Ambient/Post-Rock/Textural bass playing thread

[steubig]

The Good News: I'm back in Arizona, but this time with a 30lb case full o' stompboxes, so I oughtta be able to contribute more Ambient Post-Rock Textural Bass Playing recordings to this thread than last time.

The Bad News: My wife was one of the 12,000 Google employees who got laid off on Friday, so what we will be doing in Arizona (and for how long) just took on a whole new dimension of I-Haven't-A-Freakin'-Clue. All short- and medium-term future plans have just gone out the window. fml

sorry. stressful.

 

[monsterthompson]

Another improvisation over a chord looped with the Count to 5. This time with a Euclidean Sequencer, the Hy-pre2, triggering drums on Battery4.
Bass sound uses the synthomatic setting on a Line 6 M5 (same as purple fm4) through a Memory Boy Deluxe and Barbershop. I added the tremolo after using Cytomic’s drop plugin.

Fun

 

[ugly_bassplayer]

The Good News: I'm back in Arizona, but this time with a 30lb case full o' stompboxes, so I oughtta be able to contribute more Ambient Post-Rock Textural Bass Playing recordings to this thread than last time.

The Bad News: My wife was one of the 12,000 Google employees who got laid off on Friday, so what we will be doing in Arizona (and for how long) just took on a whole new dimension of I-Haven't-A-Freakin'-Clue. All short- and medium-term future plans have just gone out the window. fml

That freakin sux @$$
Don’t give up buddy!!!

 

[JES]

Pigtronix Infinity Looper seems to have given up the ghost. It won't boot up. Maybe I can troubleshoot some things, but it might be time for the circular file.

Before you do, unscrew the bottom plate and re-seat the little data card. I had to do this multiple times with mine.

The Good News: I'm back in Arizona, but this time with a 30lb case full o' stompboxes, so I oughtta be able to contribute more Ambient Post-Rock Textural Bass Playing recordings to this thread than last time.

The Bad News: My wife was one of the 12,000 Google employees who got laid off on Friday, so what we will be doing in Arizona (and for how long) just took on a whole new dimension of I-Haven't-A-Freakin'-Clue. All short- and medium-term future plans have just gone out the window. fml

That sucks. So sorry. I hope you two can hang in there while she figures out what’s next.

 

[monsterthompson]

Before you do, unscrew the bottom plate and re-seat the little data card. I had to do this multiple times with mine.

I thought someone here might have a suggestion

 

[JES]

Just pray you don't need to contact their tech support.

Here's today's jam. More feedback experiments. The Mantic Proverb distorts a bit when feedback gets too heavy.

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

 

[Colum]

Fun

I’m enjoying looping with the CT5 but not really writing anything real. I might want to get a looper but nothing too fancy so I was looking at a delay with a looper function maybe?

There’s a second hand Keeley Eccos in classifieds here and a few DD-8s that aren’t too much more than a dedicated looper plus they would expand my palette for other uses.

Would anyone here have advice on the matter?

 

[ugly_bassplayer]

I’m enjoying looping with the CT5 but not really writing anything real. I might want to get a looper but nothing too fancy so I was looking at a delay with a looper function maybe?

There’s a second hand Keeley Eccos in classifieds here and a few DD-8s that aren’t too much more than a dedicated looper plus they would expand my palette for other uses.

Would anyone here have advice on the matter?

using loopers on delay pedals suck.

my 2 cents

if you want simple and ready to go, choose either a classic ditto or a rock solid and weapon of choice during a bar fight boss RC1
but there are about 63626267959837152 other options out there,

ymmv, ime, imo……zzzzzzzz

 

[monsterthompson]

I’m enjoying looping with the CT5 but not really writing anything real. I might want to get a looper but nothing too fancy so I was looking at a delay with a looper function maybe?

There’s a second hand Keeley Eccos in classifieds here and a few DD-8s that aren’t too much more than a dedicated looper plus they would expand my palette for other uses.

Would anyone here have advice on the matter?

