Ambient/Post-Rock/Textural bass playing thread

[JES]

Nice! You're doing the chords at the beginning? Sounds like with a pick? I like the concept of the group - I have never had a satisfying situation where I got to play with another bassist...

Thanks! All fingers but there is strumming.

I guess pedalboards are another thing - I updated mine a little bit, it was tricky getting all the plugs to be lined up and available...

With wide feet and not great balance, I’ve thought a lot about pedalboard ergonomics.

I don't think I would need more than 2 inputs at a time (experimenting again with Rick-O-Sound). Any suggestions?

used original RME Babyface could be a hell of a deal. Good sound, rock solid, company supports their drivers forever.

Love the setup shots!

 

[hieronymous]

Thanks! All fingers but there is strumming.

Cool. I love how many sounds can be had out of a bass guitar.

With wide feet and not great balance, I’ve thought a lot about pedalboard ergonomics.

I only ever used a couple of scattered pedals when I was playing actively in the '90s. Getting back into playing on a much smaller scale from 2002 it has dawned on me several times how daunting playing out can be! Dragging all the gear, having a set-up that is feasible given the time and space constraints, etc.

The really big one for me was bass pedals - I remember marveling at my dad playing the pedals on our old Hammond organ - maybe an L-100? It had the oil pan, wish I had pictures of it. Anyway, being able to play a synth with my feet is amazing, but the physical demands are not inconsequential. I also have wide feet - at one point I bought a pair of shoes with a really long, narrow toe - not sure where they are now - not easy to walk on! I also heard that Beatle Boots are good but never followed up on that...

used original RME Babyface could be a hell of a deal. Good sound, rock solid, company supports their drivers forever.

Thanks! I'm realizing it's a deep dive I need to make...

 

[ugly_bassplayer]

Any recommendations of a low noise 2 channel headphone mixer.
I want to easily switch back and forth from main mixer to playback out withoit adding another mixer to the signal chain.
Channel A would be anything going into the recorder and channel B would be anything coming out of it.
I know this is possible with sub groups but the patch cable management sux.

Signal chain is mixer — 8 track— out of 8 track for playback mix when adding overdubs

 

[Spectrum]

Any recommendations of a low noise 2 channel headphone mixer.
I want to easily switch back and forth from main mixer to playback out withoit adding another mixer to the signal chain.
Channel A would be anything going into the recorder and channel B would be anything coming out of it.
I know this is possible with sub groups but the patch cable management sux.

Signal chain is mixer — 8 track— out of 8 track for playback mix when adding overdubs

Rolls maybe. I have a couple of tiny 4-channel Rolls mixers, one powered the other passive.

 

[monsterthompson]

Looks like I’m going to dive into Gary Numan’s material. I grabbed a ticket to his latest tour. I’m really going because my friend is playing guitar for Front Line Assembly and they’ll be on the bill. Unfortunately the Los Angeles date does not include Ministry like the rest of the dates. Regardless, it should be a good show. I’m already enjoying the newer Numan songs I’ve been checking out.

 

[JES]

Anyone here used some kind of tape to dim bright LEDs on their gear? If so, what did you use? (Be specific.) I've heard nail polish too but which nail polish and how would I get it off later if I wanted to remove it without damaging the module?

I'm dealing with some post-concussion symptoms that include light sensitivity. I'm doing screens in 15 minute doses throughout the day, so you're not totally rid of me, but I'm scaling back for awhile (and greyscaling all my screens).

 

[ugly_bassplayer]

Anyone here used some kind of tape to dim bright LEDs on their gear? If so, what did you use? (Be specific.) I've heard nail polish too but which nail polish and how would I get it off later if I wanted to remove it without damaging the module?

I'm dealing with some post-concussion symptoms that include light sensitivity. I'm doing screens in 15 minute doses throughout the day, so you're not totally rid of me, but I'm scaling back for awhile (and greyscaling all my screens).

I use the green painters tape.
It’s made to be removed easily and never leaves a sticky residue.
If on piece of tape isn’t enough to dim the LED I add more one on top of the other.
Ya, some of those LEDs could land an airplane

 

[smoothbrain]

Anyone here used some kind of tape to dim bright LEDs on their gear? If so, what did you use? (Be specific.) I've heard nail polish too but which nail polish and how would I get it off later if I wanted to remove it without damaging the module?

I'm dealing with some post-concussion symptoms that include light sensitivity. I'm doing screens in 15 minute doses throughout the day, so you're not totally rid of me, but I'm scaling back for awhile (and greyscaling all my screens).

I can be very sensitive to light due to migraine. I use black electrical tape to dim the bright LEDs, especially those on my studio monitors. I cut the tape with scissors to almost cover the LEDs yet still bleed a little light so I can still tell if they are under power or not. I position the tape so I can just see the light peeking out from the bottoms, tops, or sides of the LEDs so if I look directly at them I can see light but they are no longer distracting for me.

I use the tape on any bright LED light source I need to subdue. Use caution and common sense if you want to try to use it near any incandescent light source.

 

[Starthief]

Anyone here used some kind of tape to dim bright LEDs on their gear? If so, what did you use? (Be specific.) I've heard nail polish too but which nail polish and how would I get it off later if I wanted to remove it without damaging the module?

I'm dealing with some post-concussion symptoms that include light sensitivity. I'm doing screens in 15 minute doses throughout the day, so you're not totally rid of me, but I'm scaling back for awhile (and greyscaling all my screens).

I used a silver Sharpie on the LED on one pedal, to pretty good effect. Not sure if it could be cleaned off, though.

