Ambient/Post-Rock/Textural bass playing thread

[steubig]

my battle is always to get a nice balance/blend where things speak and are audible, but not obtrusive.

mind you, a lot of this stuff is with combinations od acoustic and electric instruments, not big walls of aound.

 

[monsterthompson]

I imagine it's kind of like the Loudness Wars and compression, where you hear a new song by a band you like, and you think, "It's a cool song, but why does it give me a headache to listen to it?"

(I'm looking at you, Metallica's Death Magnetic)

It's a struggle to not get sucked into making it all loud. I think minimal electronic stuff lends itself to being loud. Fewer parts fighting for mix space. Huge kick. Booming Sub bass, and thin edgy leads might make it easier to compress everything to death.

I'm using the IM Pusher limiting plugin, which lets you select the brick wall as a limiter or a clipper. The clipper sounded awful at first, but then I got the levels figured out and it really lets you push the perceived volume on the track over the smooth limiting. I almost wonder if it's a modern version of guitarists finding distortion. Now engineers are using distortion on purpose after years of trying to create clean mixes.

 

[rutrho]

Probably what most people would call Downtempo or Psychill/Psybient. I have a piece we did at the synth show that I'm waiting for the video on, in that mold.

Funny you should mention that, because the synth duo is taking a two-pronged approach... we're having the more abstract, classic 'ambient' stuff, and considering we actually want to play in front of other humans on a semi-regular basis, we're also putting together a set of more beat-based downtempo stuff, kind of in the Carbon Based Lifeforms/Kick Bong/Zero Cult kind of style. We'll do the ambient stuff at artsy places, and hopefully the beat stuff in regular clubs. Still a long way off, though, we have much more of the former than the latter.

Ok, i'm really interested in what yall come up with, psybient is is a big fav here.

 

[Bob_Ross]

or stupid?

LOL. Sometimes, indeed. One of the reasons I prefer mixing on an analog desk without automation versus any of the more repeatable variants -- analog desk with automation, digital desk locked to timecode, ITB DAW, etc. -- is because you can make 0.5dB fader moves and not feel compelled to justify them.

IOW, writing tiny fader moves into automation always feels like I'm documenting a litany of decisions, decisions that I either already have obsessed over, or will shortly. Whereas a 0.5dB fader move made during an end-to-end pass at an all-analog mix feels like a performance: You put a little mojo on that note, just like you might do when playing a bassline and executing an indescribable/indefensible but oh-so-magical articulation.

 

[steubig]

totally.

(hence some of the dunny looked from my engineer friend)

with my stuff, it's usually about evening out a performance where someone's dynamics get a little bit up or down for the doubling/counterpoint at hand.

 

[ugly_bassplayer]

LOL. Sometimes, indeed. One of the reasons I prefer mixing on an analog desk without automation versus any of the more repeatable variants -- analog desk with automation, digital desk locked to timecode, ITB DAW, etc. -- is because you can make 0.5dB fader moves and not feel compelled to justify them.

IOW, writing tiny fader moves into automation always feels like I'm documenting a litany of decisions, decisions that I either already have obsessed over, or will shortly. Whereas a 0.5dB fader move made during an end-to-end pass at an all-analog mix feels like a performance: You put a little mojo on that note, just like you might do when playing a bassline and executing an indescribable/indefensible but oh-so-magical articulation.

I would give anything to see how many hands some old albums used on the mixer during an all analog mixing session.

Must have been 10 people tweaking parts at the same time on the huge mixer while they where running tape.

 

[steubig]

hahaha. oh yeah.

plus if you worked on 8-track tape, you were doing that in addition to having all sorts of parts on different tracks. so much easier these days.

 

[ugly_bassplayer]

hahaha. oh yeah.

plus if you worked on 8-track tape, you were doing that in addition to having all sorts of parts on different tracks. so much easier these days.

Plus you had the master "razor & scotch tape" guy. He is not to be #;#:#: with.

 

[steubig]

guys who could do that were masters. i saw guys do stuff in cymbal hits to get two takes together. big ol' 2-inch tape. all of us in the band were nervous af.

 

[ugly_bassplayer]

guys who could do that were masters. i saw guys do stuff in cymbal hits to get two takes together. big ol' 2-inch tape. all of us in the band were nervous af.

That's why I used the term "master"
You have to see it to believe how insane good those dudes where.

 

[lordradish]

Ok, i'm really interested in what yall come up with, psybient is is a big fav here.

