkbench Жыл бұрын

    Amazing video! Suuuper helpful!

  • @MrVyrtuoso
    @MrVyrtuoso8 ай бұрын

    Using a Helix, just a single DSP path. Got my dual parallel path preset set up so one path is a clean full range SVT4Pro tone where treble can be attenuated for more melodic jazz playing, and the other path is high passed at 880Hz for distortion via Darkglass B7K Ultra feeding a bright channel JTM45 model, and this path is engaged for rock tones.

  • @AttawayAudio

    @AttawayAudio

    8 ай бұрын

    nice!

  • @JohannesBraunias
    @JohannesBraunias9 ай бұрын

    Thank you! Valuable! Also to see that you had your own challenges.

  • @AttawayAudio

    @AttawayAudio

    6 ай бұрын

    Of course! We're all human, right? 🤓

  • @PeterMetzger
    @PeterMetzger Жыл бұрын

    Great advice, especially on the importance of timing and consistent finger tone! Since you asked about pedals - I don't usually use them, but I have used the Catalinbread SFT for drive/distortion to good effect, and the Walrus Audio Deep Six v3 for compression (also has a blend control!). My usual bass these days is a Fender P, but I played a Schecter C-4 for a long time before that.

  • @AttawayAudio

    @AttawayAudio

    Жыл бұрын

    Nice! Those pedals look great. I'll have to keep an eye out for them

  • @starmanovich
    @starmanovich Жыл бұрын

    I sure do love the tone of P pickups.

  • @AttawayAudio

    @AttawayAudio

    Жыл бұрын

    same

  • @AllAboutBasses
    @AllAboutBasses3 ай бұрын

    Thanks for sharing the tips. Subscribing.

  • @DieBaas01
    @DieBaas01 Жыл бұрын

    great video James, I have the Behringer V-Tone BDI21 pedal, great amp modeler and have used it a couple of times in church instead of the church's Bass amp, even use it at home on my Bass amp, then I know I have the same settings at home when I practice than when I go to church

  • @AttawayAudio

    @AttawayAudio

    Жыл бұрын

    nice!

  • @kheledkitt
    @kheledkitt Жыл бұрын

    To add any distortion I use a SansAmp and kick the gain up to taste. The newer SansAmps have a 'bite' switch that gives you a bump on the highs for a crisper distortion sound.

  • @AttawayAudio

    @AttawayAudio

    Жыл бұрын

    Even low levels of gain just feel "right" with that pedal.

  • @michaelanderson4265
    @michaelanderson4265 Жыл бұрын

    Demeter Opto Compulator-1 compressor pedal..!! Good video, thanks

  • @AttawayAudio

    @AttawayAudio

    Жыл бұрын

    Looks like a great one! I'll have to keep my eye out for it

  • @redrocksfellowship4377
    @redrocksfellowship4377 Жыл бұрын

    Bass sometimes is boring, mostly just under-appreciated... My wife determines what type of day if I'm having by how much I smile at the drummer. Since you asked on pedals - Cali76 compressor into a Sansamp with light drive. I carry a chorus but those two previous are always on. Also, props on the P-bass. It's never wrong in a worship mix. I still love my jazz for gospel though... ;)

  • @AttawayAudio

    @AttawayAudio

    Жыл бұрын

    lol yeah I like that drummer-smile test. Those are some great pedals! I sometimes shy away from 1176-style compression on bass, but there are times that it shines

  • @destinbailey6776
    @destinbailey67765 ай бұрын

    Bruh, this video is great

  • @AttawayAudio

    @AttawayAudio

    5 ай бұрын

    Thank you so much! :)

  • @josimon6229
    @josimon6229 Жыл бұрын

    Big props for the Snarky Puppy reference.

  • @AttawayAudio

    @AttawayAudio

    Жыл бұрын

    snarky puppy = 🤯

  • @calvinnapier9977
    @calvinnapier99776 ай бұрын

    I've been playing gospel bass guitar for a long time and I never get bored with it. Now distortion on a bass makes my ears 👂bleed. When I hear distortion on bass the sound gets blurred with the lead guitar that's using distortion. If were gonna use distortion on the bass we might as well add it to the kick drum to. I'm saying this in a friendly manner 🙂

  • @AttawayAudio

    @AttawayAudio

    6 ай бұрын

    I hear you - CCM style bass is much MUCH less interesting than gospel bass playing. And I totally agree - distortion on gospel bass just doesn't make sense. It's kind of like dominant 7th chords just don't fit in CCM genres.

