I just wanted to get a rundown of the best ideas for how to get your guitar to sound like a bass. So far, the only method that comes close for me is to record a clean track and lower the pitch by an octave. Sounds pretty good, but the problem with that is, if your playing fast, some of the notes melt together. So, besides actually buying a bass guitar, what better ways are there to do this? I'm using Sonar 6, by the way, and don't know a thing about synths or sequencing.

That´s a tough one. I tweaked a lot with the same idea some time ago, but just gave up. I tried it a few months back with the POD XTL, messed with a sort of octave lowering thing, but it sounded like crap. Especially if you try to play a bit faster runs.

I've heard some pretty convincing bass parts played by shifting the pitch on a guitar. You could tune your guitar down a few steps too, to give you a lower range before applying the pitch shift. Otherwise, maybe you could invest in a $100 bass somewhere or find a bass player to collaborate on some of your projects.

Ukelele, I tried the same thing with pitch shifting on the effects pedal rather than in the studio, but it does sound pretty bad just like you said. The notes come out clearer but the tone is terrible. I'd rather have it the other way around.

Ksdb, I might try tuning the guitar down a few steps first, haven't thought of that. It might make it easier for the pitch shifter to work better....Or I could just buy a $100 bass right? Haha...Maybe I'll give Ebay a look if my search turns up empty.

Does anyone know of any program that allows for easy bass sequencing?

Careful with buying cheap ass bass guitars, the action on those things can often be unplayable. Especially if you are accustomed to playing Bass. I need one myself but am treading very carefully. In spite of that, buying a cheapish Bass is your best alternative. Unless you happen to have a Keyboard lying around somewhere with a Bass Guitar effect on it ?... isn't great but it's better than nothing. Spend a couple hours tweaking that and it'll be better than tweaking the Electric GUitar to sound like a Bass...

Check out this sitehttp://www.frettedsynth.com/There is a collection of guitar triggered synths and the bass is outstanding. Really would think your playing a bass. There is some other cool stuff there as well. Check it out and all free!:woot:

Danny, you're right. If I'm gonna buy a bass, I probably should get a good one. Otherwise, what's the point right? Might as well do it right the first time.

Axslinger, I actually saw that you posted that website before and I did try it but it sounded VERY synth to me, which is fine for some things, but I'm going for the classic rock sound. Were you able to achieve that kind of tone? I just couldn't make it work for me. Could you post a soundclip of it and the setting you used?

In the meantime, I just spent the last 3-4 hours really learning the in's and out's of Sonar 6's sequencer and, to my surprise, it doesn't seem as hard as I thought it would be. I put in my best sounding bass soundfont and it sounds pretty good. I found some really good tutorials on YouTube that helped and if anybody wants one, go here for the first and you'll see the links for the rest:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbJd_ZahsC8

Those are for Sonar 4, but all the same stuff still applies. By the way, I can't recommend Sonar 6 enough for nearly everything you need to do...it's just a fantastic all around program and comes with the best sounding vst's I've ever used.

Thanks guys for all your help so far! :yourock:

What is it - necessity is the mother of invention?? Learning some sequencing is a good thing when you're not happy with the other options.

Was going to just mention that there are some reasonably good basses out there for inexpensive prices. Just have to shop around and make sure your comfortable with before making a purchase.

Second, would mention that when pitch shifting with the guitar; you might want to record the guitar part first before you shift the pitch. Then use a VST shifting effect and you might get better results than through a pedal. Just a thought.

Well i think it is possible, but it will probably never be 100% convincing.
I've tried a few ways, EQ'ing all highs off the guitar, boosting the lows, adding some light-medium lower octaves with my Boss OC-2 (blending them in), only playing on the 2 thickest strings, and processing the track after recording too (Audacity's Bass Boost Effect can help).
I recorded a Bass solo like that in "Anyone's Daughter", which sounded ok i think, but i think its like most things, you'll end up having to buy a bass if you're serious about it.
Good luck though.

When I had the same problem I bought a pretty cheap bass guitar. Bought it from the guy I buy all my guitars from, so I tried it out first and he set it up properly and everything. Still got it pretty cheap.
It's really good to have a real bass guitar when you record a lot of music yourself, and also its fun to learn to play it :thumb:

So that's my recommendation.

