Slap bass Struggles

That last one definitely looks like a clip. I couldn't really hear it though (just got my phone right now). I would split it like you've been doing. I know it can be time consuming, but if it's done right, no one will ever be able to tell that you messed with it. Groovy music, btw.

Slap bass is not the word I use to describe that instrument. Acoustic double bass is better. For me slap bass implies what electric players do and that also creates some similar issues.
 
I think you will find these sounds are intentional and usually will be in time with the groove. It is a percussive and rhythmical effect. It adds to the sound the acoustic bass player is creating.
 
This is when a separate editor (Adobe Audition etc) is still superior to everything else. You just open a track like this and target the very loud short sounds. Hard limiting is good to do here, eg you limit the top of that peak to match the rest of the track or perhaps be 2 or 3 dB louder. You do not reduce gain here to solve these issues, leave the bottom part of the transient alone just limit how far up it goes.
 
A little EQ can also go a long way on these snappy percussive bits.  I like to then limit the peaks of the whole track down to a more manageable level and add some rms to everything to bring up the level overall. You do all this prep before mixing starts. Save this with the word ED after the original title so you have the original track intact. Drag this into your session te replace the existing bass part. Sets up a nice bass sound right from outset.
 
By doing this prep work properly what you are doing is leaving the original bass track intact with all its dynamics and original life but now all those percussive transients are fixed and sit well with everything else on that track. That is what is excellent about the editor. It targets only very precise areas and leaves everything else alone. Something a processor over a whole track cannot achieve. It still has to be involved with everything even to only tame a few things here and there.
 
Now the only processors you need are gentle compression types to just clamp down the level a little further and add a hint of attitude. With this compressor too don't have the attack too fast either. Let it breath a little and let those transients through. (eg 10 ms or so) Low ratio like 2 or less to keep the sound big. Small ratio means big sound. By the time you get to this point in your mix the percussive sounds will still be present but much more blended with everything and sound good, aiding the music.
 
I assume you are using a mic to record acoustic bass. Despite any spill that may result it is still worth it by far. You are not over dubbing anything so it does not matter so much. This sound will always be emphasised in the DI signal too. If you are mixing DI and mic signals together here you can always drop out the DI hits from the mix at those points too. Do some fades either side of it etc..If you combine DI and mic sounds it is good to filter the DI sound after about 700 Hz or so and just use it to add sustain and a little depth to the acoustic sound.

Could it be be a clip on mic with clip that isn't fully secure, or it could be a stand up bass getting knocked into a microphone?
 
 

mike_mccue
Sometimes the slap sends the string down onto the pickup cover or magnet and you get a little micro-phonic "pop". Sometimes it's just a nasty fret noise that ends up seeming like a metallic percussion hit. If it's an active pickup it could be a nasty electronic gasp in the on board pre amp.

That's exactly what it sounds like to me, i.e. the string touching the pickup.  The instrument needs to be set up correctly so that this doesn't happen.
 
And slap bass is not the style used here.

again, i say, outboard compression.
 
i'm talking to myself here, i know.....

The wave looks exactly like when I touch the pickup on my P with the string (because some dumbass broke the cover so one side is popped up... and no I'm not the dumbass). I didn't listen to the wave but if that noise is what I think it sounds like I'd use audiosnap, set the threshold so it only snags those clips and create a midi track. Then I'd cut those clips right out of the audio track and find a sample to replace it that isn't basically a pickup pop.
 
A lot of not so seasoned bass guys think that the pop of the pickup is how you do proper pop and slap (as I used to). It is not. You are supposed to get the pop/slap off the fretboard. Having it hit the pickup is okay as a percussive sound live because nobody notices (except perhaps the sound guy cursing under his breath). On a recording it's a freaking nightmare. If it is indeed the strings hitting the pickup get rid of it because it's no good to no one.
 
Of course you know I'm a hack but I do know that a string mashing into a pickup under the guise of "pop and slap" just does not sound good on tape because I've done it and it sucks.
 
Watch pro pop/slappers and you'll see their right hands are doing all the really dirty work at the bottom of the fretboard... not above the pickups.

BatsBrew, I'm totally listening. I have a compressor that I didn't bring with me to make that particular recording. So it looks like I'll be applying limiting after the recording.
 
This was a bar-room recording where my phone dB meter was pegged at 130 dB. So it was REALLY loud.
 
I'll keep at it. I think I can end up with something listenable.
 
 

Thanks, Mike. It is an acoustic double bass. I had to google for picts because I'd never heard it called a double bass before. What makes it double? haha. Anyway. I think some of the problem is the strings hitting the pickup in some cases, and the slap of the strings on the fretboard in other cases.
 
I haven't had much chance to work with it. I'm hoping to get some time tomorrow.

"What makes it double?"
 
I don't have an answer I know to be factual. It is what the Contra Bass has been referred to traditionally.
 
There are lots of things I can assume, and I think an easy clue might be found here:
 

Mike, What you described in your snipped it EXACTLY what he was up to. This was incredibly helpful to me to read. I always learn so much here! You all are an amazing resource!!
 
Regarding mic placement on the bass, you can see it in this image. I don't know enough about mics on basses to be able to comment but the thing is visible. If you open the link, you can zoom in better.
 
http://stabilitynetwork.blob.core.windows.net/g-tunes/IMG_5253.JPG

http://stabilitynetwork.blob.core.windows.net/g-tunes/IMG_5255.JPG

I would venture to say that, judging by the pictures, as long as the clip-on mic wasn't loose, that the sound was completely made by the strings hitting the fingerboard, and most likely intentional. I've played with quite a few double bass players, and they all slapped the fingerboard like that.

gswitz
This was a bar-room recording where my phone dB meter was pegged at 130 dB. So it was REALLY loud.
 

 
Wow... above the threshold of pain... we're talking jet engine levels of sound... looking at the photo... I'm thinking the phone db meter isn't very accurate.... 130db with that band and PA setup, not very likely.

Yes, I have not calibrated the Phone dB Meter. It says my car on the highway with windows down is @100dB (no stereo). I have nothing better to compare it to, so I don't know how accurate it is. I wouldn't say it was above the threshold of pain but it was screamingly loud. I had to lend the Drummer's GF earplugs for her to be able to stay.