Musicians like to experiment by playing with various kinds of songs and tunes. And often they come across the need of adding different effects to their bass, drums or a guitar to enhance the overall music experience of the particular song or tune. One such effect that many guitar owners long for is to make a guitar sound like a bass. This might seem impossible or troublesome for some guitar players but trust me it is not that difficult if followed the right procedure and investment in the needed accessories. Before moving further on How to Make a Guitar Sound Like a Bass, I would like to tell you that you can use this method for a professional level song as well.
Sometimes during a recording session, It is possible that your bass player did not show up, or you don’t have a budget for a bass player, Ya, Many new bands don’t even have a bass player. New musicians don’t pay a lot of attention to the bass. And If you’re one of those who don’t have a bass player or a bass guitar and you want that completeness into your song then this article is about you, Don’t worry you can make a guitar sound like in some simple steps.
Before starting the methods on how to make a guitar sound like a bass, I would like to share you a little incident form past, You might think that I don’t have a proper bass player so the song/track will not come out as good as with an inclusion of a bass player, Well, If you’re into classics, You might have played that iconic bass riff from “Seven Nation Army.” Yes, That Iconic riff was actually played on a Semi-Acoustic Guitar. Well Well, Now you know that in today’s time you can do some post-processing, And you can achieve literally any sound you want. Now let’s proceed further with the methods.
How to Make a Guitar Sound Like a Bass
1. Opt for Octave Pedals
An Octave Pedal is A stomp-box effect that combines the dry signal using a couple of signs which are one or more octaves lower or higher compared to the initial. For those who experience an octave pedal just like the Electro-Harmonix microPog, the Boss oc3, or also the Digitech Whammy 5, then here’s the best way to set up them to mimic a bass guitar.
Normally, octave pedals include one or two-octave controls and also an immediate signal degree. The overall guideline is to reverse the guide signal entirely down. After that, utilize the primary octave to correct the desired pitch.
2. VST Plugins
VST plugins or a Virtual Studio Technology is a plugin interface which allows a user to create a studio-like recording environment. VST Plugin integrates with DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) and then you can use DAW’s interface to edit and create musical notes while VST Plugin will work as an audio source. Using a VST, You can simulate almost every realistic instrument digitally. There are various list of Instruments which are available. You can use those according to your need. Similarly, You can use some VST plugin to make a guitar sound like a bass. Here is a list of some VSTs you can use to create a bass effect from your guitar.
- Amplitube 4 Ampeg OCT
By using Amplitube 4 Ampeg, You can get some deep bass sounds. This will Diminish your high ends, which will turn your guitar into the bass. This is very preferable for your subs as there will not be any high ends.
- Amplitube 4 Pitch Shifter
The Amplitude Pitch Shifter is a balanced one. If you ask me, This is a sure winner. You won’t lose your high ends, which is a must sometimes. Actually, every time if you want that snappy bass from thick bass guitar strings. If you want a real bass guitar like sound and you don’t want the thick sub-bass, then you should definitely choose this.
You can also use both as a combo of bass and sub-bass. Ampeg OCT will produce your sub-bass and with a Pitch shifter, you can turn your guitar into a bass guitar.
- Waves GTR Bass Pitcher
This is a bit different than both of the above plugins. This will provide you with a wobbly sound. Some tracks sound good with this while this can ruin some of the tracks.
- Waves GTR Octaver
With GTR Octaver, you can have a synth bass sort of sound. This is really a cool-sounding plugin for sure. You can use this creatively and can make your guitar sound like a pop synth bass.
- Waves GTR Pitcher
The pitcher is also one of my personal favorites. You can use it for both, A snappy bass and a wobble bass. When some people think this as a downside while if you play accurately you can have a plugin with wobble bass and a snappy bass.
3. Using Waves SoundShifter Plugin
If you don’t need to play your bass guitar in real-time, you can record your acoustic/semi-acoustic guitar, and make your guitar sound like a bass guitar with Waves SoundShifter Plugin. It’s really simple. You have to record your guitar and then shift it to 12 semitones lower and you’ll have that snappy bass sound from your guitar.
Conclusion
You don’t necessarily need a real bass guitar, you can make a guitar sound like a bass very easily. There are three ways you can do it. If you want to perform live, you can use an octave pedal and you can bypass your guitar from a DAW and you can use any of the VSTs according to your preferences. While you can use SoundShifter as a post-processing tool. You can use VSTs for post-processing as well. You can use different VSTs, you can experiment a lot which is really very good practice for a performer and a music producer.