I just received my Boss GT-6B. I've been messing around with it for a couple days now and I'm really digging all the cool sounds I can make, but I have no idea how to apply it to the music I play. I play a lot of modern praise and worship stuff like Hillsong United, Passion, David Crowder, etc... Do you guys have any tips to sort of develop an ear for effects and the application of them?

Umm... that's an odd question.

If you're not sure how to apply an effect to a song, you're probably best off not applying it. The clean bassline is the bassline that fits in anywhere, after all :D

However, I'd imagine effects such as chorus, delay, reverb, flanger, phaser, and other ambient modulation effects could probably find some good use. Maybe overdrive, too, but that would require a lot of experimentation - I don't think a lot would be suitable for church gigs, but I'm sure some people have found ways :smug:

Really, all of them would require some time to play around with them. I'd say, try applying some chorus first, as it's a pretty easy effect to manage, and can work in a lot of songs if it's not too extreme.

It's difficult to tell you what you should use - it's all up to your ears. If it doesn't sound right to you, try another setting, another pedal, or don't use it. That's about the only stable rule I can think of to live by when it comes to bass effects.

Haha yea... I really have no clue what I'm doing. Hopefully I'll "get it" sooner or later, both with the board and with effects in general. I've been reading the manual for the pedal and there is just so much stuff to digest.

I don't think anyone in this forum "gets it"...just look at all the stuff that goes in and out on a seemingly daily basis :smug:

A short delay/echo could create a "fuller" sound

If you're lacking a keyboardist in your ensemble, perhaps a synth patch would do good.

Phaser/Chorus/Flanger is good for more mellow parts of songs; they create a kind of ambience.

ETC. The key is applying sounds *APPROPRIATELY*, especially in the setting you're in. I've been there, and have, on occasion, crossed the line between "This sounds good" and people going "DUDE SHUT UP" :D

Try learning some music with bass effects in such as tool and ratm as this will help to learn the different sounds of all the effects and also give you many ideas while your playing your own bass lines where and when to play it.

Thanks for the tips. I'm going to be playing through it at youthgroup tonight, so we'll see how that goes. I set up a patch with OD, chorus, and tap delay last night, which is what I'll most likely be using.

The "ears" thing: even when I find an effect that seems pretty exciting on its own, I never know how good it will work with the rest of the band until I sample it in a song setting. Only then can I tell if it shines or gets drowned. I've found that it's essentially the same for a bass, too - it's easy to love one on its own, but a gig can quickly expose a weak tone.

The other thought I had concerns the GT-6B; that thing has a LOT going on. You ought to be busy with your new multi board for more than just a weekend or so and you'll learn plenty about effects along the way.

Read that phonebook of a manual and get tweakin'... you're on a mission from God!

You mAY Be new to effects, but I can tell your going to be great. I can tell by your name. gOOeY :D

LOL all my friends actually call me Gooey. Some of my teachers even call me that.

I played out last night at youthgroup with the pedal. The DI was nice because it boosted my signal x1000000 compared to the passive DI I've been using. I used a little bit of chorus but didn't feel comfortable enough to try out the overdrive and the tap delay. The compressor is especially nice and it seems like it tightens up my sound real nice. I'll be playing with it again tomorrow so we'll see how that goes. Sundays tend to be more slow and calm (as opposed to loud and rockin on Fridays) so I can probably apply a chorus to a lot of the songs. I also read a little bit of that manual and there is just so much info to digest. I through the first two sections and I think I have to start over because I already forgot everything.

I had to sell my GT-6B. I lust dont have the discipline for long manuals. I use the Korg AX3000B.

When I write music, or basslines for someone else's song, I think in terms of what feels right and what could help the song.

For example, we do a song with a half time section, with a more ambient feel. I can kick on a chorus to help get the right feel out of the song. Sometimes we do psychedelic breakdowns with different flavors. Let's say we're doing an eastern flavor and I'll try to make my bass sound like a tambura, with that drone. And when things heat up I'll pluck the high string in a certain way to get a certain timbre and it really sounds cool with delay. And maybe we're doing a more rocking tune with a prominent bassline that isn't heard on the other instruments. A little overdrive helps put the bass in the center of the song and rock things up a little more.

I find it to be a nice question. :)

Now, more than 10 years after my first attempt, I have a nice set of pedals and I'm able to use them nicely.
Well, not every time. :)

People expect us to be bass players; to play in the pocket; to be the foundation of the band.
And that's the main goal.

But, of course, you can add a variety of new sounds.

At the end of the day, buying and using effects is like a compulsive disorder.

Join the effects addict club. :D

I find it to be a nice question. :)

Now, more than 10 years after my first attempt, I have a nice set of pedals and I'm able to use them nicely.
Well, not every time. :)

People expect us to be bass players; to play in the pocket; to be the foundation of the band.
And that's the main goal.

But, of course, you can add a variety of new sounds.

At the end of the day, buying and using effects is like a compulsive disorder.

Join the effects addict club. :D

+1 Where's the patch for people like us?:confused:

Playing with the effects is sweet. At church I whipped out the autoslap just for fun and people had a good laugh while we were just jamming. I've been told that the pedal has really tightened up my sound and added a fullness to it as opposed to the anemic muddy tone I had before. So at least I have that going for me. I had some fun with chorus and delay today as well. I'm still working on finding a good OD sound that will work for me.

I find it to be a nice question. :)
People expect us to be bass players; to play in the pocket; to be the foundation of the band.
And that's the main goal.
:D

Isn't that part of the problem? That attitude towards the instrument?

+1 Where's the patch for people like us?:confused:

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=340282
A place where everybody knows your name. :D

Isn't that part of the problem? That attitude towards the instrument?

Well, someone has to fill the bottom.
My two bassist band didn't work out... :rolleyes:

You expect a funk bass player to groove - but of course he can do whatever he wants.
Bootsy plays with all those effects and he's groovy as chipmunk.

And, of course, this is just my point of view. :D

depends on the style of music really. church players aren't going to need a ton of effects and are only really needed to play in the pocket and hold the band together. if you play in more alternative bands like mine there are a ton more opportunities to use effects open to you.

My effects 101:

Learn to use compression first. It's the most useful on bass. It will help cut the loud spikes and bring up the soft notes to give your playing a more consistent sound. Most useful for slapping.

Distortion/Fuzz/overdrive: Overdrive is more of a volume boost with a bit of a breakup, Fuzz is the Hendrix thing and Distortion, think 80's metal. Fun to play with, rarely used. Just don't over do it.

Chorus is useful for ballad intros, after distortion for "bass solos", but a little goes a long way as most chorus effects tend to cut the low end.

Flangers are great for 80's "swoosh" type of effects, but rarely used today.

Phasers will give you the sound used on "For the Love of Money" intro.

Delay - a short delay may help fatten your sound. A little longer delay with hammer-ons accompanied by volume swells with the volume knob or volume pedal will give you the cello effect.

Reverb is fairly well understood.

As far as order, I go with
compression -> distortion -> modulation (chorus, phaser, flanger) -> delay -> reverb.

Hope it helps. As with anything else, these are just starting points to get you up and running quickly. Don't think of them as cut in stone rules. You may get a cool sound by running a reverb into a distortion.

Oh that's a cool bit on the cello effect. Someone was asking me on Friday if I could get that effect. I'm gonna have to try that out.