Am I out of my mind, or…

Question:

> I guess I just need opinions here on a few things…1) is this a "normal" type > of bass sound?  (Note that I don’t do any slapping/popping, and through our > entire set I have 3 licks that use tapping)..and 2) if this is a normal type of > bass sound, is there a way to reduce the level of the "click" when it comes to > recording, without having to change my entire playing style.  Of course, if it > isn’t a "normal" type of sound, how come they are noticing it just now?

I too used to play the click you mentioned. I never really noticed it until I started recording my playing. Basically, it is caused by your attack. If you attack downward (perpendicular to the body) you will get a click with low action. If you sweep your finger across the string (parallel to the body) you can avoid this click unless your action is ridiculously low. The click can be annoying depending on your playing style. If you’re playing swing jazz, you may not want it. If your trying to play like Entwistle, you can’t avoid it. So, it’s your decision what you want to do. :^) Dave

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > I guess I just need opinions here on a few things…1) is this a "normal" type > of bass sound?  (Note that I don’t do any slapping/popping, and through our > entire set I have 3 licks that use tapping)..and 2) if this is a normal type of > bass sound, is there a way to reduce the level of the "click" when it comes to > recording, without having to change my entire playing style.  Of course, if it > isn’t a "normal" type of sound, how come they are noticing it just now? > Or could it be the fact that our drummer is out of the country, and the two > guitarists (who are brothers) are just getting on each other’s nerves to the > point where they start blaming outside factors?  Heh, didn’t think so  Any > help or insights would be greatly appreciated…

I too am in a metal band and I can assure you that the clicking is normal.  I click constantly, and have heard many bands we have played with have the same thing.  If your guitarists don’t like the click, they’re fuckin’ nuts.  It adds a great rythm line and a cool ass sound while still allowing you to play with a little melody, as opposed to thump thump thumping away with the kick drum.  If you still WANT to get rid of the click for some strange reason, you can do a couple of things.  A noisegate will help a lot, although it won’t kill click completely.  If that’s not enough, you could raise your bridge, adjust your action, and/or turn down the gain or pre on your amp.  Whatever you do, you have to like your sound.  If your guitarists have a problem with it, tell them to piss off. They won’t fire you over it.  There are 20 guitarists for every bassist in this country.

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