All things bass and beautiful
>So, when we talk about ‘bass’, what are we actually referring to? Well, of course, bass can – and often does – refer to an actual instrument. There is usually a collection of double bass players in an orchestra, while both acoustic (upright) and electric basses are played by dedicated members of bands. And let’s not forget that the world of electronic music is filled with synthesizers capable of producing bass notes, including ‘specialist’ instruments, such as Spectrasonics’ Trilian, whose primary remit is bass.
However, in other contexts bass refers not to an instrument but rather to a frequency group. Exactly which frequencies make up ‘bass’ is open to some debate but, for our purposes, we’re talking about the area below and up to the lowest band of ‘human hearing’ (from about 20Hz) up to around 150Hz, where ‘bass’ morphs into what we call low mid-range.
Before we start talking frequency numbers, some theory might help us here. As you probably know, when we refer to the ‘tone’ of an instrument, we’re discussing its harmonic content. The reason why not all basses sound the same is because they contain different combinations of harmonics which, when played back on a bass instrument or via a synthesizer, produce anything from a pure, very deep, hollow note, to a rich slab which seems to be as bright as it is deep. So when discussing the balance or treatment of bass sounds to fit a mix, it could be that we’re only talking about adjusting the lowest frequencies of a sound or track.
However, talk of harmonics and frequencies (of which there’ll be plenty more later) is to forget the musical role a bassline provides, which, along with the kick drum, is the foundation on which your track will rest. Unlike a kick drum, though, a bassline experiments not only with rhythm but with varied pitch too and, usually, a bassline is there to support the harmonic relationship built up through the other instruments in your production. If you’ve written a track with a chord progression, switching the bassline to reflect its chord moves is often successful because it links upper register notes to lower register ones, like a pianist complementing the melody they’re playing in the right hand with supporting notes via their left hand. Exactly which notes and which rhythm your bassline should play is, of course, entirely up to you but studying music you like will help you determine the kinds of patterns favoured by producers of Pop, House, Drum ’n’ Bass, Dubstep, and so on.
Alongside playing or drawing notes in, there are other ways to create a bassline too. Sometimes, setting up an arpeggiator to gate a ‘held’ note can help inspire you to explore unexpected patterns, while copying a pad part to your bass instrument and then stripping out all but the bottom note can also provide a useful starting point.