How to tell if the bass is in tune with the sample/song?

How do guys get the bass to be in tune with your sample? I sometimes have trouble tuning and it and wondered what you guys listen for when you look for that perfect merge. thanks!

Find out what key the song that you sampled is in, then you can play your bass in the same key and compensate for any pitching up/down you did to the sample

another trick, if it is on the computer or on a keyboard... play the bass notes high up like 2 or 3 octaves higher so it is easier to hear the notes. Then when you got the proper notes you want... drag it 2 or 3 octaves down to the proper area.

BGBEATS wrote:Find out what key the song that you sampled is in, then you can play your bass in the same key and compensate for any pitching up/down you did to the sample

How do you do that?

MGStudios wrote:

BGBEATS wrote:Find out what key the song that you sampled is in, then you can play your bass in the same key and compensate for any pitching up/down you did to the sample

How do you do that?

Here's a technique I like using from time to time:

You tune the sample by however many semi-tones it takes to get it to match your bass.

It's more than likely that your keyboard bass is the one that's in tune and you want to get the sample to match it rather than the other way around (although either way will yield good results).

Then once that's accomplished, you might end up having to timestretch/compress to offset any timing issues brought on by the tuning.

Good info thanks dabmeister! I need a lot of work in that department..i'm just starting out but sometimes I think the bass sounds good with everything but then when I post a song people say its wack as ****! Lol, i have a hard time judging whether the bass meshes well with everything, although I know a sweet bassline when I hear it I have problems getting everything to work with mine.

MGStudios wrote:Good info thanks dabmeister! I need a lot of work in that department..i'm just starting out but sometimes I think the bass sounds good with everything but then when I post a song people say its wack as ****! Lol, i have a hard time judging whether the bass meshes well with everything, although I know a sweet bassline when I hear it I have problems getting everything to work with mine.

Hey, I can relate. It takes time to train your ear so that you know when tones aren't meshing like they're supposed to.

When I think about the times I played in the bands, the first thing that comes to mind is the guitar/bass players getting in tune with the piano/keyboards. The same goes for when I played sax, I had to tune first thing before playing.

Then after jamming for a minute, those katz would break so they could re-tune and get their sh!t back in order.

Word!

MGStudios wrote:Good info thanks dabmeister! I need a lot of work in that department..i'm just starting out but sometimes I think the bass sounds good with everything but then when I post a song people say its wack as ****! Lol, i have a hard time judging whether the bass meshes well with everything, although I know a sweet bassline when I hear it I have problems getting everything to work with mine.

something ive noticed is if the samples/bass arent EQ'd properly even if they are in tune with each other, it may mess up the way you hear the sound, like if u got an 808, bass lick, and a sample all at the same frequencey playing at the same time u wont get a clear sound....hope that made a lil sense

not sure if there really is such a thing as a technique you can use, I say it´s best to trust your ears

RepRSP wrote:not sure if there really is such a thing as a technique you can use, I say it´s best to trust your ears

And if your ears happen to fail you, find yourself one of those small electronic tuners.

Had the same problem but I'm starting to trust my ears more and more. It takes some time. But I'm still wondering if could have sped up the process by using a guitar turner to check wether things are in tune or not.

dabmeister wrote:

RepRSP wrote:not sure if there really is such a thing as a technique you can use, I say it´s best to trust your ears

And if your ears happen to fail you, find yourself one of those small electronic tuners.

good point, of course this could happen. me, I usually take my time making the music. I will listen to whatever break or sequence over and over again, til I really feel like all the sounds are in good harmony. worked fine for me over the years

Yeah, I've been around a lot of katz that use these devices, especially the guitar/bass players. But it's not uncommon to see other instrumentalist carrying one of these. I helped a friend of mine (who happens to play bass of course) use one of the small palm sized digital joints to tune his grand piano in his house.

It sported a built-in mic but also housed a 1/4" jack input.

Def worth their weight in gold.

substitute your bass patch for a piano patch. get the piano to sound good with the sample, then switch back. its easier to hear a piano.

it also helps to leave the room and listen to your bassline from a distance or outside the room.

sometimes the duration of the bass can really mess with what you are hearing. when finding the notes, you might want to use longer sustained bass notes, even if your bassline later may end up with shorter hits. listen to the end of the bass notes, not the attack.

agreed with a few other posts. especially, when you find the right bass note, if there are competing frequencies it may still sound mushy.

sometimes, your keyboard or bass patch is too perfect. you may have to tune the sample plus or minus a few nicks or tweak the bass so everything matches.

sometimes the single bass notes are going underneith chords, that means several bass notes may actually sound good in the same spot. its not just about finding one note, find them all and tinker until it makes sense and creates the feeling you want in relation to the bassline.