What the heck does "growl" even mean?

[slinkp]

In another thread http://bassoutpost.com/index.php?topic=9939.0 it was noted that the bass sounds growly.  I didn't hear it as especially growly. The main thing I could hear was a lot of strings vibrating against frets due to aggressive pick playing with a bright amp, which is a sound I happen to like, but ... is that "growl"? I never thought of that as "growl" per se.  The mids sounded pretty scooped and I couldn't really hear what sort of texture the lows might have with the example played.

To me, "growl" is something that happens when the lows have a sort of purring texture not unlike a big cat rumbling ... I don't know quite what causes this impression, but I think it's happening in the lower overtones more than the fundamental  ... but I just intuited that meaning of "growl" from the literal meaning of the word, and since it's not like there's a dictionary we all agree on, maybe it doesn't mean that to other people at all and I'm out on a limb here.

What do you guys think?  Sometimes we use these weird metaphorical words and they're hard to pin down...

Don't get me started on "warm", which is probably the least meaningful audio adjective ever.

[wellREDman]

I agree, I think of growl as purring lows

[Granny Gremlin]

Yeah, I define it as a bit of an edge to the tone, somewhat akin to a very light overdrive.  So purring is a good way to describe that.

[Dave W]

I agree, I think of growl as purring lows

Yeah, I define it as a bit of an edge to the tone, somewhat akin to a very light overdrive.  So purring is a good way to describe that.

If you guys think of growl and purr as the same thing, please stay away from the lions and tigers! 

I doubt that you could get agreement on what it is, but the aggressive lower mid bump that you hear in the O-Bass demo is what I've always heard described as growl. It's not the technique or the strings or the sound of string against fret. Some pickups, like the split-coil P, have that tone when set flat. With pickups that don't have that characteristic bump, you can EQ the mids. The frequency range you would choose depends on the pickup and where it's placed as well as the body wood and how that affects the tone.

[Granny Gremlin]

Oh Dave, lions and tigers don't growl, they roar.   

If you actually think about it and analyse purring and growling sounds, you will notice that they are very similar in nature, one's just louder and used for agressive purposes.  In both cases they are a high frequency rumble of the vocal chords; like I described a mild overdrive or harmonic modulation.

This fits with your example of the O bass.

[Dave W]

Oh Dave, lions and tigers don't growl, they roar.   

If you actually think about it and analyse purring and growling sounds, you will notice that they are very similar in nature, one's just louder and used for agressive purposes.  In both cases they are a high frequency rumble of the vocal chords; like I described a mild overdrive or harmonic modulation.

This fits with your example of the O bass.

As I was dozing off in my easy chair with my dog laying across my legs making soft doggy purring sounds, she startled me awake with a growl when she heard a UPS truck stop across the street. That's the difference. 

To my ears, a mudbucker at the neck purrs. Not the same as growl. But I doubt there will ever be a consensus on what it is.

[rahock]

To me, growl is a bit of overdrive . Not enough to be considered distortion, just enough to provide a little sustain.
Rick

[patman]

The sound of the bass on "Smoke on the Water"....growl.

[Granny Gremlin]

To me, growl is a bit of overdrive . Not enough to be considered distortion, just enough to provide a little sustain.
Rick

yassssssssssssss 

[slinkp]

Overdrive helps for sure ...  but I feel like a T-bird (or TB Plus) pickup through a clean DI still gets pretty decent growl!

[Granny Gremlin]

overdrive was the analogy

[uwe]

Low mids more than bass, slightly blurry. I like growl, but distorted bass is not really my cup of tea.

[daan]

Who said, "Writing about music is like dancing about architecture"? I bet we're all talking about the same thing, but using different words to describe it (about a lot of things, not just this particular subject)
"Words fail me" is something I seem to say a lot, about many subjects.