Lightdims.com sells removable decals to cover LEDs/displays. They don't work very well/neatly for rounded LEDs that stick out of panels, though. We have one of the hseets on our ridiculously bright blue-LED bedroom clock and it helps some (my preference would still be to get rid of the clock and just use phones though).

 

[Robot.G]

Looks like I’m going to dive into Gary Numan’s material. I grabbed a ticket to his latest tour. I’m really going because my friend is playing guitar for Front Line Assembly and they’ll be on the bill. Unfortunately the Los Angeles date does not include Ministry like the rest of the dates. Regardless, it should be a good show. I’m already enjoying the newer Numan songs I’ve been checking out.

I bought a Gary Numan ticket without realizing that FLA is on the bill. I'm actually way more excited to see FLA than Gary!

 

[Spectrum]

I saw Gary Numan last spring. I'm a fan of his early Tubeway Army stuff and some of his newer stuff. The band he toured with and their sound setup worked well for the newer stuff, but when they performed the older late 70s early 80s stuff I found myself missing the Tubeway Army version of the band. I do like how, after influencing NIN and becoming friends with Trent Reznor, his newer stuff is clearly NIN influenced.

 

[monsterthompson]

I bought a Gary Numan ticket without realizing that FLA is on the bill. I'm actually way more excited to see FLA than Gary!

I’ve been going through the FLA history to get familiar with them too, and they are definitely more my speed. I’ve been aware of them for a long time but they weren’t a band I followed closely.

 

[Robot.G]

I’ve been going through the FLA history to get familiar with them too, and they are definitely more my speed. I’ve been aware of them for a long time but they weren’t a band I followed closely.

I'm really not disappointed that Ministry isn't on the bill for the Grand Rapids MI show. I've seen Ministry before, and it was an awesome, but I find Frontline Assembly much more interesting. All three acts have evolved over time. The tech available to each seems to be a factor. Especially with Numan and FLA. I actually prefer the earlier Numan works and mid period FLA works. FLA's Caustic Grip and Gary Numan's Replicas are a couple of my favorite releases ever.

 

[monsterthompson]

I'm really not disappointed that Ministry isn't on the bill for the Grand Rapids MI show. I've seen Ministry before, and it was an awesome, but I find Frontline Assembly much more interesting. All three acts have evolved over time. The tech available to each seems to be a factor. Especially with Numan and FLA. I actually prefer the earlier Numan works and mid period FLA works. FLA's Caustic Grip and Gary Numan's Replicas are a couple of my favorite releases ever.

I have mixed feelings about Ministry. I’ve seen them bring down the house but my last time seeing them in 2018 wasn’t great. I did get to meet Tony Campos at that show. Well, I got to shake his hand and tell him I was a big fan of his while he was near the merch booth. If he wasn’t touring with Static-X I wonder if he’d still be with Ministry. I’d also like to see Paul D’Amour on bass just because of who he is in the bass world. Also, Roy Mayorga is a beast of a drummer, not to mention a modular synth guy. I started following him ages ago when he was in a blistering punk cover band in L.A. (which later did an album of originals).

I’ll be sure to add those albums to my listening homework.

 

[Starthief]

To me Tactical Neural Implant and maybe Hard Wired were peak FLA. I did like their earlier stuff pretty well too. I'm not as much into their more recent albums though.

I saw them as part of Skinny Puppy's Eye Vs Spy tour, with Haujobb and Youth Code. I felt like FLA put on the fourth best performance of the night. It was mostly just bright lights, so much fog machine you couldn't count how many band members were on stage, and playing twice as loud as everyone else -- tiring more than energizing. And I felt like they had picked up more of a dubstep influence and it just didn't work. It's been 10 years so knowing them, they've probably shifted once or twice since then

(I hadn't even heard of Youth Code before then or heard much Haujobb, but I liked what they were doing. I was mainly there for SP and they never disappoint in a live show... too bad they are done and they didn't play anywhere in the Midwest on their farewell tour.)

 

[monsterthompson]

Moog is definitely unhinging.
Bob and/or Archer introducing the new VST Mariana, with some horrible phrasing.


And this awful IG ad. Definitely listen until the drum beat comes in.
Moog Music on Instagram: "Explore powerful Moog bass right inside your computer ️ Developed for the modern sound designer, Mariana is the most accessible way to add the unmistakable Moog sound to your productions. (: @chookmusic)"

 

[Bob_Ross]

Any recommendations of a low noise 2 channel headphone mixer.

I'm pretty sure Coleman Audio makes something like what you described, but their website seems to be fakakta right now so I can't confirm. But they make very high quality utilitarian professional audio tools.

 

[ugly_bassplayer]

Moog is definitely unhinging.
Bob and/or Archer introducing the new VST Mariana, with some horrible phrasing.


And this awful IG ad. Definitely listen until the drum beat comes in.
Moog Music on Instagram: "Explore powerful Moog bass right inside your computer ️ Developed for the modern sound designer, Mariana is the most accessible way to add the unmistakable Moog sound to your productions. (: @chookmusic)"

I want two minutes of my life back please, that was garbage.

off lawn now.

 

[JimboP]

Moog is definitely unhinging.
Bob and/or Archer introducing the new VST Mariana, with some horrible phrasing.


And this awful IG ad. Definitely listen until the drum beat comes in.
Moog Music on Instagram: "Explore powerful Moog bass right inside your computer ️ Developed for the modern sound designer, Mariana is the most accessible way to add the unmistakable Moog sound to your productions. (: @chookmusic)"

Sounds like they roped Batman into doing the voiceover

 

[monsterthompson]

Sounds like they roped Batman into doing the voiceover