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-   -   Imitating cello (http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f36/imitating-cello-966528/)

Shish 03-13-2013 12:23 AM

Imitating cello
 
I didn't find such a topic although I don't believe I'm the only one on the quest for approximating sound of cello with a bass.

Here is my best attempt so far:
https://soundcloud.com/saintshish/cello-bass

Anyone else has something to share?

MADChuudoku 03-13-2013 01:34 AM

that sounds awesome! how did you get that sound?

acleex38 03-13-2013 06:58 AM

Ooh...I may need that. I definitely want to know how you managed that.

Shish 03-13-2013 11:22 AM

The main part of this sound is 100% wet room reverb with 0 pre-delay and very short decay. I play on neck pick-up with highs rolled out on my bass. And the final twist is Copilot Android. It's a dirty-dirty ring mod, but it can sound as an overdrive with power starve and that's how I use it.

cst bass 03-13-2013 12:03 PM

thats really cool man.

HunterBurgan4Me 03-13-2013 12:15 PM

I'd pay a lot of money to have that in a pedal. I'm guessing you used software?

Shish 03-13-2013 02:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HunterBurgan4Me (Post 14025019)
I'd pay a lot of money to have that in a pedal. I'm guessing you used software?

Just Copilot Android and reverb from Line6 M5. Other reverbs work too, I tried it with Radical Red Reverberator and Blue Sky.

Darknut 03-13-2013 03:05 PM

The EHX Super Ego can do the cello (Chello) thing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJ7Ng-EwHog

its at the 1:30 mark

Shish ... yours is way cool by the way

Skrogh 03-13-2013 03:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shish (Post 14025785)
Just Copilot Android and reverb from Line6 M5. Other reverbs work too, I tried it with Radical Red Reverberator and Blue Sky.

which reverb on the M5 did you use? I've got to try this out

Shish 03-13-2013 09:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skrogh (Post 14025917)
which reverb on the M5 did you use? I've got to try this out

Room. You want short decay for that sound since you don't need reverb itself, you just need to kill the attack.

Lukejt 03-14-2013 10:00 AM

Way cool.

cheapbasslovin 03-14-2013 10:43 AM

That sounds amazing. It loses a little of its authenticity on a long decay, but who the hell cares when it sounds so great on the attack.

Thank you and I will be stealing that. :)

Basehead 03-14-2013 11:28 AM

This sounds amazing! Thanks Shish...

WildMidwest 03-19-2013 10:51 AM

Sorry to throw mud, but as a cello player I think you've got a ways to go with that sound. The abrupt note termination is definitely un-cello like. Perhaps a longer sustain and an octave-up? (I'm an electronic noob, so I'm afraid I can't tell you exactly what to do to mimic horsehair bowing on a real cello.) I wonder how your effect would work bowed on a standup bass, again with a good octave-up processor?

For those who want to throw money around, a cheap cello off CraigsList + The Realist pickup works wonders. Of course, there's the price of years of cello lessons. Cello is not the easiest instrument to master. Can't say I'm there after 40 years of trying.

PDGood 03-19-2013 05:19 PM

That's plenty accurate enough to be effective in a mix. I've never heard anyone come even close to that. Very well done!!!

alec 03-19-2013 05:33 PM

Here is a guitar example. Don't know if it would sound more or less convincing on bass...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79D01g1Iuik

http://www.ehx.com/blog/effectology-cello-concerto

chriss 03-19-2013 07:40 PM

Nice job man,

I found that the Auto Volume Echo on my M5 can do a passable job.While it does not really replicate the timbre it still fills the space where a cello part is nicley

gumtownbassman 03-19-2013 08:06 PM

I use my Roland GR-55 for any instrument or synth sound you could imagine (including cello)

WildMidwest 03-19-2013 09:17 PM

Alright, everybody loves the cello imitation except the cello guy. I couldn't locate any recordings of Das Wohltemperierte Klavier on cello for you (nice effort on electric bass, by the way), but for the real sound of Bach on cello you could do worse than Janos Starker:

http://www.amazon.com/Bach-Suites-Ce...pr_product_top

Listen and weep!

Shish 03-19-2013 10:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WildMidwest (Post 14055136)
Sorry to throw mud, but as a cello player I think you've got a ways to go with that sound. The abrupt note termination is definitely un-cello like. Perhaps a longer sustain and an octave-up? (I'm an electronic noob, so I'm afraid I can't tell you exactly what to do to mimic horsehair bowing on a real cello.) I wonder how your effect would work bowed on a standup bass, again with a good octave-up processor?

For those who want to throw money around, a cheap cello off CraigsList + The Realist pickup works wonders. Of course, there's the price of years of cello lessons. Cello is not the easiest instrument to master. Can't say I'm there after 40 years of trying.

I understand about note termination, I don't think I can do anything about it. And I can't play long notes this way, bass just doesn't have enough sustain for that. Trying e-bow would be interesting, it's still on my list to buy some day.
I don't understand why do you suggesting octave up. I thought I played in cello register.
I didn't have a goal of getting exact cello sound out of my bass, I don't think it's possible. I consider this thread as an example of using pedals in a fun and somewhat unexpected way (I've never seen anybody doing that at least).

And I want to thank everybody for comments and good words :)


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