Ambient/Post-Rock/Textural bass playing thread

[sunbeast]

do you use a low B (or lower) string and how does it track?

So I just tried one of my B-equipped basses with the MXR for the first time. The 5-string tracking mode is definitely a bit looser than the 4-string mode I was using but it does track all the way down to B and still has pretty minimal latency. Pretty impressive to me! I'm still more inclined to play up the neck with Sub oscillator blended in as that is the cleanest tracking, but it can track those lower notes too if you need

 

[steubig]

So I just tried one of my B-equipped basses with the MXR for the first time. The 5-string tracking mode is definitely a bit looser than the 4-string mode I was using but it does track all the way down to B and still has pretty minimal latency. Pretty impressive to me! I'm still more inclined to play up the neck with Sub oscillator blended in as that is the cleanest tracking, but it can track those lower notes too if you need

thanks! appreciate you checking it out. makes sense that the lowers notes wid
be harder to track.

 

[theunknowndude]

That’s my main reasons for not getting it… even though it sounds awesome, I always hang around the low b on my 5 and I hate the “trying to play to the pedal thing”. I really wanted that filter sweep saw wave thing in Nathan Navarro video but realised I can get kinda close in my kanga fuzz filter so saved me some dollars there (hasn’t been officially released in aus but like the CAD assuming 400+.)
Nathan’s video really made me want one though! Definitely more how I’d use it than the other videos.

 

[Starthief]

We went on a road trip to visit my brother and his wife in Maine for a week. While I was there I happened to watch some videos and convinced myself to get an OBNE Darkstar Stereo. (Thanks, Harp Lady...) I just need to sell off some unused stuff first.

I'm 4 tracks deep into my next album project. The theme is "Suspension" -- drones with sus chords, but also freezing audio in delay buffers, loopers, infinite reverbs, spectral processors etc.

I also thought about "what if I suspend an instrument from its own strings" but that seems like too much of a hassle, and I'd only want to do it to one of our poopiest (thanks, weird TalkBass auto-censor) old cheap guitars anyway.

A suspended gong would be really cool. They're also too pricey for me to justify it, and then I'd want a good mic, and a good room to record acoustic stuff in... that rabbit hole is way too deep.

 

[sunbeast]

That’s my main reasons for not getting it… even though it sounds awesome, I always hang around the low b on my 5 and I hate the “trying to play to the pedal thing”. I really wanted that filter sweep saw wave thing in Nathan Navarro video but realised I can get kinda close in my kanga fuzz filter so saved me some dollars there (hasn’t been officially released in aus but like the CAD assuming 400+.)
Nathan’s video really made me want one though! Definitely more how I’d use it than the other videos.

Yeah if you aren’t willing to adjust your playing somewhat to approach a pitch-tracking synth then it will probably be pretty frustrating! Years of playing with an OC-2 have gotten me primed for all the little tricks that help get good sounds out of these kinds of pedals, to the point that it has just become second-nature for me. That said, it might be worth at least demoing one if you can find one in a store as there is definitely a lot of potential to be found in it for cool timbres/textures and the filter alone is pretty killer (I need to try it as just a filter/chorus in an analog synth pedal chain- I think it’ll work really well that way)

 

[Bob_Ross]

A suspended gong would be really cool. They're also too pricey for me to justify it, and then I'd want a good mic, and a good room to record acoustic stuff in... that rabbit hole is way too deep.

My favorite gong-oriented thang: The original Ondes Martenot came with an extension speaker that was basically a gong with a compression driver bolted to it. So, "acoustic" signal processing, if you will. It sounded pretty cool. I once jury-rigged my own version of that using a 22" ping cymbal in lieu of an actual gong, and playing electric guitar through that was absolutely life-affirming.
:::dancing banana:::

 

[monsterthompson]

Picked up an Erica Echolocator and I think it’s gotta go back. Nothing about the sound impressed me, unlike the Zen Delay and the Nightverb. It wasn’t bad, but not inspiring. The built in reverb is weird. The shimmer was interesting and might be useful for some sound design exploration. The modulation and orbit was odd and didn’t feel intuitive to me. The filter felt hard to control. All of that seemed like stuff that could be overcome with a little use and familiarity. However the 50 presets didn’t strike me as useable on bass, and initializing a patch requires the user to manually adjust every knob and create/save an init patch. I don’t have time for this.

I might change my tune here. I spent some time building patches from scratch and user error along with uninteresting/mismatched presets might be to blame. I accidentally deleted all the stock presets doing a factory reset and failed to get the backup on Erica’s site to restore things. So, from ground zero I’ve been working on a few things with the eurorack and Echolocator, and I’m finding my way in the dark. I might plug the bass in later. This might be a case of the box being very flexible and needing to be careful about various adjustments. The Zen Delay allows for much wilder knob turning. This one rewards small incremental changes. Great power/responsibility.

 

[monsterthompson]

Possible interest for those here. Nothing deep, just a broad overview of sampling devices.

 

[ugly_bassplayer]

Possible interest for those here. Nothing deep, just a broad overview of sampling devices.

Really depends on the person.
Samplers are so different from one another.

DJ Premier still uses the old MPC 60 with the floppy discs and makes better beats than 99.9% of the entire industry
Jeez Apollo Brown uses a late 90s version of Final Cut on ancient computers
He has to delete a song after he makes one since it uses up the entire memory of the computer

But use what makes you creative

From live to MPC to SP to OG tape boom box beats

My beats suck regardless of what I use.

 

[ugly_bassplayer]

Possible interest for those here. Nothing deep, just a broad overview of sampling devices.

