Ambient/Post-Rock/Textural bass playing thread

[ugly_bassplayer]

if you put in your own samples, it rules.

apparently samplr is getting an update.

I didn't really get into samplr. In the right hands it must be cool...for me....it was a meh....
Workflow on tablet for sampling is awkward......must be just me....

 

[steubig]

i like the fact that you can play the sound wave. for me, it's more about creating textures that i can use as building blocks in a tune/improv than it is making a "song"

 

[ugly_bassplayer]

i like the fact that you can play the sound wave. for me, it's more about creating textures that i can use as building blocks in a tune/improv than it is making a "song"

Maybe I should give it another chance....??
But there just something strange about taping glass that doesn't make sense in my weird head to play a sampler.



Edit, more proof that I'm the problem, Madlib made his entire last record with an iPad.
Granted he could use a patato and some barbed wire and it would be dope.

 

[monsterthompson]

Granted he could use a patato and some barbed wire and it would be dope.

What’s the best potato for ambient?

 

[steubig]

 

[monsterthompson]

What’s the best potato for ambient?

Nothing on the internet surprises me...
Potato Sounds

Or...

Published on Jul 20, 2011
A potato powered transistor oscillator with light dependent resistor, which gets its power from potato battery. Low power circuit is based off Forrest Mims light-dependent oscillator.

 

[dukeorock]

I didn't really get into samplr. In the right hands it must be cool...for me....it was a meh....
Workflow on tablet for sampling is awkward......must be just me....

it’s not just you. I’m sure iOS apps will keep improving but when I started trying em a few years back it was just too frustrating and twitchy. If I did manage to get anything usable it was luck. Got a Digitakt and was instantly off to the races.

i like the fact that you can play the sound wave. for me, it's more about creating textures that i can use as building blocks in a tune/improv than it is making a "song"

For sure and same here. That said, I still find the iOS thing to be more trouble than it’s worth for me so far. I’ll occasionally revisit it and will say Patterning2 is solid and incredible

 

[ugly_bassplayer]

it’s not just you. I’m sure iOS apps will keep improving but when I started trying em a few years back it was just too frustrating and twitchy. If I did manage to get anything usable it was luck. Got a Digitakt and was instantly off to the races.


For sure and same here. That said, I still find the iOS thing to be more trouble than it’s worth for me so far. I’ll occasionally revisit it and will say Patterning2 is solid and incredible

Damn digitakt!!!!
You guys are wearing me down.....I'm gonna cave its just a matter of time

 

[ugly_bassplayer]

What’s the best potato for ambient?

Baked

 

[steubig]

it’s funny, i found the ipad to be great for doing some of the
music i do.

the gestural possibilities of apps like borderland, samplr, tc-11, etc., made what i do, which is mostly improv but has also included some more tune-oriented things, much easier.

i’ve done a few discs using them and some download stuff.

and some of the synths are just great.

the biggest drawback has been the small “key” size; hence getting a hardware synth after so many years.

 

[ugly_bassplayer]

it’s funny, i found the ipad to be great for doing some of the
music i do.

the gestural possibilities of apps like borderland, samplr, tc-11, etc., made what i do, which is mostly improv but has also included some more tune-oriented things, much easier.

i’ve done a few discs using them and some download stuff.

and some of the synths are just great.

the biggest drawback has been the small “key” size; hence getting a hardware synth after so many years.

More than open to suggestions for apps my friend.

 

[monsterthompson]

More than open to suggestions for apps my friend.

Since you use Ableton, I've been a big fan of touchAble, but it looks like they've bumped up the features and price from the version I have. It is a great iPhone controller. I've got the Mini version, but they now have a Pro version.

 

[steubig]

More than open to suggestions for apps my friend.

gets into what you like or want to do. there's a lot of not-great stuff out there. also some really good things.

if you want to be able to do programmed random of audio files (including making live recordings on the go), sector is great.

synths: animoog; nave and nlog pro (guy who designed the waldorf quantum made these); cassini is a bit of a sleeper; thor, zeta; ppg wave generator and wave mapper; grain science (granulr synth) and mitosynth.

there are some interesting programming and mod capabilities to be had.i like things that have a few oscillators that can get different tunings or things that can have one fm + one digital subtractive.

i'm particularly glad if the keys accept x-y coordinate options for driving mods (animoog, nave, ppg). tc-11 is all gestural.

 

[dukeorock]

Damn digitakt!!!!
You guys are wearing me down.....I'm gonna cave its just a matter of time

Elektron has a more affordable machine called Model:Samples which is amazing if you don’t mind a couple potential drawbacks. You can’t sample directly into it. Gotta do it from your computer via usb. I know a couple folks who’ve ditched their octatracks and Digitakts in favor of the M:S simplicity and knob per function stuff. I’ll be sticking with the Octatrack for the foreseeable future. Love the live sampling, 8 separate midi channels (it’s got a nice sequencer) and making ‘scenes’ is genius. I dunno, works for me. Digitakt is also 8 audio channels plus it can sequence 8 midi channels. I have little doubt something better for me may come along at some point, but I haven’t found it yet. Something like an MPC...might as well use the computer as it does all that better. The Elektron stuff feels like instruments in their own right. I prefer that.

it’s funny, i found the ipad to be great for doing some of the
music i do.

the gestural possibilities of apps like borderland, samplr, tc-11, etc., made what i do, which is mostly improv but has also included some more tune-oriented things, much easier.

i’ve done a few discs using them and some download stuff.

and some of the synths are just great.

the biggest drawback has been the small “key” size; hence getting a hardware synth after so many years.

