Just for clarification: Flat eq means 12 o'clock on most tone controls. It means no boost and no cut. Mid way on a tone control (12 o clock) is the natural sound received from the bass. Below 12 o clock will cut and above 12 o clock will boost. I've noticed some people thinking I mean totally cut.

Dude. You are THE GOAT. Low ego, low spam, just quality.

I've been playing for years, have a music degree and this video was still humbling to watch. No BS 'Hacks' just good advice. Thanks Mark. 👍

damn the isolation of frequencies part of this video is MINDBLOWING aaaaaaah

Great lesson. Please send this to me in 1991, when I first started 😆

I spent so many years dealing with engineers who thoguht that bass meant "low end." And then guess what happens? The bass wound up booming out and consequently, they mixed the bass lower and lower -- until it was gone.

Been playing for more than 30 years and I learned as much today as if I'd just picked my first bass guitar ! I am pretty sure many musicians I played with thought at some point that I boosted way too much certain frequencies and then some. Even though I always began by setting everything at 12 o'clock I probably should have been a little more aware not to crank my bass control too much and use more midrange. Thank you a ton Mark !

Yep, I've played with flat EQ on both my bass and amp for over 25 years. Always use just volume to balance out with rest of band. Nice one Mark. One of the best bits of advice for bass in a band mix.

Great advice, I'm in year 43 of gigging and the best sound I've ever had was using my original 1969 Marshall Superbass 100 watt valve amp, the tone controls did very little if anything when it was at gig level. Sounded quite horrible on it's own but once the band kicked in it was perfect. The mids were INSANE, I remember doing a gig supporting Leo Sayer, bizarrely the Fourmost were just below us on the bill, Billy said 'can I use your amp, it's the best I've ever heard'. I stood out front and the mic'd up sound was astounding for 40k people. Mids are where its at

This is great advice for audio engineers too! Most bassists way overshoot the low end in their tone and it can make mixing the song a nightmare if you don't know how things work down there. It's definitely a trap for young players. I fell into it, and got stuck there for a while. Until my ear became a little better trained. But then I wished I had taken the blue pill because I knew my mixes sucked and I knew it was because of the bass, but on the list of things I knew there wasn't anything written after that. I tried thousands of EQ and compression settings until I got fed up and decided I needed to hear exactly how pro-mixed bass sounded. Soloed. If I could find a couple good examples of that, I could compare them to my soloed bass tracks and hopefully the problems would reveal themselves. That ended up being a pretty good idea and I didn't even need to A/B them with my tracks because the difference was so clear. The pro tracks all had A LOT less low end energy. And by a lot I mean A-fucking-LOT. I remember saying "are you kidding me?" and re-playing them over and over. All 3 bass tracks I chose sounded so tame and not aggressive outside of the mix. They sounded like... just some dude playing bass, not the enormous bass flamethrower that it sounds like in the mix. It was difficult to wrap my head around but it started to make sense because I had always heard my mentors talk about how low frequencies carry a lot more energy than mids and highs but I didn't realize the degree of truth behind that statement until then. It's like putting drop of ink into a 5 gallon bucket of water. It definitely won't go un-noticed. If you're an engineer and you can't get your low end right, definitely listen to the guy in this video, and also do what I did and listen to isolated bass tracks. If you're interested, the 3 tracks I used were Incubus - "Stellar" , The Beatles - "Hey Bulldog" and Nirvana - "In bloom" . Just add "isolated bass" to any of those in the search and you'll find all 3 here on KZfaq. Out of the 3, the one that drives the concept home the most is the Incubus one because that song is like THE BASS AND VOCAL SHOW all day long. The bass is a huge commanding force in the mix but then you hear it by itself and it sounds like he's practicing in his bedroom. It's insane. Listening to the finished song and then thinking back on how that bass sounded soloed is very educational. I highly HIGHLY recommend it.

Man.. Your videos are always my favorite. Always providing clarity in a musician's world of convoluted "tips and tricks"

Fantastic Video. I'm a sound engineer, not a bassist, but this gives me an understanding of where the bassist should be in a live setup. Such well presented information. Thank you!

Man, I've been playing bass for 35 years and never "got" this! Thank you!

I've been a bass player since 1970 and I learned a lot from watching this video. I play in a band and will apply this advice immediately.

Top tip: Make sure your guitarist can dial in an EQ that does not encroach on your frequencies. Top tip 2: If the guitarist is adamant that they need to take up your frequency range, a. Find a new guitarist, b. Look for a band where people know what sound is, or c. Make your bass sound like a guitar, to really piss him/her off, and hit a few solos to trigger an authentic primadonna response. Watch and have a laugh, then revert to a or b.

