All your basses are belong to me...

[lavmonga]

Very cool. You have a bright future in robotics!

[fourstringbliss]

Originally Posted by Mal1905

...so just send them to me as a 'thank you' for showing you the future of bass players

Future Bassist

I think that's really cool! It sounds good. It would be nice to hear it play something else (Motown would be good) but that's pretty stinkin' impressive!

[Spectrum]

I like how some of you guys get all defensive and act like this thing is some sort of threat to our existence. Of course it's an impressive achievment for a student doing a robotics project. Of course it can't replace you as a musician, because it's basically just a mechanical bass sequencer, not a musician. You program it and it plays the bass line you feed it, just like any synthesizer sequencer. Like someone else mentioned, it's a bass guitar equivalent of a player piano.

It may not be practical for use on stage, but then again if you are a solo musician working on a project and want something that plays real bass strings and looks super cool on stage something like this may be the thing. Big, heavy, and not as practical as an electronic synth bass, but really cool.

Plus you could dress it up all steampunk style.

[fourstringbliss]

Originally Posted by Spectrum

I like how some of you guys get all defensive and act like this thing is some sort of threat to our existence. Of course it's an impressive achievment for a student doing a robotics project. Of course it can't replace you as a musician, because it's basically just a mechanical bass sequencer, not a musician. You program it and it plays the bass line you feed it, just like any synthesizer sequencer. Like someone else mentioned, it's a bass guitar equivalent of a player piano.

It may not be practical for use on stage, but then again if you are a solo musician working on a project and want something that plays real bass strings and looks super cool on stage something like this may be the thing. Big, heavy, and not as practical as an electronic synth bass, but really cool.

Plus you could dress it up all steampunk style.

It makes me want to say



I think it's really cool that he decided to make a robotic bass in the first place! There are tons of other robots he could have made, I'm sure. Plus, it has four strings rather than one long one, which I've seen before.

[pkstone]

Very impressive. Anybody ever heard of Conlan Nancarrow and the amazing player piano music he wrote? Maybe some transcriptions of Nancarrow for this instrument would be interesting.

Music could be written for this that would be unplayable by a human; just as (as people have pointed out ) it would be impossible for this to do many of the things that human bassists do.

[fourstringbliss]

Originally Posted by pkstone

Very impressive. Anybody ever heard of Conlan Nancarrow and the amazing player piano music he wrote? Maybe some transcriptions of Nancarrow for this instrument would be interesting.

Music could be written for this that would be unplayable by a human; just as (as people have pointed out ) it would be impossible for this to do many of the things that human bassists do.

Yeah, this thing could play all four strings in radically different places at the same time - you could program some really interesting stuff!

[pkstone]

It also occurs to me that this gizmo would be ideal for A/B'ing strings, cables, power cords (yeah, I know, but play along).

[placedesjardins]

That was an interesting project. Really cool concept.
Also, in an indirect way, it proved that the wood used for the bass guitar, or in this case, the lack thereof, doesn't affect/improve/alter tone.

[fourstringbliss]

Originally Posted by placedesjardins

Also, in an indirect way, it proved that the wood used for the bass guitar, or in this case, the lack thereof, doesn't affect/improve/alter tone.

Kind of. He's using an optical pickup, so it's really like a big Lightwave bass. It would be interesting to hear a robotic bass like this that used magnetic pickups - even if they were piezos.

Dan Atkinson pretty much demolished the "wood makes the tone" idea already, though.

[SoCalBassman]

I think it's pretty cool. Somebody has to program it and the capabilbities seem pretty good.

I was reading an article today about brain implanted computer chips that work with the neurons. They were implanted in monkeys and they were able to control a computer curser hands free. The science is in it's infancy but think if you could plug one of those into this bass playing robot.

[pkstone]

But what's the best monkey for metal?

[Munjibunga]

Originally Posted by VinKreepo

While I understand your position, google Arduino for me. You'll be mesmerized by what you find and the level of human skill it takes to make such an extraordinary project with that micro controller. His craftsmanship is on par with, if not exceeding, that of many luthiers on this very site. Not only did he cut, print, etc. the parts for his project (heck, some people here use Warmoth in their builds), he also programmed the electronics for it, kinda like when a boutique or high-end bass company builds a bass from scratch and then installs a pre-amp they designed.

You are unimpressed because you are uneducated in the arts of programming, 3D printing, and laser cutting and they various mathematical, logical, and analytical skills they require.

EDIT: Oh... and this robot needs two rollers (one metal or plastic and the other foam or rubber coated) that pinch the strings where the plastic meets the foam/rubber. This would allow for slides

pwnd. I agree. It is what it is, and it's pretty phenomenal. I would, however, like to hear it play some Motown, too.

[Grateful]

Originally Posted by Mal1905

...so just send them to me as a 'thank you' for showing you the future of bass players

Future Bassist

Yeah. That whole Drum Machine thing sure got those drummers out of our hair, huh?

Interesting technology display. Don;t see it as much beyond a curiosity. Someone still has to write the bass line....

[96tbird]

Originally Posted by SolarMan

Luddite

You could at least be accurate in the usage of words chosen to insult someone directly, especially one that has a very ironclad definition. Chill, our contemptuous rudeness may betray the maturity of your mind.

The others that intelligently explained their opinions, I acknowledge them. The maker of the bass robot is a very talented person. I'm quite sure I never denied that. That person has a bright future. That machine is a project with zero practical use, but still a nifty piece of work. My comments were directed to the OP and the title of the thread, not to poke fun or belittle but to say NAH. Yes I realize he isn't serious in his comments; but if you open a discussion, you get a discussion.

[bootsox]

now make it play roundabout

[fourstringbliss]

Originally Posted by bootsox

now make it play roundabout

Yeah! A robotic Rickenbacker!

[Shakin-Slim]

I was just coming on to TB to post about this, as I just saw it on the local news, as the student is at the same University as me.

[fxopx264]

I think some people are overreacting to this. (watch some other comments in the youtube channel)
I believe the reason he designed this machine is to simply enjoy building a project that also showcases his engineering abilities... NOT to replace all bass players...

For those that think that way, I think you might have missed the poster's humor...
And yes, the machine won't replace you

Personally I think it is quite neat to choose bass instead of other instruments

One thing that I don't like about it is that it didn't play the bass line like the original... too many notes in the chorus... builder probably used some tabs found on the internet

[JimmyM]

Wow, some of you guys need to grow up. The kid's obviously darn smart, and he built himself something really cool and taught it to play Muse. Nothing wrong with that. Don't get so jealous.

[Munjibunga]

BTW, the correct incorrect syntax would be, "All your bass are belong to me."