I follow a couple folks on YouTube that do glorious stuff with nothing but an iPad. I know it works and you can’t beat the price for the apps, vs hardware. It’s just not fun to me and daddy likes to have him some fun when he’s working on music

 

[steubig]

Elektron has a more affordable machine called Model:Samples which is amazing if you don’t mind a couple potential drawbacks. You can’t sample directly into it. Gotta do it from your computer via usb. I know a couple folks who’ve ditched their octatracks and Digitakts in favor of the M:S simplicity and knob per function stuff. I’ll be sticking with the Octatrack for the foreseeable future. Love the live sampling, 8 separate midi channels (it’s got a nice sequencer) and making ‘scenes’ is genius. I dunno, works for me. Digitakt is also 8 audio channels plus it can sequence 8 midi channels. I have little doubt something better for me may come along at some point, but I haven’t found it yet. Something like an MPC...might as well use the computer as it does all that better. The Elektron stuff feels like instruments in their own right. I prefer that.

as you guys know, i'm a fanboy of the new hydrasynth. i'd love that same team come up with a dope (live) sampling keyboard that had the same kind of mod matrix and polyphonic aftertouch.

I follow a couple folks on YouTube that do glorious stuff with nothing but an iPad. I know it works and you can’t beat the price for the apps, vs hardware. It’s just not fun to me and daddy likes to have him some fun when he’s working on music

totally get that. for me, it was super fun and was much easier to program complex synths than it had been back in the day of microscopic menu screens.

coming from max/msp, it was way more fun . . .

 

[monsterthompson]

Bought a Waves Pusher plugin from Infected Mushroom. Time to see what this thing does. It sure looks pretty.
Infected Mushroom Pusher Plugin | Waves

 

[ugly_bassplayer]

gets into what you like or want to do. there's a lot of not-great stuff out there. also some really good things.

if you want to be able to do programmed random of audio files (including making live recordings on the go), sector is great.

synths: animoog; nave and nlog pro (guy who designed the waldorf quantum made these); cassini is a bit of a sleeper; thor, zeta; ppg wave generator and wave mapper; grain science (granulr synth) and mitosynth.

there are some interesting programming and mod capabilities to be had.i like things that have a few oscillators that can get different tunings or things that can have one fm + one digital subtractive.

i'm particularly glad if the keys accept x-y coordinate options for driving mods (animoog, nave, ppg). tc-11 is all gestural.

Maybe I just stumbled across some bad ones.
Thanks for the input, ill probably poke you guys again for input.
At the time my SP404sx and Ableton do the trick.
Also my JMT synths have the noise thing covered........I just need more of those I think I have a problem.....I’m addicted
For apps I like the DM1 drum machine step sequencer and the synth one app.

 

[ugly_bassplayer]

Again it’s not the gear it,s the ideas and originality that counts.
I’m a huge Death Grips fan and holy $%^&* they sample and mangle stuff it is truly something!!!!
I think they are easily one of the most important bands to come along in a long time, but hey that’s just me.
Many disagree but as usual, I dont really care.

(Maybe I can find the video where they show what they sample and how they use it it freakin amazing, like what they did with Björk’s voice......I mean mind blown over here......)

 

[monsterthompson]

Bought a Waves Pusher plugin from Infected Mushroom. Time to see what this thing does. It sure looks pretty.
Infected Mushroom Pusher Plugin | Waves

As I am climbing deeper and deeper into the production rabbit hole, I’m finding it hard to admit it but what I probably need more than new hardware is a new monitors and a new computer. I think dedicated production monitors will help me hear details better than the speakers that I am currently using. I also think that one of the biggest time wastes in my music-day is the amount of time it takes me to boot up my computer, load plug-ins, render audio, etc. My laptop is fine, but if I were to put cash towards a new Mac Mini instead of a hardware synth, or a rack, or effects pedals, I could probably be much more efficient with my time.

This came to me as I was looking at a new bass thinking it would help with a bunch of ergonomic issues I have when playing. I stepped back and thought about the gear I had, the reality of my physical abilities and limitations, and what I could do to ultimately make more music.

 

[ugly_bassplayer]

As I am climbing deeper and deeper into the production rabbit hole, I’m finding it hard to admit it but what I probably need more than new hardware is a new monitors and a new computer. I think dedicated production monitors will help me hear details better than the speakers that I am currently using. I also think that one of the biggest time wastes in my music-day is the amount of time it takes me to boot up my computer, load plug-ins, render audio, etc. My laptop is fine, but if I were to put cash towards a new Mac Mini instead of a hardware synth, or a rack, or effects pedals, I could probably be much more efficient with my time.

This came to me as I was looking at a new bass thinking it would help with a bunch of ergonomic issues I have when playing. I stepped back and thought about the gear I had, the reality of my physical abilities and limitations, and what I could do to ultimately make more music.

Uh oh....the studio vortex just opened.....down you go music production dude.....

 

[monsterthompson]

Uh oh....the studio vortex just opened.....down you go music production dude.....