This is so helpful for my stage of development and I’m currently playing in a band, thank you Mark. I laughed at myself when you mentioned boosting the lows and mids at low practice-type volume, that’s exactly what I do but I’m carrying that setting forward to band practice and after viewing this video I’m going to set them flat and do what you suggest. Here is a suggestion for a future tone video: discuss how overdrive/distortion/fuzz emphasizes certain frequencies and how to best use in a band setting. I own several of your courses, they are great, thanks for all you do!

This is a brilliant video with simply the best advice on setting the bass tone I’ve heard throughout my long years of playing bass. Thank you, Mark!

I’ve been playing bass as well as guitar most of my life. I’m 49 now and have been thinking and dwelling on tone and sound like never before. This has been very helpful on my sonic journey. Thanks!

Great info. Been playing for three years now and you have held my hand while I kicked an screamed, multiple times I have thought of quitting and now all I can say is thank you for your laid back approach and easy to understand teaching methods. All though I still have alot to explore I now feel competent enough to play with others or just improv to my hearts content. One of the best things I've ever did was pick up the bass. Also one tip I'd really like to throw out to the community that alot already know but a healthy mindset is a huge component for music and life! Thanks Mark.

Amazing advice I wish I had received years ago. Much of these points I have figured but only after many years of playing bass in live settings. Great tips!

When I started playing slap bass in 2022 there were a lot of KZfaq 'experts' saying you needed a scooped tone for slap. Now I leave everything flat. Great advice, Mark. I work regularly on what I call your 'Thumb Accelerator' exercise and I really notice the difference when I come back to my slap riffs.

Wow, the part where you isolate the different frequencies was really eye-opening!

Excellent! I am a 61 y.o. beginner on the bass (though also a professional singer since forever) who started playing acoustic bass guitar last september. After plugging into a few amps recently, I now am eagerly awaiting my first (small) amp. This video already answered so many questions that arose in those few amplified session, I am super grateful for the info. THANK YOU!!!

Thanks Mark, very helpful. There are so many convoluted opinions on this out there and this cuts to the heart of it.

This lesson was super helpful and saves me wasted time trying to “dial a tone in” while I practice. I actually love the sound of my bass with the preamp eq flat.

Very clear presentations. You are never too old to learn.

Thank you for breaking down the EQ in such an understandable way. So helpful.

Absolutely the best explanation of bass tone I have found. Thank you.

What a marvelous demonstration. Thank you!

Room size, acoustics in the room, volume and live mix are all critical for bassists. I use a 400 watt Ampeg with 2 10's. I use my fingers and a pick for some sounds. This is a great video, good stuff. I forgot how long I've been playing at this pointed, 72 years old, gigging and recording every week still. Los Angeles

Excellent teaching point. So often overlooked Thank you for your insight.

An effect every bassist should learn how to use is a compressor. Buy the best compressor pedal you can afford, it will make all the difference in the world.

I have been applying this for years and I 100% agree..

Fantastic advice Mark . Thank you

Thank you so much!!! This video is extremely interresting and useful!

Fantastic lesson Mark and such good advice. As you said, the first thing most new players do is turn up the bass. I have heard similar advice about keeping everything flat and if you need to sculpt the tone, cut the bass or highs or mids and don't increase them. Thanks for sharing this good advice.

Almost 60 years of playing and this advise is priceless. Thanks

Technique over tone control: very liberating. Thank you.

Fantastic advice. Took me a while to learn this myself

I've been playing bass for 33 years, and I can say this vid taught me some stuff and also reminded me of some stuff I'd lost along the way. Thanks, fella!! :-)

Thanks for best advice I have heard. I was constantly frustrated, searching for a tone and then being annoyed that it was not ''right'' for the situation.

Excellent video that's easy to understand. Isolating the different frequencies made it all so clear and demonstrated the concept w/o getting into audio fundamentals that would have caused most folks to move on. Well done!

Explanation through isolation was worth the price of admission. Thanks Mark!

Excellent video Mark. That's probably the most productive 15 mins I've ever spent on KZfaq! :)

Awesome!!!!!!! You are so right, Mark! All is said, nothing left to add!

I have been preaching what you said here for over 30 years! (Sound check magazine readers will remember) Thanks for making this video, i hope a lot of Bass players follow your advice.

This video is just what I needed. Thanks for doing this.

