Ambient/Post-Rock/Textural bass playing thread

[hieronymous]

Hi all!

I wondered if anyone had experience with the Maneco Labs Small Nimbus?

link - Pedal: Small Nimbus – MANECO LABS

I’ve been lusting after a Microcosm for some time, but the cost is prohibitive. Using a mix of arpeggiators, modulation, stacked delays and reverb I’ve got close enough to subdue the urge to sell my kidney to buy one, but the one piece of the puzzle I was missing was a granular delay. I was pretty sold on the Red Panda Particle 2 being the thing that would complete my set up, but this has got me interested.

The system it’s based on (Mutable Instruments Clouds) is pretty powerful and well respected, making it an impressive pedal on paper. But, and it’s a big but, I can find pretty much zero real world feedback on how it performs.

So, anyone had hands on?

Thanks!

I'm sorry, I meant to respond - as @monsterthompson notes, I have a Grone, which has Clouds built in as one of 4-5 sections. It looks like the "Small Nimbus" is basically Clouds in a pedal? I've been experimenting a fair amount with the Grone, but felt I had to put different, simpler audio through Clouds in order to mess around with it more. But still have a long way to go. The manual that came with the Grone was pretty basic, I had to go online and find a variety of sources explaining Clouds and still don't totally get it! Message me if you have any specific questions - or ask them here is fine too.

 

[scott sinner]

@scott sinner
Honest impression of the boss SY200?
I want to incorporate synth sounds in my band but I want to keep things simple.
(Read I don’t want to carry around a hardware synth, or a soft synth iPad combo. I already run 2 amps. )

Thank you for any opinions/pros cons
Etc
Not really looking at the C4, I don’t want to connect to a computer on a gig to EQ a sound that needs tweaking.

Pros:
I don't know if you've ever used a audio to synth pedal that uses FFT rather than pitch to midi, but, for me that is a big pro. Skip this if this is old news to you. Basically you have some pedals that try to detect the pitch and then use that as midi to trigger an oscillator(s). There are some advantages to that for some people in that it will give you a purer synth tone, unaffected by the timbre of your instrument. The disadvantages include that that tracking is actually quite hard for an instrument to do. You get errors and artifacts. Though sometimes those can be fun too.

The sy series, and some EHXs are essentially grafting the sound on to the audio input. That is why they can be polyphonic. That also means that your timbre comes through readily. I consider that the big advantage of this type. I can play keys. If I dont want the nuance of my intimate finger controlled input to do stuff, Ill play keys.

Very easy to use.

Has a good variety of classic synth sounds. Enough controls to get them usable.

MIDI controlled is a huge plus for me. My whole pedalboard changes presets together.

The giant LCD is a gift to my aging eyes.

Cons
I thought the stock presets were meh, but I always think that.

If you don't already have a multieffect pedal, I kinda think that is a must with it for a couple reasons.

Mainly, there are two ways I think the sound quality is lacking. Some of the oscillators are just, I guess, too clean. Im no foe of digital oscillators. I have loved some digital Eurorack units, all my soft synths. But some of these dont seem much modelled on anything but math.

A little dirt though, or a chewy compressor, and youre golden.

Likewise, I don't love the filtering. Again, I use the filters on a multieffect or on a Moog MF Drive and Im happy to use it even in the most studio recording context.

If I were only concerned about using it live, I wouldnt really care. It isnt bad, just I am pretty picky about my synth sounds probably.

 

[theunknowndude]

I can only comment on the sy1… pretty much hated every preset and just wanted a filter sweep and my jc fuzz wah does what I wanted without having to then run dirt and expression pedals and more into the sy1

 

[ugly_bassplayer]

Pros:
I don't know if you've ever used a audio to synth pedal that uses FFT rather than pitch to midi, but, for me that is a big pro. Skip this if this is old news to you. Basically you have some pedals that try to detect the pitch and then use that as midi to trigger an oscillator(s). There are some advantages to that for some people in that it will give you a purer synth tone, unaffected by the timbre of your instrument. The disadvantages include that that tracking is actually quite hard for an instrument to do. You get errors and artifacts. Though sometimes those can be fun too.

The sy series, and some EHXs are essentially grafting the sound on to the audio input. That is why they can be polyphonic. That also means that your timbre comes through readily. I consider that the big advantage of this type. I can play keys. If I dont want the nuance of my intimate finger controlled input to do stuff, Ill play keys.

Very easy to use.

Has a good variety of classic synth sounds. Enough controls to get them usable.

MIDI controlled is a huge plus for me. My whole pedalboard changes presets together.

The giant LCD is a gift to my aging eyes.

Cons
I thought the stock presets were meh, but I always think that.

If you don't already have a multieffect pedal, I kinda think that is a must with it for a couple reasons.

Mainly, there are two ways I think the sound quality is lacking. Some of the oscillators are just, I guess, too clean. Im no foe of digital oscillators. I have loved some digital Eurorack units, all my soft synths. But some of these dont seem much modelled on anything but math.

A little dirt though, or a chewy compressor, and youre golden.

Likewise, I don't love the filtering. Again, I use the filters on a multieffect or on a Moog MF Drive and Im happy to use it even in the most studio recording context.

If I were only concerned about using it live, I wouldnt really care. It isnt bad, just I am pretty picky about my synth sounds probably.

thank you, very much appreciated

 

[pantherairsoft]

I'm sorry, I meant to respond - as @monsterthompson notes, I have a Grone, which has Clouds built in as one of 4-5 sections. It looks like the "Small Nimbus" is basically Clouds in a pedal? I've been experimenting a fair amount with the Grone, but felt I had to put different, simpler audio through Clouds in order to mess around with it more. But still have a long way to go. The manual that came with the Grone was pretty basic, I had to go online and find a variety of sources explaining Clouds and still don't totally get it! Message me if you have any specific questions - or ask them here is fine too.

