Compression.

Lots of it. If that doesn't do it on its own, combine to taste the ultra compressed signal with the uncompressed signal, and see if that adds some life to it.

If that still doesn't do it, re-amp the drums in a nice sounding space and add it in as a chamber to taste. Re-amp and re-record the bass, or run it through a sans-amp.

Mixerman

Mixerman is right...compression will bring out some attack...but some boost a 4 K may help as well. 2 to 4 k...and roll off 130 about 3 dB

Can you cut the bass track to about a 1 meg MP3 and email it to me?? (just a 1 min snippit)...I would like to hear just how shitty it is..

Email is willo@ipa.net.

I want to see what doctoring will bring it back to live.

(I have my virtual string boiler right here....need to start warming it up..)

If it's digital, what about throwing it onto analog tape and back?? I did this recently on a shite bass track, gave me something I could work with.

Gil Eva Craig

If it's digital, what about throwing it onto analog tape and back?? I did this recently on a shite bass track, gave me something I could work with.

Gil Eva Craig

Reamp it driving the amp quiet hard, the distortion makes it gain higher freqencies, just be careful not to lose the bottom end - if there's any at all...

my 2 cents, Niko

Thanks ya'll..

Griffin,

Please tell us what you end up doing. What was successful, and what was unsuccesful in saving the tracks?

This information could prove more valuable and interesting than the solutions given to you.

Thanks,

Mixerman

If you don't already have one, see if you can rent or borrow a SPL Transient Designer. It was built especially for that. This should work to spank some attack and bite into the bass and drum tracks. This little jem has saved my butt on more than one occasion.

Griffin was kind enough to send me a snippet of the bass line, and a snippet of the track.

300HZ was gone. I men gone gone.

It took +15 DB@300Hz just to get it close to level. Compression was not the problem. Performance technique (I am a bassist as well) was part of the culpret, poor capturing, non attention to the console (possibly the eq was set in the recording chain incorrectly...should have been flat on pre.) The bass may have been incorrectly set also. Bad sound for sure.

The track Griffin sent was a great track. He mixes quite well. I sent him a corrected bass track sample, and a corrected 2-bus sample. He is close. Whoever tracked this needs some lessons.

Griffin did a good job of salvaging this.

I do not know what the trackers were thinging.

Good work Grif..

The Transient Designer is a good call. Also...a Roland 'Dimension D' would help. A great box for spreading the bass out a little. Hard to find, though. Has anyone here tried the Line 6 'MM4 Modulation Modeler'? Supposed to recreate :D imension D,Boss CE-1,Uni-Vibe, Tri-Stereo-Chorus,Phase 90,Mutron BiPhase,etc. I would love to know if it, in fact, can replace Dimension D.

Benjy