  • @calvinnapier9977

    @calvinnapier9977

    6 ай бұрын

    @@AttawayAudio Does CCM stand for Christian Country Music? 🙂

  • @Cristian-pp5oo
    @Cristian-pp5oo Жыл бұрын

    4:50 I always enjoy using Tonal Energy for my tuning and metronome needs. The SBL Groove Trainer is nice too!

  • @AttawayAudio

    @AttawayAudio

    Жыл бұрын

    Nice! Love SBL Groove Trainer... I'll have to check out Tonal Energy!

  • @Cristian-pp5oo

    @Cristian-pp5oo

    Жыл бұрын

    @Attaway Audio It isn't free, but I found it to be well worth a couple bucks.

  • @aswillseesit
    @aswillseesitСағат бұрын

    Do any of you “bass players” depend on backing tracks during worship?

  • @jefffranklin2294
    @jefffranklin2294 Жыл бұрын

    Do you mic the bass cabinet and use the XLR Preamp out for your live mixes?

  • @AttawayAudio

    @AttawayAudio

    Жыл бұрын

    I rarely have a bass cab on stage. But yes, sometimes. More often I'll take a DI before the bass amp, since their ouputs can sometimes get noisy.

  • @buelow123
    @buelow123 Жыл бұрын

    I use the Aguilar Tonehammer for the main part of my tone. Unfortunately you can't use it temporary because the distortion really lets the volume jump. I set the gain so that it doesn't really distort when I play long legato notes, bit when I dig in it really fills out the spectrum and cuts really nice to support the rhythm even more. It also allows for more headroom during a high energy part. Thank you for your input. This is really important. Also the IEM problem is really a thing. I would suggest a set with at least two drivers so that the bass doesn't mix up with the rest of the frequencies in your ear. Just boosting the bass in your ears, won't do it, like you said.

  • @AttawayAudio

    @AttawayAudio

    Жыл бұрын

    Touch dynamics are definitely 💯in an overdrive pedal or bass amp, so I'd call that a win. I've heard a lot of people using them, I just haven't gotten my hands on one yet.

  • @buelow123

    @buelow123

    Жыл бұрын

    It's not for everyone but its a type of distortion that isn't too in your face. It doesn't really sound distorted unless you really crank it. It's just thicker, especially helpful when playing with a pick, which also can be intimidating for some.

  • @mattduncan1466

    @mattduncan1466

    Жыл бұрын

    Check out the Aguilar storm king. It’s the standalone gain circuit from the tone hammer

  • @joshuaphillips2764
    @joshuaphillips2764 Жыл бұрын

    should you use a bass compressor if your sound guy is already using compression?

  • @AttawayAudio

    @AttawayAudio

    Жыл бұрын

    Possibly! Light compression in stages can be a good thing

  • @dobrodave5453
    @dobrodave54538 күн бұрын

    Great to hear from Soun engineers perspective, thanks!! ?QUESTion: our church have sansamp pre and boss Compressor Pedals. I never use pedals I play American Fenders j and p passive. I believe my tone is far superior than the others that use the pedals. What is your take on those pedals? (No od)

  • @AttawayAudio

    @AttawayAudio

    19 сағат бұрын

    i'll say this: Lee Sklar plays straight into his amp and a DI. If he can do it, you can too. The wrong compressor can really squash the bass. It's the same thing with mixing - unless you have something in mind on how you want to make it better, don't just use the processor (or pedal) and twist knobs because it's there. Go FOR something with the gear

  • @ethanyeo9851
    @ethanyeo9851 Жыл бұрын

    Why is it that in my church I can’t hear my low e string that well while the a string is way too loud?

  • @RufusKSala

    @RufusKSala

    Жыл бұрын

    The low E requires a subwoofer to reproduce with any power (the fundamental pitch E1 is about 41 Hz). Also, is the bass itself properly setup in terms of string and pickup height?

  • @AttawayAudio

    @AttawayAudio

    Жыл бұрын

    It could be the subs frequency response, or it could be the acoustic cancelations and build-ups from the dimensions of the room.

  • @OhYeahCookie
    @OhYeahCookie4 ай бұрын

    Aww man. I thought this was about how to get a great sound from bass like on a church livestream. Our problem is, we can’t really push our kick drum or bass to an optimal level, else we will start peaking. Can you address this

  • @AttawayAudio

    @AttawayAudio

    2 ай бұрын

    Compression on input channels, compression on buses, then compression on the stream output. It takes layers to keep things full and not peaking.