Thanks for this. Having spoken to the designer, the right side of the Grove is the Small Nimbus, then the left side is the drone system, so if you have a Grone, you have a Small Nimbus. I feel like I'm going to take. punt not he Small Nimbus though, especially given I found a stockist that said I could return it if it didn't work out for me. If I run into any confusion, I'll let you know! Thanks.

 

[ugly_bassplayer]

@scott sinner
Is it difficult to tweak the OG sounds to your liking?

 

[JES]

One other to look into @ugly: EHX Synth9. @scott sinner's post reminded me. My guitarist in my dad rock band uses it. I don't love most of the sounds he gets, but it may just be a case of his preferences vs mine. It looks easy to use and tracks very well, at least in the guitar range.

 

[ugly_bassplayer]

27450600[/URL], member: 37282"]One other to look into @ugly: EHX Synth9. @scott sinner's post reminded me. My guitarist in my dad rock band uses it. I don't love most of the sounds he gets, but it may just be a case of his preferences vs mine. It looks easy to use and tracks very well, at least in the guitar range.

thanks for the suggestions
i was weighing in options to avoid hauling more gear, but it is what it is.
still kicking myself for selling the microfreak.

might use my SP and load it up with synth sounds, back to my OG hip hop roots I guess. Just wish the SP had the 12 tone/level option to pitch a sample across the 12 semi tones on the pads.
Btw, the new sp404 mkii has alot of recurring bugs and tedious menu diving many long time users hate. The mass love for the new machine seems to be mostly from the “synthfluencers” (i just puked in my mouth typing that dread word,)

 

[Colum]

Slick!

I was sure something like this existed. I figured I could use some filters on an eq plugin to get a similar effect.

Use this eq setting to test back and forth
Like a cheap NS 10s
Cut 200 and 4k both at 12db/oct

 

[scott sinner]

@scott sinner
Is it difficult to tweak the OG sounds to your liking?

No it is simple. Aside from the aforementioned 'quality' of the filter and oscillator sounds. But that becomes a matter, personally, where some of them are totally fine in that regard. BUT there will be one that I'd like 'but for' those factors so having another multifx etc. pairs well for me.

 

[scott sinner]

One other to look into @ugly: EHX Synth9. @scott sinner's post reminded me. My guitarist in my dad rock band uses it. I don't love most of the sounds he gets, but it may just be a case of his preferences vs mine. It looks easy to use and tracks very well, at least in the guitar range.

Those use the same technical approach as the SY series, so it should be a'okay for bass too. I used their earliest of the '9' series on bass and that was true. I just can't say first-hand on the newer models, but I rather doubt they've gone backward.

The thing about the EHX ones, they sound very good. But they aren't quite as versatile. Perhaps by design. I speculate that they could pretty easily pack all their 9 series into one pedal, but that would be fewer pedals to sell.

 

[bassbrad]

I use both the Mel9 and Synth9 from EHX and want to and the String9, they are in essence samplers that track on guitar and bass. I find the tracking passable and the quality of the sounds pleasing, I do often add an octave up signal before to get more out of those pedals. The Bass Mono Synth didn't do it for me but if I were in a cover band and needed those tones it is a no brainer.
The Boss SY1 has a great selection of sounds but the interface just does not do it for me, the SY200 is better but so big. (I have issues with Roland/Boss [personal] so mostly avoid their gear.)

 

[JES]

Tomorrow the post rock band goes into the studio. I’m very excited. And the duo record is just waiting for art.

 

[theunknowndude]

Tomorrow the post rock band goes into the studio. I’m very excited. And the duo record is just waiting for art.

my band (not knowing how to do stuff since we been out of the scene for so long) has gone old school… cd’s have come in!

 

[Colum]

View attachment 5052692 View attachment 5052693 View attachment 5052694
my band (not knowing how to do stuff since we been out of the scene for so long) has gone old school… cd’s have come in!

I was in a record store the other day and there was a load of kids in buying CDs. It was nice to see.

 

[Starthief]

CDs or not, it's Bandcamp Friday. I went for abstract/nerdy synth stuff this time...



(lots of Blukac Endless Processor on this one)



(lots of Monome Teletype sequencing)

 

[jblock]

I like the SY-200. If for no other reason than its very good tracking. Without that, it wouldn’t matter how good the synth was if the tracking sucked. Editing options are minimal but at least there’s knobs. Variations are just that; lots of this box sounds the same without doing any tweaking or adding effects.

I’ve got about 20 good sounds out of it, and the sequence and arp modes are fun. The hold function is great. If you use it with a sequence or arp patch it doesn’t just do the typical hold a 1 second slice of the sound; instead, your held note is triggering the sequence so it sounds like it’s playing a phrase.

 

[Spectrum]

Tomorrow the post rock band goes into the studio. I’m very excited. And the duo record is just waiting for art.

View attachment 5052692 View attachment 5052693 View attachment 5052694
my band (not knowing how to do stuff since we been out of the scene for so long) has gone old school… cd’s have come in!

I miss my band. 2020 killed it good. Now they are dispersed to the four winds, physically and relationally. Two of the key members apparently had a falling out with each other over something and so that's that I guess. One of them is halfway across the country anyway.

I'm glad I pestered them to finally get in the studio and record an album when we had the chance. Too many bands do good things and have no permanent record to show for it.

 

[monsterthompson]

Since today is Delia Derbyshire’s birthday and this just arrived, Delia might be a fitting name.

 

[JES]

Beautiful!