Ambient/Post-Rock/Textural bass playing thread

[Spectrum]

I was under the impression that entry level Eurorack stuff wasn't terribly expensive, no?

I've avoided modular because I want to avoid yet another ever-expanding pile of toys, which gets use less and less in inverse proportion to its size.

 

[lordradish]

I was under the impression that entry level Eurorack stuff wasn't terribly expensive, no?

I've avoided modular because I want to avoid yet another ever-expanding pile of toys, which gets use less and less in inverse proportion to its size.

From what I know there's some cheap Behringer stuff out now, but again, if I did modular, I'd need some specific and pricey things, I wanna get that Steve Roach kind of dueling arpeggios thing going and such. I think for me, if I have a grand, I can think of gear I can get a lot more use out of than a modular - I'm not interested in monosynth sounds or anything like that, already got that.

But again, who knows what anyone will be able to afford in a few months?

 

[ugly_bassplayer]

My big investment was 20xAA batteries so I can take my SP everywhere without the power chord.
I gets annoying for real...



Ill sample the modular stuff, that will keep my busy for hours....weeks......and then some.

 

[lordradish]

My big investment was 20xAA batteries so I can take my SP everywhere without the power chord.
I gets annoying for real...

20 at once? They couldn't have come up with something a bit less... silly?

 

[ugly_bassplayer]

20 at once? They couldn't have come up with something a bit less... silly?

It uses 6, but I indulged and got a 20 pack.

 

[dukeorock]

THe money is the big obstacle for me. For me to get the kinds of sounds I want out of modular, I'd have to spend a few grand, easily, and I can find other ways to get those sounds. Modular, to me, is the 'if money was no object' kind of thing.

There are several things I get out of modular that I couldn’t possibly get any other way. There are ways to get in that aren’t crazy expensive and I wish I’d thought more that way early on!
You can build your own case, for example. Dreadbox have some pretty cool modules on the cheap. My Doepfer A110-4 VCO sounds crazy good and cost $120 used. That said, some modules have better sound quality than others. Cwejman and MacBeth are a cut above, but the prices are insane...if you can even find them. Verbos and Instruo are way up there and less crazy on price, but not cheap by any stretch. There’s a company in Russia called L-1 who somewhat cop the Cwejman thing for a lot less money. I paid about $230 new for the L-1 Dual Discreet VCF and it’s awesome. My Takaab low pass gate was less than $50 and it’s great at getting a Buchla vibe.
I think with a lot of planning and used purchases a 9U 104HP rig could be had for under $1,500, depending on what you’d like from it. For evolving, breathing generative stuff, eurorack is awesome

 

[ugly_bassplayer]

There are several things I get out of modular that I couldn’t possibly get any other way. There are ways to get in that aren’t crazy expensive and I wish I’d thought more that way early on!
You can build your own case, for example. Dreadbox have some pretty cool modules on the cheap. My Doepfer A110-4 VCO sounds crazy good and cost $120 used. That said, some modules have better sound quality than others. Cwejman and MacBeth are a cut above, but the prices are insane...if you can even find them. Verbos and Instruo are way up there and less crazy on price, but not cheap by any stretch. There’s a company in Russia called L-1 who somewhat cop the Cwejman thing for a lot less money. I paid about $230 new for the L-1 Dual Discreet VCF and it’s awesome. My Takaab low pass gate was less than $50 and it’s great at getting a Buchla vibe.
I think with a lot of planning and used purchases a 9U 104HP rig could be had for under $1,500, depending on what you’d like from it. For evolving, breathing generative stuff, eurorack is awesome

The Cwejman is completely nuts'

 

[steubig]

$$ for sure. i was once thinking about using a modular setup instead of pedals. i asked a friend who had his *small* modular setup what it cost.

the answer kept me in pedal land . . .

 

[HotelX]

Playing my modular is incredibly fun. I’ve bought almost nothing but used modules which has helped a lot with the cost. It is still expensive but it beats sitting around and watching TV. It brings me a lot of joy and has been a great distraction during my social distancing.

I can totally understand the hesitation to go there though. It took me several years of contemplation before I finally said YOLO and dove in.

 

[Spectrum]

My main synth setup is 2 Moog Mother 32'S and an Arturia Microbrute.

The Mother 32 is "semimodular" and does a few things the cheaper Microbrute cannot, but the Microbrute also has a few advantages, such as a built-in keyboard and a different filter design, plus a small patch panel so it can "talk" to the Moogs. The Microbrute also has a great sound that is distinct from the Moog. The three of them synced together + pedals are great fun to jam with, after some sequencer programming I just start them up and off I go.

The Microbrute was my first synthesizer and I made a lot of music with it by overdubbing it on a multitrack recorder, and taught myself how to really dig into a subtractive synth and experiment with patches to get different sounds, how to use a self-oscillating filter, different ways to use the LFO, etc. So it's earned a place in my gear pile for sure. It was at that magic time about 7 years ago when these cool monosynths hit the magic price point and allowed us n00bs to finally take the plunge.

The Volcas kind of hit that same spot, but I use them more for mobile battery-powered stuff now, something I can throw in my duffel bag when I head to see the family for a weekend and such.

 

[HotelX]

The mother was my first synth and it still sounds great every time I pull it out.

 

[dukeorock]

The Cwejman is completely nuts'

I have two Cwejmans. The BLD which does perc and bass stuff, and the big SM-1, which is a complete voice. I’ll get more Cwejman stuff down the line, but for now I’m selling the SM-1. It’s about the size of a Mother 32, but costs about the same as a Moog Matriarch. I think I’d rather have a Matriarch, though the size is gonna cramp things should I get one

$$ for sure. i was once thinking about using a modular setup instead of pedals. i asked a friend who had his *small* modular setup what it cost.

the answer kept me in pedal land . . .

After buying 8-10 pedals, I sold almost all of em and started my modular rig! Dunno, boutique pedals were just as much as good modules from my point of view. That said, I plan on patching pedals into the modular to attempt a ‘best of both worlds’ kinda setup.

 

[HotelX]

The mother was my first synth and it still sounds great every time I pull it out.

Arg I was not thinking straight. I have the Moog Grandmother not the mother.

 

[ugly_bassplayer]

FREAKSHOW INDUSTRIES | Chaotic Reverser

 

[steubig]

Argeïphontes Lyre

 

[ugly_bassplayer]

Argeïphontes Lyre

I read the whole thing and still dont get what it does exactly.

 

[steubig]

it’s a free download. i haven’t used it for a while.

i’m pretty sure he used it for this.

 

[HotelX]

Looks like a whole lot of randomness applied. Free so, ***, I’ll give it a try. Looks interesting for sure.

 

[HotelX]

I read the whole thing and still dont get what it does exactly.

I don’t think you are supposed to understand what it does exactly

 

[monsterthompson]

Watching now.