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Classic Bass Sounds

Lots of questions over the years about this. How to get those early classic Motown, Stax, etc kind of bass tones on a recording. A lot of home enthusiasts look for this. With the emulation software and the plugs available its much easier to simulate the deep clear yet somehow slightly blurred sound of those days. The first thing is to play the bass lines like the arrangements were then.

Motown bass

Ok, so recently, I've been listening to a great deal of Motown, and I'm always amazed by the sound of the bass, specifically in songs like Papa Was A Rolling Stone. I doubt I'll be able to emulate that, and I also understand the bass players were simply great musicians, but just out of curiosity does anyone have any knowledge of the recording process used to capture the bass?