I had an Empress delay which allows you to run it in looper mode and have 5 loops going (they’re reverb has the same function). I thought it was a nice feature.

For me, midi sync and seem-less click-less loops are a priority. I find my Pigtronix looper clicks at the loop point if I run a reverb tail type sound through it, though the Empress didn’t. Perhaps the newer units are better.

I’d consider going with a dedicated separate looper because you have more options for where you place it in the chain. Perhaps you want the loop at the front of your chain one day and the back the next day. Then you can experiment with loops into delays or delays into loops.

 

[Colum]

I had an Empress delay which allows you to run it in looper mode and have 5 loops going (they’re reverb has the same function). I thought it was a nice feature.

For me, midi sync and seem-less click-less loops are a priority. I find my Pigtronix looper clicks at the loop point if I run a reverb tail type sound through it, though the Empress didn’t. Perhaps the newer units are better.

I’d consider going with a dedicated separate looper because you have more options for where you place it in the chain. Perhaps you want the loop at the front of your chain one day and the back the next day. Then you can experiment with loops into delays or delays into loops.

Thanks.
That’s food for thought.

Do you have any experience with the looper on the DD-8?

 

[ugly_bassplayer]

27171707[/URL], member: 335498"]Thanks.
That’s food for thought.

Do you have any experience with the looper on the DD-8?

I have a dd7 and it’s basically the exact same pedal.
It works fine and has 45 secs of loop time with as many overdubs s as you want. (Dd7 not sure about the dd8)

I simply don’t like using a delay as a looper. I prefer a dedicated looper.
Also I freakin love delay pedals and I have the everywhere I can when it’s musically tasteful/useful.
Ain’t wasting a delay for that

Both dd7 and 8 can be stereo as well as the rc1
Ditto OG is mono

my 2 ymmv….im…..o…..ez……..zzzz

 

[Colum]

I have a dd7 and it’s basically the exact same pedal.
It works fine and has 45 secs of loop time with as many overdubs s as you want. (Dd7 not sure about the dd8)

I simply don’t like using a delay as a looper. I prefer a dedicated looper.
Also I freakin love delay pedals and I have the everywhere I can when it’s musically tasteful/useful.
Ain’t wasting a delay for that

Both dd7 and 8 can be stereo as well as the rc1
Ditto OG is mono

my 2 ymmv….im…..o…..ez……..zzzz

Thanks
It would only be for home use and I’ve a memory boy deluxe and M5 off board so it wouldn’t be an issue. I do like the other sounds on the DD-8 and I could imagine using it with other instruments so it could be the best option value-wise.

 

[monsterthompson]

Thanks.
That’s food for thought.

Do you have any experience with the looper on the DD-8?

I do not.

 

[steubig]

ime, a delay pedal as a looper doesn't give me everything i need, as i want octave displacement and reverse capabilities, and don't have the amount of time i want. (for context, i've been looping since 86 or so, and had to start on delay pedals/racks). imo, the ct-5's loop time is too short to be useful as more than a micro-looper that you can glitch a lot (it excels at that).

imo, a dedicated looper pedal is more useful. my main one is a boomerang 3 and i also use the tc ditto 2x (or whatever it's called). both have octave displacement and reverse.

one way i use it: after a bunch of pedals, i'll have the boomerang in stereo, into a boss dd-6 (or the like) for mangling into the ditto 2x in stereo. since the boomerang has three loops that can either be synced or asynchronous and octaved/reversed separately, i can have a bunch of loops i can access, mangle and resample on the ditto. (fwiw, i use the ct-5 as a micro-looper into a volume pedal into some pedals into the boomerang.)

the boomerang probably seems pricey, but it's about the same size as (and lighter than) the line6 dl-4 and can use power from a cioks (or similar)—the line has (or used to) that massive brick. there's a lot of bang in there.

the ditto 2x is probably a better deal and more in keeping with your setup . . . but tc is owned by behringer these days and one hears about quality issues (mine are probably pre-behringer and seem to have been okay).

