To all MarkBass Super Synth users

pstyle · #1 01-31-2011, 05:11 PM

Has anybody been able to create some useful sounds out of it? I have one and all the presets are way to thick and saturated. I played around with the software with no great success as to what I'm looking for. More specifically I'm trying to get a synthsound similar to songs like:

MJ - don't stop til you get enough http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZorRGrDiMsA
Eminem - the real slim shady http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vubCb4yGejQ
Madonna - Like a Prayer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMCbt...eature=related (not the best audio quality)

Thanks!

pstyle · #2 02-01-2011, 07:44 AM

bump.

Does anyone have a list of their settings that they could post?

kevteop · #3 02-01-2011, 08:45 AM

I don't think the Super Synth is designed to do sounds like those, it's more of a fizzy sawtooth thing.

Ideally you need an ADSR-enveloped low-pass filter to get sounds like the Eminem tune, and (I don't have one but...) it seems the Super Synth only has input signal envelope following. The EHX Bass Micro Synth's filter can do it, so can the Octavius Squeezer, but it's quite a rare feature on pedals for some strange reason.

Edit: Seems I was wrong. Looking at the edit interface it does look like it has attack and release controls over the filter. Presumably these offer a way to control the filter in a regular way instead of using input envelope control.

Badmuthaplucka · #4 02-01-2011, 08:46 AM

I can tell you that the first MJ tune is not a synth bass at all. It sounds like a slightly overdriven jazz bass.

pstyle · #5 02-01-2011, 09:27 AM

I disagree. Maybe the youtube link has crappy quality, but if you listen to the recording, it's pretty evident that it's a synth.. at least in the intro.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Badmuthaplucka

I can tell you that the first MJ tune is not a synth bass at all. It sounds like a slightly overdriven jazz bass.

Badmuthaplucka · #6 02-01-2011, 10:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pstyle

I disagree. Maybe the youtube link has crappy quality, but if you listen to the recording, it's pretty evident that it's a synth.. at least in the intro.

You're free do disagree but I know for a fact the Louis Johnson played on this track.(He was Quincy Jones' go to bass player at the time). Again no synth bass on this track. It's all electric bass and feel! On your other tracks on I can cop with an octaver, an envelope filter and most importantly touch! You could do it with the markbass synth too but it really come down to technique and touch! That's the only way to get the filter section of that pedal to do what you want it to do.

pstyle · #7 02-01-2011, 11:35 AM

Maybe Louis Johnson wanted to get a little extra funky? If not synth, there is definitely something other than overdrive and touch going on it that bass line.

Badmuthaplucka · #8 02-01-2011, 12:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pstyle

Maybe Louis Johnson wanted to get a little extra funky? If not synth, there is definitely something other than overdrive and touch going on it that bass line.

Look I don't want to sound like an A$$ but that's all it really is. Johnson is playing the notes very staccato with sharp attack, with the treble dimmed. It sounds almost mechanical. That articulation contributes to the reason why it sounds like a synth (It sound almost like an old skool Yamaha DX7 but it's not

. I see that you have a jazz bass. Please just play the line using mostly the bridge pickup and plucking the notes in that general area. And dim the treble. You'll be more that half way there.

Explorer · #9 02-01-2011, 01:24 PM

Just for the curious who are into these things, there are quite a few web pages which list what instruments were used on particular recordings. They are a valuable resource when one is trying to reproduce a particular sound, as they let one know from where to start, just as (in this case) it's Johnson on bass.

It's always valuable to do a search through Google or a similar search engine, especially when dealing with easily ascertainable facts....

pstyle · #10 02-01-2011, 02:27 PM

Yea the thread was getting a little off topic... still sounds like a synth to me tho

recnsci · #11 02-01-2011, 05:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Badmuthaplucka

(It sound almost like an old skool Yamaha DX7 but it's not

I'm not much of a bass player, but I know a thing or two 'bout synths. If you ever get patch like "Don't stop ..." bass on DX-anything, you should seriously consider career in sound design. And before this thread, I would have bet my life that that bass line a) is not sole Fender Jazz and b) is Minimoog maybe layered with something else (Quincy did layered stuff in production quite a bit). If it actually is only ol' Jazz bass - well that one hell of a JB, Johnson has fingers out of this world, and I will remain shocked for a week or two.

to OP:
here is (sorta') in ballpark rendition of what you want - but sound is generated by Deep Impact, not Super Synth. OTOH it is still too harsh for my ears.

PhatBasstard · #12 02-01-2011, 06:51 PM

Unless they had a Whammy pedal in 1979, that's a keyboard in the intro. The big, smooth pitch drop at the end of the phrase is the big givaway. A real bass can't pitch drop like that. The range is too far, it's too smooth (we all know LJ had frets) and the other notes also sound very keyboard/"fake" anyway.

When the rest of the band comes in the bottom end gets a beefier, rounder addition. That tells me Louis is playing on it, but underneath the key bass riff.

recnsci · #13 02-02-2011, 02:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PhatBasstard

The big, smooth pitch drop at the end of the phrase is the big givaway

Yep, that's what bugs me mostly, that smooth slide, and further more very prominent/characteristic resonant LPF tone in slide. Another thing is if that sound is just LJ his string stopping technique is second to none - OTOH Minimoog has this "issue" that decay and release portion of envelope share same knob, with switch to turn off release completely, which would result in very characteristic abrupt note ending.

I would bet my life there are two layered sound inthere, but it wouldn't be first time I was completely off. OTOH, only two persons could actually provide decisive information of what went in in final mix - one is Quincy Jones and other is Bruce Sweiden.

Badmuthaplucka · #14 02-02-2011, 08:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PhatBasstard

Unless they had a Whammy pedal in 1979, that's a keyboard in the intro. The big, smooth pitch drop at the end of the phrase is the big givaway. A real bass can't pitch drop like that. The range is too far, it's too smooth (we all know LJ had frets) and the other notes also sound very keyboard/"fake" anyway.

When the rest of the band comes in the bottom end gets a beefier, rounder addition. That tells me Louis is playing on it, but underneath the key bass riff.

Well it looks like I have to have a nice slice of humble pie

. Yah I hear it too. At the very least it's just in the beginning, at the very most it's layered. That being said you don't IMHO need the Markbass synth to pull this off. Cheers!

BTW apparently this was discussed before! Louis Johnson with Michael Jackson

Basehead · #15 02-02-2011, 10:24 PM

OK, so on the heels of my "ME-8B Appreciation" thread (which will begin shortly), I plugged into my old unit to see if I could cop a convincing synth bass sound close to what I'm hearing on the intro to "Don't Stop Till You Get Enough". I came close...God I love this unit!
http://soundcloud.com/basehead-1/dont-stop-intro

There's a bit of tracking warble near the end, but live, this would totally work.

Let me know what you think.

pstyle · #16 02-03-2011, 03:05 PM

that's pretty good actually.

Basehead · #17 02-03-2011, 03:12 PM

Glad you liked it.

Peredur · #18 02-03-2011, 03:21 PM

Excellent, something else for me to stalk on Ebay