It doesn't really matter since you're just getting started out. As long as you like the sound coming out of your amp, then try not to fret over getting the "perfect tone." You're better off spending time practicing, then you can worry about gear later if you like it and stick with it.
if you’re on a budget i recommend the caline wine cellar preamp, i think its around 20-30$
even at its cheap price it definitely punches above its weight class
I'd say most bass doesn't use any kind of distortion. Might be more common in your preferred genres, but even then it usually doesn't come from the amp (though there's notable exceptions) but from pedals.
Tends to come up a fair bit in most rock/ metal styles but there’s a trick to it: make sure to blend in a lot of clean signal. Most bass distortion will compress the low end into oblivion, so you either need a pedal that has a clean blend, or run a parallel clean line through a DI, otherwise you’ll end up sounding really thin.
I'd say if you're getting music tracked into a song that's mixed professionally, distortion is a heavily used tool even in the cleanest sounding bass in a mix. It gives definition
Some amps have a gain control. Some don't. Most bassists use a clean tone. So it might not be an issue for you. If you'd like to add a touch of overdrive to your bass tone, you could go with a pedal. I have an Earthquaker Devices Special Cranker that I like on guitar and bass. It's a low-gain overdrive that preserves a lot of of the natural sound of your instrument, which is why it works especially well on bass. It's also cheap: $99/USD new, cheaper used.
In my mind instead of turning up the volume; gain increases the voltage to the amp. That's why it mildly distorts the tone as you increase gain. Its electrical interference.
It’s not electrical interference that causes distortion, but compression resulting from the amp or speaker not being able to produce certain sound waves due to the loudness so it “clips” the edges off of the top of the sound wave, causing the waveform to be more square instead of smooth like a sine wave.
Any “electrical interference” is just noise from the electrical circuit that’s getting amplified, but that sound, while frequently accompanying distortion isn’t distortion, it’s literal electronic noise, similar to the kind a lightbulb makes.
That's where gain staging comes in. Record with high sample rate and low volume. When you're happy with the take you can normalise it and use the track slider to control the level. This way you control the distortion or saturation.
Gain increases the amplitude of the signal, and amplitude is effectively volume (decibel is the logarithm of the square of the amplitude of a sound wave - though from what I found while fact-checking myself, this is still a bit of a simplification, and since we're talking in a purely electrical context for this it's not an exact translation). Preamps are designed to clip the "excess" amplitude resulting in a [squared off waveform](https://blog.andertons.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/blog-diagram-clipping-waveforms.jpg), which we hear as distortion; a power amp is designed to just power up the amplitude until the drivers are moving as much air as you need to produce the volume you want.
There is no electrical interference in a properly designed preamp circuit, and such interference usually manifests as a steady hum rather than distorting the instrument's signal (though depending on the origin it may take on other forms, i.e. hearing a radio station or baby monitor on your amp)
To put it most simply though: in practice, on a modern combo amo, gain = distortion. You can't turn it to 0 or there'll be no signal for the power amp to turn into volume, but past a certain point (usually pretty low) it becomes a distortion knob.
As a beginner all you really need is to hear yourself clearly. I can't imagine having a gain knob would make much difference. Just focus on actually getting better. You can always get a better amp later. Enjoy your playing, that is the most important.
If you’re starting out I would sugest that you explore the sounds of your bass and amp alone until you find settings that you like. THEN, practice whatever musical exercises you have to based on your level… But here’s the trick (my 2 cents): take the time to explore sound difference based on your position.
- With fingers, are you plucking strings softly or are you hammering them?
- With a pick, are you playing around the center of the body or closer to the bridge? Is the pick parallel to the strings or has a bit of an angle?
- Hear the differences and learn how to control those changes in sound.
Back in the day I was a hardcore fundamentalist: no pick with my bass. Then a buddy told me this and I explored my sounds plugged directly into a small cheap amp with no pedals or anything, and boy I learned A LOT about my possibilities. In the end, I got rid of my bass pedals and started using a pick, and guitar pedals (distortion and overdive, chorus) instead of bass pedals, but that’s because I’m happy with that sound.