  • @titov7823
    @titov7823 Жыл бұрын

    Tone Hammer is what we use. Is it a good one? lol

  • @AttawayAudio

    @AttawayAudio

    Жыл бұрын

    yeah that's a VERY popular bass pedal

  • @schmitzel3556
    @schmitzel3556 Жыл бұрын

    I run my Bass Guitar through my Aguilar Tonehammer Preamp and Electro Harmonics Bass Microsynth

  • @AttawayAudio

    @AttawayAudio

    Жыл бұрын

    Very nice! I need to pick up a microsynth... sounds like a lot of fun

  • @jasoncotter3518
    @jasoncotter35186 ай бұрын

    Ya, ya stay in the pocket and play!!! Good night 💤😴.

  • @antonitobing
    @antonitobing Жыл бұрын

    what? James plays bass too? It's not fair. I've been running, catching up..., but he's far ahead. And now this 😅😂

  • @AttawayAudio

    @AttawayAudio

    Жыл бұрын

    lol I've got a lot of growing to do in playing bass..

  • @David.Gilmore
    @David.Gilmore Жыл бұрын

    Zoom B1X Four Sound number 49

  • @AttawayAudio

    @AttawayAudio

    Жыл бұрын

    I've heard good things about the Zoom!

  • @JoshMackey-pn4fv
    @JoshMackey-pn4fv Жыл бұрын

    I can hear you breathing James. Please 😂

  • @alfredocumbana5923

    @alfredocumbana5923

    Жыл бұрын

    😂😂

  • @AttawayAudio

    @AttawayAudio

    Жыл бұрын

    I'll be sure to hold it next time

  • @sixsentsoldiers
    @sixsentsoldiers Жыл бұрын

    Warm up? Thats somg 3 in the first set. Overdriven bass. I used to not believe it was proper. Then i heard Heartbreaker Led Zeppelin. JP Jones bass is nasty by itself. But go listen to the final mix. That overdrive/distortion, fills space. Even more so Live. In a band with only 1 guitar, it will improve the solos. Ive heard it a million times. Clean bass is just not filling enough space in those sections. All drums and guitar shreading.

  • @AttawayAudio

    @AttawayAudio

    Жыл бұрын

    lol yes song 3 is the truth

  • @jasoncotter3518
    @jasoncotter35186 ай бұрын

    Need prayers 🙏🙏 One of the family members are sick 🤢

  • @AttawayAudio

    @AttawayAudio

    6 ай бұрын

    I'm sorry to hear that, Jason. I'll be praying for you and your family! 🙏

  • @joshuadelaughter7968
    @joshuadelaughter796811 ай бұрын

    "If you cannot stand a metronome" Too bad. Learn to deal with it. The bass player needs to know how to play on time and the best way to do that is with a metronome. I've been playing for 14 years. Whenever I'm playing or even just listening to a song, I constantly have a metronome going in my head.

  • @AttawayAudio

    @AttawayAudio

    11 ай бұрын

    you have to purchase or find free VST plugins

  • @dylanraymusic
    @dylanraymusic Жыл бұрын

    Angry bass players in the chat!

  • @AttawayAudio

    @AttawayAudio

    Жыл бұрын

    lol yeah I found them with this one

  • @Sheriffvlogs
    @Sheriffvlogs Жыл бұрын

    Is it true if u don't submit a dolby-atmos mix, apple will not get you in playlist or will not put u on the front page of apple Music kzread.info/dash/bejne/iqeGo8p8l6jgms4.html kzread.info/dash/bejne/oZiVt8SMqarJY84.html

  • @AttawayAudio

    @AttawayAudio

    Жыл бұрын

    no clue...

  • @SanNjig
    @SanNjig Жыл бұрын

    Yeah you lost credibility when you said Bass Playing is boring

  • @RufusKSala

    @RufusKSala

    Жыл бұрын

    Coming from guitar or piano though, it makes sense, and certainly in the P&W genre. But what bass parts in that setting may lack in terms of harmonic/melodic complexity (I think of that as the vertical dimension, what pitches are being played), instead a player needs to embrace timing, feel, the pocket, locking in with a drummer, and playing with confidence and assertiveness (time, the horizontal dimension).

  • @AttawayAudio

    @AttawayAudio

    Жыл бұрын

    It's boring when you "stink"

  • @Rexpbass

    @Rexpbass

    6 ай бұрын

    Once you learn how to convey emotion with the bass you'll never think it's boring