Well done! My #1 bass is a Fender Jazz American Elite. Run the bass controls flat into an Ampeg preamp with all the settings flat into a mixing board for the house and my in-ear monitors. 90% of the time it sounds like a perfect Jazz bass sound blending perfectly with the mix. If it's not cutting through I adjust my picking hand first. If that's not it then it's always the mids that need a little boost.

Best way to show the frequencies so good. I do love using my 3 band eq and passive tone for practice and pickup blend

These were some great tips. Learned some new things. Thanks.

The note and frequency demonstrations were very helpful, really drove the point home.

I've only picked up learning how to play the bass a couple of years ago and one game-changing adjustment was something that I didn't even know was a thing at all, because I've never had to deal with it on guitar/electric guitar in 15 years: String action - which has been way too high for the kind of playing I like (mainly writing video game music and covering RHCP stuff and similar). This, combined with nice and thin bass strings made a bigger difference on my sound than any amp or pre-amp etc ever could.

Your so right it took me 20 yrs to learn that very concept thanks for the education 👍👌

What an eye opening lesson! Thanks for rhis.

Brilliant explanations. Well done!

Great advice thanks, I’ve always sculpted my tone and always had problems getting my tone where I need it 👍

What a fabulous video, so helpful, easy to understand and incredibly useful, thank you Mark.

I think your lessons are the best online bass lessons. Thank you!

GREAT advice. Thank you.

100% agree with all points. Great video!

Super helpful. Thanks Mark.

Great lesson. I especially love that you gave the specific frequencies instead of general terms like most. I’m a subscriber and of course I “Liked”

"...that all comes from technique not from gear"...this sentence sums up the whole lesson.....Txs for teaching! :)

You are a blessing to the bass community.

I found this lesson to be extremely informative. Will try this at my next gig because it seems that I am always adjusting everything differently. Each time I play out live

Great video, thanks!

very valuable info !!!! THANK YOU !!

Brilliant video, the flat tone with mid boost worked a treat on my Rickenbacker 4001, really improved the sound, I also discovered I could add an extra clank by using a distortion pedal with a clean sound and a boosted treble on the pedals tone control.

dude, i love all of your videos. very informative. thx!!

Some really good advice there. Excellent stuff Mark.

Brilliant advice as usual !

So well explained. Thank you.

Thx Mark, great video, very educationnal !!

Really useful video Mark thanks

Great informative video , Mark

This is great advice and is generally true in many situations. It's probably worth pointing out that some (especially passive) tone controls aren't simply volume controls.

You are very knowledgable and a very good teacher. Thanks for a very helpful video

Great as always. Thanks.

Great lesson!! Great teacher!

This is so good! Thank you!

man I needed to watch this years ok. I just learnt so much, thanks heaps Mark!

So glad I clicked on this! Getting my Bass in a couple of days and this is the best advice ever. Cheers mate.

Very useful advices… thanks a lot Mark!

Thank you so much.. I've always had an issue with getting the right tone.

I've spent years trying to improve my bass tone, and thanks to your videos I discovered that 1. I don't like the natural sound of my bass, therefore it's going to be difficult to found a tone that I like. 2. By leaving every setting flat that really helped me get a useful tone out of my bass. Thanks a lot mate you've really helped me.

A very good practical video. You have really clarified the fundamentals of the bass sound. Thank you.

Lots of awesome advice demonstrations . I Thank God for your help excellence...

Super helpful! Thank you very much.

Excellent video. Understanding the relative audibility of the different harmonic areas that make up 'bass tone' is really important. Ironically, producers and engineers are more likely to be aware of this than actual bass players. Too many bass players think that there are only two things you can do: 'more volume' and 'more bass'.

Thanks, mate. This was a very, very useful video, especially the part where you notched the various frequencies. I'll be putting it to practice at a jam session tomorrow.

Great info. Thanks much

This is very informative, thank you so much

Great video, really helpful

Best tone advice and explanation video ever. Bang on 👍

Great advice great video. I’ve been playing live since early eighties. I’ve gone through a ton of different basses but my main amp has pretty much been an ampeg svt I’ve recently switched from rack mounted svt 4 back to original tube head always with 8x10 cabs. Love the fenders with both p&j pickup configuration. Best of all worlds. Always have fresh round wounds on use my picking hand to adjust tone floating between pickup positions.

Very interesting! Thank you for explaining and presenting this valuable information. I really appreciate your insight.

great tips!!

Great advice!

Thanks great video. I learnt a lot

Great lesson!!