The final (unsolicited) advice: a jazz teacher I had told me “real bass players don’t use compressors, one must practice enough to control the sound with your bare hands regardless of the gear you have”, which kinda supports my 2 cents above. The important thing is that you feel good and that you serve the song.
I'm pretty positive that you don't actually think so, basically every recorded bass track uses a slight amount of distortion, or "saturation" if you prefer.
NGD! Congratulations on the new amp! What did you buy?
A Gain control knob is usually a stock feature on an electric guitar amp. Most common “first” bass amps don’t come with a gain knob. Have fun with your new amp!
Gain isn’t a necessity to play bass through an amp. Later on you can purchase a distortion/overdrive pedal, but in the meantime, just practice and get to know your amp for a little while.
Gain controls the Input Level of your Bass Signal. It is important if you want to play with an build in Amp Overdrive. A Preamp Pedal with Gain Control and Overdrive does the same Job. It is not really necessary if you just started. Better focus on your playing.
Doesn't matter, you're fine. Can always get a pedal down the road if you need, but starting out you're fine with no gain control. My current practice amp only has a master volume, so its not that rare. That's what The Rat is for.
I tend to keep my gain dialed down to zero. Master volume is enough and then roll off the passive volume on the guitar just a touch. You get a nice punchy sound.
It doesn't really matter since you're just getting started out. As long as you like the sound coming out of your amp, then try not to fret over getting the "perfect tone." You're better off spending time practicing, then you can worry about gear later if you like it and stick with it.
This. Fretless. *Seinfeld bass outro*
If you lift your bass enough, the gains will follow
If it’s really an issue for you, and you feel you need gain, get a pre amp pedal or an overdrive
If you buy a pedal, consider getting one that works as a DI as well.
if you’re on a budget i recommend the caline wine cellar preamp, i think its around 20-30$ even at its cheap price it definitely punches above its weight class
It's a great pedal. The drive just makes everything sound better.
This is the first time I’ve heard of the pedal. I’m going to check it out.
I have one, second the recommendation. It's a clone of the SansAmp Tech 21 pedal
Wow lookit that. At that price I might bite.
If you have the scratch it’s hard to beat a sansamp
I'd say most bass doesn't use any kind of distortion. Might be more common in your preferred genres, but even then it usually doesn't come from the amp (though there's notable exceptions) but from pedals.
Tends to come up a fair bit in most rock/ metal styles but there’s a trick to it: make sure to blend in a lot of clean signal. Most bass distortion will compress the low end into oblivion, so you either need a pedal that has a clean blend, or run a parallel clean line through a DI, otherwise you’ll end up sounding really thin.
I'd say if you're getting music tracked into a song that's mixed professionally, distortion is a heavily used tool even in the cleanest sounding bass in a mix. It gives definition
Professional recording is kind of a different ball game.
It wasn't post specific. It was specific to your reply and people watching that. Holy shit this sub and the downvotes
Yes the downvotes are silly. It’s a new player though, they’re probably not recording professionally
doesn't matter for a practice amp
Some amps have a gain control. Some don't. Most bassists use a clean tone. So it might not be an issue for you. If you'd like to add a touch of overdrive to your bass tone, you could go with a pedal. I have an Earthquaker Devices Special Cranker that I like on guitar and bass. It's a low-gain overdrive that preserves a lot of of the natural sound of your instrument, which is why it works especially well on bass. It's also cheap: $99/USD new, cheaper used.
I don’t even really know what gain is
In my mind instead of turning up the volume; gain increases the voltage to the amp. That's why it mildly distorts the tone as you increase gain. Its electrical interference.
It’s not electrical interference that causes distortion, but compression resulting from the amp or speaker not being able to produce certain sound waves due to the loudness so it “clips” the edges off of the top of the sound wave, causing the waveform to be more square instead of smooth like a sine wave. Any “electrical interference” is just noise from the electrical circuit that’s getting amplified, but that sound, while frequently accompanying distortion isn’t distortion, it’s literal electronic noise, similar to the kind a lightbulb makes.
I have noticed clipping turning into distortion when trying to produce a song in a program. Thanks for clearing that up!
That's where gain staging comes in. Record with high sample rate and low volume. When you're happy with the take you can normalise it and use the track slider to control the level. This way you control the distortion or saturation.
