Bass layering and detuning advice

[dubstepper33]

Hi, as the title says I need some advice. I get the general idea of layering but would like specific values that you use on an eq. Also, I seem to be having trouble getting a dark tone on my basses even when I'm in minor. So I would like to know how to get that dark tone in dubstep and at what values you would generally detune the 3 oscillators.

[paravrais]

Imo bass is rarely gonna sound 'dark' on it's own as it's just one note, if your playing in a minor scale then build some dark chords around it on some eerie pads etc and the bass will also sound darker when they are played together.

[stereotactic]

Hi, as the title says I need some advice. I get the general idea of layering but would like specific values that you use on an eq. Also, I seem to be having trouble getting a dark tone on my basses even when I'm in minor. So I would like to know how to get that dark tone in dubstep and at what values you would generally detune the 3 oscillators.

It's probably worth mentioning that there are no specific values per se when talking about bass tones and EQ. In practical terms, you wouldn't EQ a dubby, low end bass the same as you would EQ a reese, and all EQ-ing would be dependent on your track. EQ is for cutting and boosting frequencies in order to make the sounds A: fit together and B: sound as good as they can. It's not a given, some sounds may not even need EQ! You didn't actually specify what kind of bass sound you are going for, so it makes it a little more difficult to give practical advice...

Can you elaborate?

As for detuning, if I am presuming you are looking to create some movement in the sound, I usually go between 15 - 30 cents between oscillators as this introduces some subtle phasing, but really it's down to personal taste as to how extreme you want to go. Too much tends to sound cack.

[paravrais]

Surely a 'reese bass' isn't really bass at all though, your gonna eq out all the low end so your left with that detuned, growling saw midrange section but you will still have a sine sub underneath providing the actual 'bass'..

I always get confused because people refer to all the instruments following the bassline as their 'bass' when really it's their bass and their midrange lead on top of it they are refering to, so when I hear someone say bass I always assume they mean their sub when actually now I think about it this guy is probably on about some midrange growly nonsense :p

As far as making them sound dark, slight reverb, delay, unison/detune, maybe chorus, distortion etc...if theres not much else playing at the same time, i.e its the main lead in that section of the song have seperately eq'd parts of it for the low end, mid and high end rather than just having one albino for instance and leaving it barely eq'd an all sloppy in there..

hope that makes sense and isnt too much like gibberish

[Recessive Trait]

bass / midrange lead

this has long bothered me too, but everybody calls their lead their "bass" for some reason so you just gotta go with it.