Can anyone help with a helix bass tone similar to manowar?

[pipelineaudio]

I think like the gods made heavy metal and brothers of metal type smoothly distorted yet still punchy bass tone. Motörhead type bass tones get real close but not really punchy enough. Lengthening the attack to let the pop thru ends up making it kind of gross rather than staying smooth.

 

[ragingplatypi]

Sansamp (ZeroAmp) with Retro Reel might get you where you want to go.

I think you also gotta get a weird bass (Rickenbacker or EB-O).

 

[Sascha Franck]

Did you ever try to split the signal by frequency (split path and EQs) and send the low end to no or only very llittle drive? That should retain some punch and allow you to add quite some dirt to the mids and highs.

 

[Sascha Franck]

Sansamp (ZeroAmp)

Where do you find that in the Helix?

 

[ragingplatypi]

Where do you find that in the Helix?

It’s based on the Bass Driver pedal and is under distortion toward the end with the bass effects.

 

[Sascha Franck]

It’s based on the Bass Driver pedal and is under distortion toward the end with the bass effects.

Oh I see! Missed that (only looked in the amp and preamp sections). Thanks!

 

[pipelineaudio]

Did you ever try to split the signal by frequency (split path and EQs) and send the low end to no or only very llittle drive? That should retain some punch and allow you to add quite some dirt to the mids and highs.

I'm guessing this is likely where i need to go. We did it a lot in the 90's with the silver sansamp on the highs and a slower compressor on the lows. There's something really attacky, yet consistently smooth about this one though...I know these are the most useless terms

 

[TheTrueZoltan!]

I'm finding it very hard right now to resist the temptation to derail the thread and just make jokes about Manowar.

 

[pipelineaudio]

Pretty sure manowar fans and manowar themselves appreciate any and all jokes about manowar

People talk about how different US and european power metal are, but I think they both have the same unyielding acceptance of their own cheese

 

[pipelineaudio]

 

[JiveTurkey]

I'm finding it very hard right now to resist the temptation to derail the thread and just make jokes about Manowar.

View attachment 19498

FWIW; Blood Of My Enemies is an awesome song. I'll give them that. I also like a few songs off Fighting the World and Kings of Metal if you are stretching the definition of "like"? Beyond that; yikes.

 

[pipelineaudio]

I was surprised at just how low gain the guitars are! I’m wondering how much that affects the perception of their bass sound

 

[TheTrueZoltan!]

 

[fiftyshadesofslay]

It’s all in the loincloth

 

[pipelineaudio]

Epic Fail...I went on Line6 custom tone and downloaded a pile of distorted bass tones, found one I really liked for this purpose and when I read it

I'm so fired...

I will get my hat and leave

ooops

 

[Will Chen]

Gotta admit when teeny me heard this on a local AM radio metal station I freaked out.

 

[gumtown]

I never gel'd with the Helix for bass tones, just couldn't quite get there.
For me, it was a play/feel/dynamics disconnect.
That's no help for your tone quest though..

 

[GuitarBilly74]

He also plays a piccolo bass. That's probably the most important part of his sound.

 

[JiveTurkey]

Prompted to revisit after watching some Finn McKinty (sp?) No matter how dumb Manowar is; this tune just kills.