Ambient/Post-Rock/Textural bass playing thread

[monsterthompson]

Ambient-ish Metallica cover worth a listen

 

[dukeorock]

I always get problems using the IPad, maybe I should try again.
Always with latency, compatibility with apps etc….I guess my workflow sucked also.

good work, keep it up.

I’m not sure I’ll ever use an iPad again. Been way too glitchy and inconsistent for this cowboy. To be fair, my iPad is like 6 years old, but I sure do hate it!

I’ve been stuck in Gillette, WY since Monday. Tour bus broke down and no one would work on it during the holiday. With any luck we’ll be headed home tomorrow. For now I’ve just been working on my M8 for the solo violin record. M8 is scary good for arrangements

 

[monsterthompson]

I’m still holding out against GAS since the new F Bass came home. I have been looking at the Perfect Circuit sale and considering the ALM MFX. Some of the reverb engines sound pretty good. I’m also considering the new Polyend Tracker. The M8 looks amazing too but I think a slightly bigger machine might be easier on my hands.

Currently sequencing away and patching the Zoia. I’m working on songs that have no business in eurorack

 

[JES]

Based on @dukeorock 's love of and facility with it, I watched a few M8 videos, but it doesn't feel right for me. I have little experience with trackers outside the Octatrack and didn't bond with an OP-1 when I had it, so I don't think smaller is my way. I keep my hair short but I may be headed to the pony-tail middle aged dude with a wall of big synths stereotype. I think I just prefer bigger interfaces.

My iPad is a 2018 11" pro so nothing fancy by today's standards, though plenty powerful. I use it as a glorified tape recorder with reverb and only with my synth setup. For home studio use I've had zero crashes or glitches. And one of the things I love about AUM is no feature bloat. I can't use it with the band or really even with guitar instruments because of the gloves (I tried using it with an external controller and that was when things got wonky). So basically it's AUM which is like a recording mixer, and a few plugins (reverb, etc) and that's it. For that limited use it's rock solid. Like anything software there are a few gotchas. I like messing around with stuff when exhausted too and there the handheld is a real delight.

If I was performing, I would probably just use a hardware mixer and effects, though. I performed with an iPad exactly once, sweat on it, and then I couldn't make it work the way I wanted. Never again as I routinely sweat a lot when performing. And I now have one of those Pladask matrix mixers so it's nice and compact.

 

[dukeorock]

Based on @dukeorock 's love of and facility with it, I watched a few M8 videos, but it doesn't feel right for me. I have little experience with trackers outside the Octatrack and didn't bond with an OP-1 when I had it, so I don't think smaller is my way. I keep my hair short but I may be headed to the pony-tail middle aged dude with a wall of big synths stereotype. I think I just prefer bigger interfaces.

I totally get that and for the most part I feel the same way. I was scared to death about the screen size and tracker workflow on the M8. So far neither have been a real issue. That said, if an M8 v2 ever came along with a larger screen/footprint, I’d be looking into it for sure. I got the M8 mainly for travel. It’s the best thing I’ve ever tried by miles in that regard. The tracker workflow was initially intimidating, but it also has huge advantages for arranging. Though it’ll never replace my Octatrack, in many ways it surpasses it. The Octatrack is just so amazing for on the fly messing around. The minimalist looking control layout on the M8 is way more powerful and fast than it seems by looking at it. I dunno, I think the M8 is genius and keeps getting incredible updates. It’s a winner!

 

[dukeorock]

Oops…one more thing for the budget conscious (like myself). The M8 is dirt cheap for what it is/does.

 

[steubig]

I’m still holding out against GAS since the new F Bass came home. I have been looking at the Perfect Circuit sale and considering the ALM MFX. Some of the reverb engines sound pretty good. I’m also considering the new Polyend Tracker. The M8 looks amazing too but I think a slightly bigger machine might be easier on my hands.

Currently sequencing away and patching the Zoia. I’m working on songs that have no business in eurorack

i looked at the mfx and some of the algorithms looked to be mono in/stereo out, which doesn’t appeal to me. i went with the happy nerding fx aid pro instead. i’m pretty happy with that so far (three/four months in?).

 

[monsterthompson]

i looked at the mfx and some of the algorithms looked to be mono in/stereo out, which doesn’t appeal to me. i went with the happy nerding fx aid pro instead. i’m pretty happy with that so far (three/four months in?).

