Larry Tuttle on SoundBetter

I can offer a lifetime's expertise on making bass parts work, as well as some colorful instrument choices (including Chapman Stick and upright bass) and great part-writing ability. I'm also an award-winning orchestral composer/arranger and an expert in the art of strings. Please contact me and let’s talk.

A great bass part drives the track and leads it from verse to chorus, from chorus to bridge and back again. It knows when to move and when to sit, and it has the right sonic personality - the right sound for the right song. Is it the wiry percussive toughness of the Chapman Stick, a rolling line with a deep sound from the electric bass, played with fingers, or brightly with a pick or darkly with palm muting - or is it the humanity and warmth of the upright bass (recorded with double mics for maximum tone control in the mix). I’ve spent a lifetime developing the instincts to make those right choices, and I’m the proud owner of a natural bass player’s personality - the drive to make the track and all the other musicians sound better.

STRINGS - For those of you interested in live strings, I have deep experience in the classical world - I’m a lifelong symphonic bass player and am married to a violist. I won the Pittsburgh Symphony’s Audience of the Future Composition Award, and have been commissioned by dozens of universities for original compositions. I can offer classical chops along with the bass player’s understanding of keeping things understated and working as part of the whole. I know how to support a vocal and how to write around it. Please contact me to talk over your project and to get a deeper sampling than the short demo can show.

Contact me through the green button above and let's get to work.

Credits

2 Reviews

Endorse Larry Tuttle

by Lindsay T.
Larry is an uber-talented, multi faceted musician who is a pleasure to work with on any creative project. As a producer / engineer and songwriter, I’ve worked with and hired Larry for his talents on electric bass, upright bass, Chapman stick and as a string arranger on multiple productions. I have never been disappointed with what Larry brings to a recording session.
by Lindsay T.
Larry is an uber-talented, multi faceted musician who is a pleasure to work with on any creative project. As a producer / engineer and songwriter, I’ve worked with and hired Larry for his talents on electric bass, upright bass, Chapman stick and as a string arranger on multiple productions. I have never been disappointed with what Larry brings to a recording session.

Interview with Larry Tuttle

Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: Make sure that the basic quality is there right from the start - which means having a high-quality mic pre, audio interface and microphones.
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: My strongest skill is making everybody else sound better, which in my view is the heart of playing the bass. My goal is to use my bass lines to unify and bring together all of the elements of a given tune into a coherent whole.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: I have a strong instinct for creating momentum - making one part lead to the next to create a coherent whole that flows and builds naturally. Another point for me is imagination - I'm a composer, and I like to zero in on what a song really has to offer and then find ways to support and enhance that from the bass. I can offer a lot of color choices in the low end - electric bass, Chapman Stick, acoustic bass, fretless bass. Playing with fingers or pick or palm muting, and amp simulation with Guitar Rig if you want that.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: For me it always starts with listening. I listen over and over to the track, and eventually instrument choices, lines, parts and sounds will pop into my head as I listen. Listening a lot is the way I access my musical intuition. Every song lives in its own world, and I try to place myself in that world as completely as possible. I also usually take some time to make a chart for myself, which is another kind of sneaky way to access those musical instincts.. From there I like to work collaboratively, and will suggest instrument choices, styles and attitudes to the client.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: I have a modest bedroom studio. It's small, but the key important pieces are there. I have a BAE (Brett Averill Electronics) stereo mic pre, which gives all of the instruments a high-quality sheen and some analog beauty. It makes the sound easy to manipulate and tweak once it gets into the producers hands. Also I have an Apogee Duet Audio Interface, which keeps the basic signal quality at a high level. I know my instruments intimately - they've been with me for approximately forever. My upright bass was a gift from my parents at the age of twelve, and I've played it ever since, on about a zillion sessions - it's been everywhere!!. My electric basses date from the 70's (and have been updated with the best electronics - a Demeter mod for the P-bass and EMG pickups for the fretless) and my Chapman Stick is a beautiful purple heart mahogany instrument from Emmett Chapman's heyday in the mid-1990s. My workstation is Digital Performer, and for notation I use both Dorico and Finale.