Yet one more: Can you ID effect used on...

[Octavian]

Here's where I could use the effects gurus help: I heard Steve Winwood's "While You See a Chance" this morning and really liked the sound of the bass. Kind of reminded me of Pratt and the whole 80's thing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XS513FRfbwE. (If nothing else, the video is fun to watch for the obligatory strange-walking-in-the-background-dancer-dressed-in-black-freaks that appeared in nearly every early 80s video).

Anybody know what kind of effect was used to get that sound, assuming it's not a keyboard?

[Jared Lash]

Unfortunately that is a keyboard/synth.

The note envelope gives it away. You can get something close using the EHX Bass Micro Synth and adjusting the start and stop sliders for a more abrubt cutoff to the notes.

It also sounds like it has a bit of portamento which if I was trying to recreate I'd use a fretless.

But long story short that's a tough tone to nail with an actual bass.

[TheMutt]

I'm assuming that you mean the sound that comes in around 0:30?
It's a synth for sure. I can't totally tell on my laptop speakers, but it sounds like there is some light uneffected bass in the background as well. However, that could just be some left-handed keyboard work.

[Octavian]

Thanks all. That's what I was afraid of.

I recently "discovered" Guy Pratt and his killer work on Madonna's "Like a Prayer." IIRC, he used an Octaver for the end riffs, but ran the bass through a Moog (?) synth for the sound...which seems to be quite similar to the sound in the Winwood and many other 80s pop tunes.

[Jared Lash]

Originally Posted by Octavian

Thanks all. That's what I was afraid of.

I recently "discovered" Guy Pratt and his killer work on Madonna's "Like a Prayer." IIRC, he used an Octaver for the end riffs, but ran the bass through a Moog (?) synth for the sound...which seems to be quite similar to the sound in the Winwood and many other 80s pop tunes.

That sort of bass treatment for 80's pop songs doesn't surprise me. But I believe Winwood played everything himself on that album which lends even mor credence to the notion that it is wholly synth bass.

[Octavian]

Another ? for you: You mentioned note "envelope." I think I know what that means, but have not heard it used in this context before. Are you referring to the duration of the note?

[TylerE]

In the context of a synth, envelope refers to the volume profile of the note. The classic envelope is ADSR:

Attack - The initial rise to the loudest peak
Decay - The volume drops into the held poriion of the noe
Sustain - The constant volume portion, used as long as the key is held
Release - The note decays to nothing...triggered when the key is released.

On an analog synth the volume plot uses sraight lines, which has a character of it's on.

A electic bass would have a very quick peak, then a curving decay that approaches zero the longer the note is held.

Another way to visualize it... look at the waveform of a single note in a sound editor. Screenshot it, print it, and draw lines between successive peaks on the positive half of the wave. That's the enevelope.

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by Jared Lash

That sort of bass treatment for 80's pop songs doesn't surprise me. But I believe Winwood played everything himself on that album which lends even mor credence to the notion that it is wholly synth bass.

winwood generally does play a lot of stuff on his albums, but not everything. he and philippe saisse played the synth bass parts, while philippe played regular bass as well.

if i were looking to play that part on regular bass, i'd take an oc-2, put it on octave 1 only, and run it through a slight bit of distortion.

[Octavian]

Thanks yet again. Good info here!