Addendum

I lesser known beat maker known as Ohbliv is crazy good and creative with only an OG SP404 and “sometimes” audicity to stretch samples to a certain tempo
I’ve listened to him for years and still can’t understand how he does it.
He’s a classically trained singer also.
So I guess the musical talent would be apparent on any instrument

Once again it’s the person not the gear.

 

[monsterthompson]

Really depends on the person.
Samplers are so different from one another.

Totally. I’ve been looking down the black hole of samplers and this video was helpful for an overview of key features for each device in the video. I’m still running NI Maschine and trying to figure out why (or if) I should try hardware samplers. I’m still considering the OctaTrack but trying to understand the “purpose” of it and if another sampler might be better suited for me. I think if there was an easy way to foot pedal control the OT it would be more interesting. I need to figure out if I want a machine that can do live manipulation in real time, or playback sequenced ideas.

 

[ugly_bassplayer]

Totally. I’ve been looking down the black hole of samplers and this video was helpful for an overview of key features for each device in the video. I’m still running NI Maschine and trying to figure out why (or if) I should try hardware samplers. I’m still considering the OctaTrack but trying to understand the “purpose” of it and if another sampler might be better suited for me. I think if there was an easy way to foot pedal control the OT it would be more interesting. I need to figure out if I want a machine that can do live manipulation in real time, or playback sequenced ideas.

I could maybe help a little
What exactly are you looking for in a sampler??
Not a huge expert but have some basic knowledge of a few hardware samplers

If you want midi though , I’m soooooo not the right person to ask

 

[monsterthompson]

I could maybe help a little
What exactly are you looking for in a sampler??
Not a huge expert but have some basic knowledge of a few hardware samplers

If you want midi though , I’m soooooo not the right person to ask

I’m not exactly sure what I’m looking for. I do want a box that can get me away from the computer. Something with stereo capability and knob per function with minimal menu diving. I’ve been eyeing the SP404 since I know you think highly of it. Samplers with built in effects and looping capabilities are interesting. I think if I can combine functions and save myself buying a dedicated looper, or other effects then that’s where something like the OT gets interesting.

I think I’m mainly trying to get a feel for what the market looks like these days. I’m hoping that something will stand out as a feature or function that I want to explore. The real time manipulation and cross fading of the OT is interesting, but I tend to program more than improvise so maybe the Digitakt is more my speed. Trackers are interesting but I’m avoiding PolyEnd. Nothing is calling my name, and I’ve got plenty of sampling power in Ableton and Maschine to get me through.

 

[ugly_bassplayer]

I’m not exactly sure what I’m looking for. I do want a box that can get me away from the computer. Something with stereo capability and knob per function with minimal menu diving. I’ve been eyeing the SP404 since I know you think highly of it. Samplers with built in effects and looping capabilities are interesting. I think if I can combine functions and save myself buying a dedicated looper, or other effects then that’s where something like the OT gets interesting.

I think I’m mainly trying to get a feel for what the market looks like these days. I’m hoping that something will stand out as a feature or function that I want to explore. The real time manipulation and cross fading of the OT is interesting, but I tend to program more than improvise so maybe the Digitakt is more my speed. Trackers are interesting but I’m avoiding PolyEnd. Nothing is calling my name, and I’ve got plenty of sampling power in Ableton and Maschine to get me through.

Digitakt 1 is mono, the 2 is stereo.
The Sp404sx I have is very limited, so it might not be your thing.
But that exact limitation is what I like about it.
But Live is an absolute powerhouse for any kind of sampling.
No hardware can even come close to so what Ableton does so easily.
The down side, more screen time.

 

[monsterthompson]

Digitakt 1 is mono, the 2 is stereo.
The Sp404sx I have is very limited, so it might not be your thing.
But that exact limitation is what I like about it.
But Live is an absolute powerhouse for any kind of sampling.
No hardware can even come close to so what Ableton does so easily.
The down side, more screen time.

I think one option is to consider foot controllers for Ableton or Maschine. If I can MIDI control certain functions then it might save me the trouble of learning new hardware. But, sometimes learning new gear is what helps me learn a little more.

 

[ugly_bassplayer]

I think one option is to consider foot controllers for Ableton or Maschine. If I can MIDI control certain functions then it might save me the trouble of learning new hardware. But, sometimes learning new gear is what helps me learn a little more.

Then check out the top controllers for live.
I remember than some are excellent.
I still use my little akai keyboard with like 8 pads, simple and works for everything. Plus midi mapping in Live is really easy


I play way, way more bass these days so I’m really out of the loop with gear n stuff.

 

[Feral Feline]

EPIC FAIL

_________________________________________Side-JACKS!?!


Sidejackasses are going to take up as much room as a 1590BB-portrait with top-jacks, so may as well have that:
1590BB PORTRAIT WITH TOP-JACKS : IN/OUT/EXP/POWER — all on top and not taking up any more space than the stupid sidejack "smaller" pedal.
With 1590BB portrait, could have a second stomper for the presets, too.


Geeeeeze Dunlop, join the modern age in earnest.
Dunlop — living in the past, in a false-economy of space.

 

[steubig]

hadn’t noticed that. using flatter plugs (ebs and the like) might make it somewhat better, but still problematic.

 

[ugly_bassplayer]

hadn’t noticed that. using flatter plugs (ebs and the like) might make it somewhat better, but still problematic.

Meh, I’ve never minded.
Maybe because my biggest board ever had like 10 pedals and I was running a dual amp set up.

 

[monsterthompson]

Not surprised. 93% of Dunlop/MXR pedals are side jack. Even some of the wider body boxes.