That seems to be a common complaint and alternative.

 

[steubig]

That seems to be a common complaint and alternative.

doesn’t surprise me.

the aid pro is 14hp with a bigger screen; the mfx is 6.

both have three cv points; the mfx can expanded with the axon.

it’s not clear to me if the mfx has more tweakability in its algorithms.

 

[monsterthompson]

doesn’t surprise me.

the aid pro is 14hp with a bigger screen; the mfx is 6.

both have three cv points; the mfx can expanded with the axon.

it’s not clear to me if the mfx has more tweakability in its algorithms.

I'll dig around.

What I need to try is routing my rack signal to my Zoia pedal and back into the final output mix.

 

[hieronymous]

I finally found a good use for my 12-Step!

That's an ASM Hydrasynth Explorer on top. Been craving a polyphonic synth - this wasn't my first choice but I didn't really know what I wanted, other than a synth to play chords on - so many of the synths in my life have been monophonic Moogs! It's been slow going - trying to figure out what I want to do, and what I want this thing to do - not easy questions to answer!

The good thing is that I think the thing I did the last time I posted with the DFAM/SubH is worth working on, and have some stereo bass in the works lol maybe even some crazy reverb - we'll see how it goes! I've got everything laid out - it's gonna be my Alembic 5-string Stanley Clarke Signature Squared into two channels - neck into Tech21 Geddy Lee MP40 SansAmp, bridge into Chase Bliss Dark World.

My current listening is The Dresden Codex from Timespan Redux by Majeure (one half of Zombi - the drummer!)

 

[steubig]

@hieronymous

in terms of the explorer, (assuming that you haven’t already) my advice is to initialize a patch and start screwing around.

 

[hieronymous]

@hieronymous

in terms of the explorer, (assuming that you haven’t already) my advice is to initialize a patch and start screwing around.

Thanks - that sounds like a good idea! I did go through and identify 4-5 presets that I like - maybe I should go through and delete the ones I don't like?! Also, should I update to 2.0? I haven't put in that effort either.

 

[steubig]

Thanks - that sounds like a good idea! I did go through and identify 4-5 presets that I like - maybe I should go through and delete the ones I don't like?! Also, should I update to 2.0? I haven't put in that effort either.

i would update.

imo, the hydra is a lot of fun to program and has lots of potential in it.

 

[JES]

@hieronymous — congrats on the Hydra. And I feel the same way as the 12-step.

 

[steubig]

interesting about folks commenting on the ipad.

my old ipad2s were great for sound-making—used them on recordings and live. i didn't use so much for tracking (did a little, but wasn't great for how i wanted to hear things—more my limitation, tihink)—i did like some of the drum grooves that i came up with.

i am thinking about getting a new-gen ipad cause i want to have the possibility of having a compact sound toy while traveling.

 

[monsterthompson]

Anyone here use the Make Noise X Pan? I’m looking at one for the system. Seems like the ability to mix 3 stereo signals in 10hp with panning control over 2 pairs could be handy. I’m thinking it could combine stereo pads and ping pong delay on leads. I’ve got a 4MS Ensemble which does a stereo out, Noise Engineering Versio is stereo out, Zoia can be stereo, and my Erica delay is stereo.

 

[steubig]

Anyone here use the Make Noise X Pan? I’m looking at one for the system. Seems like the ability to mix 3 stereo signals in 10hp with panning control over 2 pairs could be handy. I’m thinking it could combine stereo pads and ping pong delay on leads. I’ve got a 4MS Ensemble which does a stereo out, Noise Engineering Versio is stereo out, Zoia can be stereo, and my Erica delay is stereo.

waves hand.

i usually use it to (ya know) pan going into or out of reverbs and so forth. i've used for stereo, mono and dual mono feeds into stereo effects (or just a mixer).

 

[monsterthompson]

waves hand.

i usually use it to (ya know) pan going into or out of reverbs and so forth. i've used for stereo, mono and dual mono feeds into stereo effects (or just a mixer).

I knew it
Any gripes about it or modules you’d consider strong competition?

 

[steubig]

I knew it
Any gripes about it or modules you’d consider strong competition?

not really. strangely it’s not super intuitive for me, but i’ve gotten some nice results.

maybe the wmd axys? similar, but maybe not as versatile (?). i copped when wmd was doing their close-of-business sale.