Ambient/Post-Rock/Textural bass playing thread

[ugly_bassplayer]

Ok, I said I had some ideas. Well here we go.
Here is a noise pit of experimental, improvised nuclear meltdown hell.

Enjoy/Cringe

edit: remixed it.....

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

 

[steubig]

ipad:

samplr: still a fave after all these years

borderlands granular: really smart

nave and nlog: made by the guy who programmed the waldorf quantum

cassini

thor

grain science and mitosynth

virsyn stuff is cool

ppg stuff is cool

korg electribe is a good drum machine

 

[monsterthompson]

More time with Zoia last night. I’ve got the expression pedal working and crossfading between sounds. I’m now thinking I might be able to put a virtual switching system together where the expression pedal can route internally in the Zoia or send MIDI out to my two other Empress pedals. That wouldn’t be awful. One expression pedal controlling three devices

I’m growing to like some of the fuzz sounds I’m getting. Now, I’m using the expression pedal to fade between clean and dirty sounds. Pluck a clean note, then fade into fuzz as it decays.

I'm working on the granular module next. Trying to LFO and/or sequence settings.

 

[steubig]

I’m growing to like some of the fuzz sounds I’m getting. Now, I’m using the expression pedal to fade between clean and dirty sounds. Pluck a clean note, then fade into fuzz as it decays.

and now you know my gimmick.

the other cool thing is two-three fuzzes (i use three) with different eq curves and exp pedals to morph between them.

strange overtones, almost infinite controllable feedback, quick shifts between shards of glass and pipe organ, fake saxophone overblowing.

 

[monsterthompson]

and now you know my gimmick.

the other cool thing is two-three fuzzes (i use three) with different eq curves and exp pedals to morph between them.

strange overtones, almost infinite controllable feedback, quick shifts between shards of glass and pipe organ, fake saxophone overblowing.

Now I'm thinking of staging an onset detector that triggers a CV value change (slow ramp LFO?), and having a slew module control the rate of change. You could automate the expression pedal work.

I'm enjoying aliasing modules. I'm thinking of replacing fuzzes with the alias and bit crush modules, using your cross-fade idea.

 

[dukeorock]

Did a kinda ‘rock’ song in 5/4 today. Sorry :/

 

[steubig]

i’vw done it with bit crushers and ring mods.

crossing between a regular and reverse delay or reverb is also really interesting.

i don’t automate this stuff.

 

[ugly_bassplayer]

ipad:

samplr: still a fave after all these years

borderlands granular: really smart

nave and nlog: made by the guy who programmed the waldorf quantum

cassini

thor

grain science and mitosynth

virsyn stuff is cool

ppg stuff is cool

korg electribe is a good drum machine

How do you import samples for samplr???
Seems like a pain in the @$$ using Dropbox....???

(Old grumpy)

 

[steubig]

ah. good question. it’s been a while. i wonder if you can also do it with audio share or through itunes. audio is pretty cool, btw.

i used samplr to sample things happening in the room and then manipulating that.

How do you import samples for samplr???
Seems like a pain in the @$$ using Dropbox....???

(Old grumpy)

 

[dukeorock]

How do you import samples for samplr???
Seems like a pain in the @$$ using Dropbox....???

(Old grumpy)

Some apps let you load it to and from Dropbox. Can’t remember with Samplr

 

[ugly_bassplayer]

i used samplr to sample things happening in the room and then manipulating that.

Now that is a good idea.
I use my dr40 4 track for field recordings.

That's why i hate apple. No drag and drop files. You have to go through stupid imposed apps or loops for simple tasks.
(Wall punching ta cu lar)

Jeez....if i want to take a chop from my sp to the app....its like....10 steps of creativity killing goodness.

 

[Bob_Ross]

All this talk of cross-fading and using expression pedals to morph between different distortions reminded me of something from the Wayback Machine:

Did any of you ever play with the Patch Of Shades?

It was a stompbox -- or, rather, a stompbox adjunct, a facilitator for other stompboxes -- made by Emmet Chapman's Stick Enterprises company. I vaguely recall (having not fully read the link I just posted) that it was a cross-fadeable loop selector. Its most unique attribute was that rather than being pedal-controlled, it had a pressure-sensitive cushion that you stepped on. Or pushed gently with your fingers, I suppose. The idea being that you could get all sorts of organic in-between shades from massaging this soft little pillow that a hardware pedal might not achieve with equal sensitivity.

Was always fascinated by the concept. Always wondered whether the execution lived up to that. Anybody ever use one?

