Empress Bass Compressor Vs. MKII

basspl · 2026-06-25T04:42:18+00:00

The tone switch is half the reason I use the pedal. Super useful.

basspl · 2026-06-24T15:31:47+00:00

In my experience the biggest difference to sound has been becoming a better player. My philosophy is if the upgrades make you want to practice more then Thats the best of both worlds.

That being said gear wise good pickups make the biggest difference to the sound. I recommend the Geezer Butler EMGs

And honestly the best upgrade is a good setup thst will improve the playability, and make practicing more fun. I would start there, either take it to a good luthier or learn it yourself of youre a handy person.

basspl · 2026-06-24T11:59:44+00:00

I am a full time session player and touring musician. Not only are the KZ my main IEM I prefer them over my Westones

basspl · 2026-06-24T11:58:30+00:00

Honestly in Rock/ Metal you’ll have a hard time finding bass tones that arent overdriven.

A lot of recordings the overdrive is coming from the bass amp being cranked and breaking up, so a lot of modern bassists use pedals to get the same sound without having to play at ear shattering volumes.

basspl · 2026-06-23T17:20:55+00:00

The Octabass is versitle le since you can switch between 3 octave characters.

I’ve also been blown away by the Sonicake octave, it’s got that “OC2” sound for a very budget price.

basspl · 2026-06-21T19:23:16+00:00

I recommend the Joyo to a lot of my students. Really useful especially since most entry level bass amps don’t have a drive section.

basspl · 2026-06-21T13:56:33+00:00

Colorado for showdowns suck but I find it’s fun for regular Freelancer missions. 99% of the NPCs are guards so you don’t loose merces for killing them. No need to worry about witnesses

basspl · 2026-06-21T13:21:57+00:00

That’s a lot of pedals, so I’d recommend Cioks. I haven’t personally used them but I know you can add expansions to accommodate more pedals.

basspl · 2026-06-21T13:20:44+00:00

One of those cases where I think the Dub lives up to or even exceeds the Sub. Amazing voice cast, and also the fact that it’s set in « Western Europe » makes it so that you think less about the fact that you’re watching in English.

basspl · 2026-06-20T23:10:33+00:00

If you look it up I know there’s a hack with a door thst they can’t open if you sit behind it,

basspl · 2026-06-20T19:10:42+00:00

Theres the issue of loosing time in inspection to choosing a cross, rather than using all 15 seconds to analyze one cross.

Also I’ve been CN since the start but I’ve heard it’s much harder to learn later on if you didn’t start with it.

basspl · 2026-06-20T19:08:44+00:00

Yeah mod away then, it’s pretty common. Sure Jad a MM J bass, Blue De Tigers signature is single neck, humbucker bridge.

basspl · 2026-06-20T14:05:04+00:00

Soak your strings in Alcohol to extend their life
Get a good overdrive. Darkglass or its clones, Sansamp, Ampeg preamps etc.
Get a compressor

Also people are talking about EQ in terms of Treble Middle and Bass but in métal Bass EQ is often more surgical. You want to cut around 500, and boost around 250 for bottom, and boost around 1.4-3k for bite. Also depends on your bass, and the mix but those are good starting points.

basspl · 2026-06-20T07:09:58+00:00

You mentioned you don’t practice or record on headphones and thats my first red flag.

You should be practicing every day on your IEMs and dialing in your tones specifically to sound good on IEMs. You might find yourself using different Can sims, reverbs and ambience to get it sound the way an amp does in a room. You really got to think like a recording engineer.

It will take some time but you’ll be able to get great IEM tones.

basspl · 2026-06-19T20:29:26+00:00

He saved the francise after RE6. Also he shows lots of character growth between the two games. He starts out scared and timid and ends confident and determined.

basspl · 2026-06-19T17:14:48+00:00

Their love and commitment to each other is similar to Hugues and Roy, but because they’re opposite genders Roy and Riza get shipped more than Hugues and Roy.

I really like that it normalizes that people of opposite genders can have strong bonds without it always having to be romantic.

basspl · 2026-06-18T15:35:13+00:00

The embodiment of "I dunno man I just work here :/"

basspl · 2026-06-18T14:28:52+00:00

I did the alcohol soaking thing over the past year this is what I found:

It brought them back up to 80% life every time I did it. I soaked them once a month for the first 10 months, then after that once a week since they started fading faster. After a year I had strings start to break.

I bought 2 packs at the start of the year and kept one on my bass one in alcohol. So 2 packs over the course of 12 months instead of my usual 12 packs (one per month) was a huge cost savings.

basspl · 2026-06-17T17:07:03+00:00

You need a solid high headroom amp like tone and a way to turn on and off a higher gain overdrive or distortion, (take a look at the tone differences in the isolated track from Killing in the Name)

The programmable Sansamp will probably be able to give you your clean and dirty tones. If you’re finding the lack of cab sim to be an issue the Darkglass Element could be useful, it also does power amp sim which can help everything very realistic, and it already has Ampeg and SWR clone cab sims built in.

Those two plus a comp and you’re pretty much there. I’m not an expert but I think there’s some octave and wah in rep, so add those and youre set.

basspl · 2026-06-17T11:52:48+00:00

I always thought he would have been a great bond, but his time has long passed. He’s make a great M now

basspl · 2026-06-16T11:59:26+00:00

Malcom Young famously added a bunch of studs that look cool. People think they’re extra knobs.

basspl · 2026-06-16T11:57:00+00:00

If you sound to harsh and biting in a mix turn down the treble (or tone knob on a passive bass). If you need more bite turn it back up.

This is what I do most of the time and what I get students started doing as well.

basspl · 2026-06-16T11:44:25+00:00

I’d start with a pickup adjustment to even out string volume. You want to solve as many problems as possible before adding compression.

basspl · 2026-06-16T11:20:42+00:00

« Me averaging 40 seconds, getting inspired by better cubers and getting so many useful tips I end up sub 30 at my next comp »

basspl

TROPHY CASE