As soon as I get that video, I'll put it up.

 

[monsterthompson]

Unrelated to anything ambient, but still an interesting look at music on a few levels is this episode (#158) of the Reply All podcast. I've listened to it 3 times now and it brings me more joy than any podcast should. The story struck me as entertaining and I enjoy how they tell it. I figured a few of the regular folks in this thread might get a kick out of it, too.

#158 The Case of the Missing Hit | Reply All

 

[lordradish]

Okay, I'll probably post this again when I have the video, this is one of our tunes from our last gig (not the psychill one). This one's another ambient one. Also, any follows/shares on Soundcloud super-appreciated (my godless, how shameless). Hope ya' enjoy. I also gotta say, this is a great little microcommunity we have here, I don't think I've ever been in such a group of open-minded supportive bunch of weirdos. We really seem to dig what we're all doing here.

 

[Spectrum]

I also gotta say, this is a great little microcommunity we have here, I don't think I've ever been in such a group of open-minded supportive bunch of weirdos. We really seem to dig what we're all doing here.

Too bad we're too far away from each other for a meet-up.

Sadly Moogfest was canceled this year for some reason (not virus related AFAIK). Would be cool if there was a regional link up somewhere.

 

[ugly_bassplayer]

Okay, I'll probably post this again when I have the video, this is one of our tunes from our last gig (not the psychill one). This one's another ambient one. Also, any follows/shares on Soundcloud super-appreciated (my godless, how shameless). Hope ya' enjoy. I also gotta say, this is a great little microcommunity we have here, I don't think I've ever been in such a group of open-minded supportive bunch of weirdos. We really seem to dig what we're all doing here.

Who you callin weirdo!?

Oh wait.....

 

[lordradish]

Too bad we're too far away from each other for a meet-up.

Sadly Moogfest was canceled this year for some reason (not virus related AFAIK). Would be cool if there was a regional link up somewhere.

I already bought my plane tix and air bnb for Moogfest, so I was super pissed, but yeah, that woulda been cool.

 

[lordradish]

Well, after avoiding it like the plague (woops...bad timing?) I got back into the lab tonight, practiced the new piece for the gig, then turned on the pedalboard, picked picked up the 6 string bass thingie and out came this... It's taken a few years, but I'm starting to get some go to sounds on my board that are turning into 'my sound', whatever the hell that is.

 

[monsterthompson]

Well, after avoiding it like the plague (woops...bad timing?) I got back into the lab tonight, practiced the new piece for the gig, then turned on the pedalboard, picked picked up the 6 string bass thingie and out came this... It's taken a few years, but I'm starting to get some go to sounds on my board that are turning into 'my sound', whatever the hell that is.

Gotta remember to put that on my playlist tomorrow at work.


I got in the lab and stared making... spaghetti.

For now...
Bass goes into a looper pedal on the floor, then into the Patchulator and the dirt path there.

The dirt path has an Edison tube pre, a Germ Warfare, and a Volt Thrower. I couldn't figure out what order I wanted these to be in, so the Patchulator lets me reorder easily. This all goes out the CabSim, which routes to the Terminal. Thanks to the Terminal's in/out routing, I can quickly pop in the Zoia if I want effects on the bass. Though the Zoia is currently routed in the next path.

The PO32 is my drum machine, going into the Transmutron, which functions as a HPF & LPF, and a crossover/cross fader. The "high" side of the crossover routes to the delay, and the low side currently routes to the Zoia.

Each of these paths routes to their own channel in my mixer, with a Reverb in the Aux send/return. If I get a longer cable set, I can put the Reverb on the floor and utilize the freeze and looper functions it has.

I didn't get to play much tonight, but I did verify it passes audio as expected.

 

[ugly_bassplayer]

Well, after avoiding it like the plague (woops...bad timing?) I got back into the lab tonight, practiced the new piece for the gig, then turned on the pedalboard, picked picked up the 6 string bass thingie and out came this... It's taken a few years, but I'm starting to get some go to sounds on my board that are turning into 'my sound', whatever the hell that is.

On playlist for today.

 

[Flabzilla]

Well, after avoiding it like the plague (woops...bad timing?) I got back into the lab tonight, practiced the new piece for the gig, then turned on the pedalboard, picked picked up the 6 string bass thingie and out came this... It's taken a few years, but I'm starting to get some go to sounds on my board that are turning into 'my sound', whatever the hell that is.

Nice.