 

[Colum]

ime, a delay pedal as a looper doesn't give me everything i need, as i want octave displacement and reverse capabilities, and don't have the amount of time i want. (for context, i've been looping since 86 or so, and had to start on delay pedals/racks). imo, the ct-5's loop time is too short to be useful as more than a micro-looper that you can glitch a lot (it excels at that).

imo, a dedicated looper pedal is more useful. my main one is a boomerang 3 and i also use the tc ditto 2x (or whatever it's called). both have octave displacement and reverse.

one way i use it: after a bunch of pedals, i'll have the boomerang in stereo, into a boss dd-6 (or the like) for mangling into the ditto 2x in stereo. since the boomerang has three loops that can either be synced or asynchronous and octaved/reversed separately, i can have a bunch of loops i can access, mangle and resample on the ditto. (fwiw, i use the ct-5 as a micro-looper into a volume pedal into some pedals into the boomerang.)

the boomerang probably seems pricey, but it's about the same size as (and lighter than) the line6 dl-4 and can use power from a cioks (or similar)—the line has (or used to) that massive brick. there's a lot of bang in there.

the ditto 2x is probably a better deal and more in keeping with your setup . . . but tc is owned by behringer these days and one hears about quality issues (mine are probably pre-behringer and seem to have been okay).

Thanks for your detailed response.

You sound fully invested. I’d just be dipping my toe so to speak. That has a habit of changing though.

Do you have any videos online of your looping performances? It sounds interesting.

 

[steubig]

Thanks for your detailed response.

You sound fully invested. I’d just be dipping my toe so to speak. That has a habit of changing though.

Do you have any videos online of your looping performances? It sounds interesting.

sure . . . not sure if it will help too much.

i haven't done many *solo looping* gigs for a long time. i have stuff from 2010 and 2014 (!)—so a long time ago.

mostly i try to integrate it into music with other folks or as small parts of a solo performance. a lot of times i'm trying to create different parts or textures for shorter periods of time.

i've veered away from looping over the last few years, as i felt like i relied on it a bit too much.

following are all improv that incorporate looping as part of the performance, no overdubs . . . so:

solo, full loop, 2010:

solo, full loop, 2014:

duo with flutist/vocalist emily hay, some looping, 2016:

duo with drummer/electronicist (made-up word!) nathan hubbard, some looping, 2016:
this last is full stereo with live panning

 

[steubig]

postscript to my above post:

i try to make it sound like i'm not looping when i'm using them.

 

[Colum]

sure . . . not sure if it will help too much.

i haven't done many *solo looping* gigs for a long time. i have stuff from 2010 and 2014 (!)—so a long time ago.

mostly i try to integrate it into music with other folks or as small parts of a solo performance. a lot of times i'm trying to create different parts or textures for shorter periods of time.

i've veered away from looping over the last few years, as i felt like i relied on it a bit too much.

following are all improv that incorporate looping as part of the performance, no overdubs . . . so:

solo, full loop, 2010:

solo, full loop, 2014:

duo with flutist/vocalist emily hay, some looping, 2016:

duo with drummer/electronicist (made-up word!) nathan hubbard, some looping, 2016:
this last is full stereo with live panning

Very cool
These will take me a while to get through.
Watching the 2014 one now. Army of Dl4s

 

[steubig]

Very cool
These will take me a while to get through.
Watching the 2014 one now. Army of Dl4s

yeah. i ran three dl-4s. silly. the boomerang 3 does more and better.

 

[Starthief]

I still want to find a good solution for looping in software without having to buy a pedal. I have Audio Damage Enso, but it's kind of a pain in the ass even with foot controller switches assigned to it.

All the looping I'm doing now isn't live looping, it's... sort of undead looping. Recording something in Bitwig, opening the file in Sound Forge, cutting it to length I want, then dragging it back into Bitwig to loop it. It's a useful technique for sure, but I also want to be able to play a looper more like an instrument sometimes.