Just throwing my 2 cents in here because I play bass and this thread reminded me of a band that didn't have a bass player. Does anyone remember the band "The Presidents of the United States of America" ? Apparently, they never had a bass player on their albums if I remember correctly. I think you can EQ your guitar in the mix to compensate for a lack of a bass. Not sure what frequencies to boost or cut but I know you can as I've done it before when I first got a guitar and started to record. Good Luck.

the doors didn't have a bass player either. the keyboard player did them on his keyboard. once you have a decent used bass guitar you will need a good preamp too for recording. something like a bass v-amp or pod. i have a toneport and it has patches for bass, guitar and vocals. it works pretty well too. i know enough bass players that if i need one i can just borrow one for a couple days. if you have some buddies that have a bass then i would spend my money on a good preamp or vst pluggin first and borrow a bass.

I use a Jackson DK 27 baritone guitar and my guitar port on the tube instrument preamp setting. I think I use the middle position on the pickup selector. :rock:

My friend Dunnery has let me try out his Bass for a couple of tunes , i plugged it direct into my Behringer V-amp ! , turned of the reverb , set it to compression , and flicked the knob to a clean pre set .

The results are killer :headscratch: , so i dont know what you gain in a V-amp bass rig :headscratch: . This mother rocks !!!!

Thanks guys for your help. One day I will probably spring for a Bass since I don't have any friends who own one. I used to plug my Boss GT-6 into my comp's soundcard for recording guitar and I assume it could carry a bass signal just as well with the right settings as Bluesplayer described.

For now, I'm using Sonar 6's sequencer with the NS J-Bass soundfont. I also downloaded the Ampeg SVX vst plugin which really helps shape the sound.

Thanks guys for the help!

My friend Dunnery has let me try out his Bass for a couple of tunes , i plugged it direct into my Behringer V-amp ! , turned of the reverb , set it to compression , and flicked the knob to a clean pre set .

The results are killer :headscratch: , so i dont know what you gain in a V-amp bass rig :headscratch: . This mother rocks !!!!

I gained £12 selling mine on ebay. bought it brand new from blue aran and sold it for more than I bought it for :)

the new amplitube 2 can do this very good.
as an example, this bass is actually a guitar:

http://www.dt-tribute.com/divers/pinkblues.mp3

it's done in real time recording, there's a preset called "guitar to bass".
Well obviously it'd be cheaper to buy a real bass, but...this is another solution ;)

the new amplitube 2 can do this very good.
as an example, this bass is actually a guitar:

http://www.dt-tribute.com/divers/pinkblues.mp3

it's done in real time recording, there's a preset called "guitar to bass".
Well obviously it'd be cheaper to buy a real bass, but...this is another solution ;)

Hey, that's not bad at all! I might have to try this out sometime. Thanks man.

I kept making weekly trips ot Guitar Center and Sam Ash, and finally found a used Squier Precision Bass for 150 with gig bag..........works great for my needs. You might want to look at them.

I kept making weekly trips ot Guitar Center and Sam Ash, and finally found a used Squier Precision Bass for 150 with gig bag..........works great for my needs. You might want to look at them.

Cool, thanks dude. $150 ain't bad at all.

Bump:) Got this from another forum...

VST Plugins To Make Your Guitar Sound Like A Bass

Load up one of these plugins and move the pitch down to -12 (- octave) and your guitar will sound more like a bass.

SoundShifter enables the manipulation of Time and Pitch while preserving the punch, groove and transients. SoundShifter is unmatched for clarity, timing accuracy, and a lack of artifacts and distortion.
SoundShifter in this pack (http://rapidshare.com/files/37107062/WTransformB5.zip)

Pitch-Shifter is a plugIn for shifting the pitch of the input signal without affecting the overall length.
Pitch-Shifter plug-in (http://www.braindoc.de/vst/PitchShifter_v1.0.0.zip)

PVTRANSP is an unsophisticated pitch shifter, offering a range of one octave up and down.
pvtransp.dll plugin in this pack (http://www.bath.ac.uk/~masrwd/pvplugswin.zip)

Melodyne plugin has unique time-stretching and pitch-shifting algorithms.
Melodyne.Plugin.1.0.2 (http://rapidshare.com/files/37244110/CelMelodynePlug1.0.2.rar)
p.s The Melodyne Plugin doesnt work in real time.

Thanks for those PodGod, I'm sure they will come in useful for me.