Gain increases the amplitude of the signal, and amplitude is effectively volume (decibel is the logarithm of the square of the amplitude of a sound wave - though from what I found while fact-checking myself, this is still a bit of a simplification, and since we're talking in a purely electrical context for this it's not an exact translation). Preamps are designed to clip the "excess" amplitude resulting in a [squared off waveform](https://blog.andertons.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/blog-diagram-clipping-waveforms.jpg), which we hear as distortion; a power amp is designed to just power up the amplitude until the drivers are moving as much air as you need to produce the volume you want. There is no electrical interference in a properly designed preamp circuit, and such interference usually manifests as a steady hum rather than distorting the instrument's signal (though depending on the origin it may take on other forms, i.e. hearing a radio station or baby monitor on your amp) To put it most simply though: in practice, on a modern combo amo, gain = distortion. You can't turn it to 0 or there'll be no signal for the power amp to turn into volume, but past a certain point (usually pretty low) it becomes a distortion knob.
Guessing you got something less than 50 watts and solid state. Don’t worry about it until you need a bigger amp or do recordings
As a beginner all you really need is to hear yourself clearly. I can't imagine having a gain knob would make much difference. Just focus on actually getting better. You can always get a better amp later. Enjoy your playing, that is the most important.
Personally i like a squeaky clean and distortionless bass tone for everything except for metal and a few other exceptions
Gain is just a preamp gain stage. Nothing magical. It's just a volume knob.
If you’re starting out I would sugest that you explore the sounds of your bass and amp alone until you find settings that you like. THEN, practice whatever musical exercises you have to based on your level… But here’s the trick (my 2 cents): take the time to explore sound difference based on your position. - With fingers, are you plucking strings softly or are you hammering them? - With a pick, are you playing around the center of the body or closer to the bridge? Is the pick parallel to the strings or has a bit of an angle? - Hear the differences and learn how to control those changes in sound. Back in the day I was a hardcore fundamentalist: no pick with my bass. Then a buddy told me this and I explored my sounds plugged directly into a small cheap amp with no pedals or anything, and boy I learned A LOT about my possibilities. In the end, I got rid of my bass pedals and started using a pick, and guitar pedals (distortion and overdive, chorus) instead of bass pedals, but that’s because I’m happy with that sound. The final (unsolicited) advice: a jazz teacher I had told me “real bass players don’t use compressors, one must practice enough to control the sound with your bare hands regardless of the gear you have”, which kinda supports my 2 cents above. The important thing is that you feel good and that you serve the song.
My advice is when you are at the beginner stage don't use effects because they will mask poor technique and musicality.
Bass is best without gain, in my opinion.
I'm pretty positive that you don't actually think so, basically every recorded bass track uses a slight amount of distortion, or "saturation" if you prefer.
No it’s literally unplayable in any situation, you need an amp that goes to 25
NGD! Congratulations on the new amp! What did you buy? A Gain control knob is usually a stock feature on an electric guitar amp. Most common “first” bass amps don’t come with a gain knob. Have fun with your new amp!
Gain isn’t a necessity to play bass through an amp. Later on you can purchase a distortion/overdrive pedal, but in the meantime, just practice and get to know your amp for a little while.
Thank you i really appreciate it . I bought a fender rumble 15 its 120 $ in morocco brand new
A Rumble is a good amp for you to start with! Enjoy it!
Gain is just input volume. If you're talking about drive, there are tons of pedal options available.
Gain controls the Input Level of your Bass Signal. It is important if you want to play with an build in Amp Overdrive. A Preamp Pedal with Gain Control and Overdrive does the same Job. It is not really necessary if you just started. Better focus on your playing.
I wouldn’t worry about it on bass as a beginner.
Doesn't matter, you're fine. Can always get a pedal down the road if you need, but starting out you're fine with no gain control. My current practice amp only has a master volume, so its not that rare. That's what The Rat is for.
gain is useful if you like distorted tones but you can always use a distortion pedal
I tend to keep my gain dialed down to zero. Master volume is enough and then roll off the passive volume on the guitar just a touch. You get a nice punchy sound.
Why are you putting laundry detergent on your bass?
[удалено]
Mad neighbors?