 

[steubig]

Now that is a good idea.
I use my dr40 4 track for field recordings.

That's why i hate apple. No drag and drop files. You have to go through stupid imposed apps or loops for simple tasks.
(Wall punching ta cu lar)

Jeez....if i want to take a chop from my sp to the app....its like....10 steps of creativity killing goodness.

audioshare is good for field recording. it works on iphone (dunno about android), do very portable.

i’ve done some cool recordings that i flew into improvs via my phone (modern tech!).

agree about the apple lockdown. i’ve just dealt with it.

thing about samplr is that it does stuff that nothing else does. gaz williams did a pretty cool vid on it a number of years ago (mostly *how* he used the tech).

 

[steubig]

All this talk of cross-fading and using expression pedals to morph between different distortions reminded me of something from the Wayback Machine:

Did any of you ever play with the Patch Of Shades?

It was a stompbox -- or, rather, a stompbox adjunct, a facilitator for other stompboxes -- made by Emmet Chapman's Stick Enterprises company. I vaguely recall (having not fully read the link I just posted) that it was a cross-fadeable loop selector. Its most unique attribute was that rather than being pedal-controlled, it had a pressure-sensitive cushion that you stepped on. Or pushed gently with your fingers, I suppose. The idea being that you could get all sorts of organic in-between shades from massaging this soft little pillow that a hardware pedal might not achieve with equal sensitivity.

Was always fascinated by the concept. Always wondered whether the execution lived up to that. Anybody ever use one?

so funny story: a long time ago (early 80s), i went to chapman’s house to buy a walter woods head.

the whole time was spent with him trying to sell me on the idea of the patch of shades. i don’t recall loving what i heard, but i may have just been annoyed by his *whole thing*.
i do recall thinking it sounding a little cheesy, but i may have also been in a “bass purist” mode at the time.

i was talking to someone about this recently. can’t recall if they had tried it very much. i think they also were disinterested.

obviously ahead of his time.

 

[ugly_bassplayer]

so funny story: a long time ago (early 80s), i went to chapman’s house to buy a walter woods head.

the whole time was spent with him trying to sell me on the idea of the patch of shades. i don’t recall loving what i heard, but i may have just been annoyed by his *whole thing*.
i do recall thinking it sounding a little cheesy, but i may have also been in a “bass purist” mode at the time.

i was talking to someone about this recently. can’t recall if they had tried it very much. i think they also were disinterested.

obviously ahead of his time.

Please step back and put that chapman stick in the closet please.

(Puts on haz mat suit)

 

[monsterthompson]

Did a kinda ‘rock’ song in 5/4 today. Sorry :/

Nice. Another one of yours where I hear elements of Soul Coughing. Not in a super specific way.

 

[cosmicevan]

This thing really catches my eye. I feel it might be too close to modular for me to try, but I'm GASing hard for a box like that.

there's a real question about how to get your stuff heard. how do *you* find stuff? friends? discogs? (if you want a discogs listing, you are probably not gonna get someone listing your bandcamp stuff unless they already found out about you via hard media.)

last, i **always** want to be good as possible.

I always think about this. I'm picky with my time and what I choose to listen to. To me, before I click on something I look at how long it is. If it's more than a minute or 2 or 3 I'll click in, if it doesn't grab me right away I'll jump forward.

I feel catch people with something short and sweet and then lead them deep into your catalog.

And lo and behold, the heavens opened up and from the skies came an email from Sweetwater telling me that MY WAVESTATE HAS SHIPPED TODAY. I thought I wasn't going to see it till June, at this point. And it couldn't have happened at a better time... I am in such a creative rut right now. Like, really bad.

Anyone else having a hard time? I'm not so stressed or depressed, here... we're both still working full time, and are healthy, it's just... I don't know. I go up, stand in the big ring of gear (synths and the pedalboard actually make up a 'ring', now), and I'm just like, Sh*t, I don't want to be here. It's frustrating, because I have more time in the world than ever, I don't have to learn other stuff for gigs. Apart from the few bright spots I've had with those collabs with @ugly_bassplayer, I'm really having a hard time feelin' it.

The synth duo was finally taking off, before this, and I want to have a bunch of new stuff ready to go when we finally get going again. GRRRRR. Sorry, had to vent.

I have found that jamkazam has been really inspiring. it allows live jamming over the internet.

 

[lordradish]

I think @steubig 's post about his routine got me thinking, as it made me realize how little time I put into practicing. I usually just go up there with the intention of creating, and, last night, I was still feeling uninspired, so I decided to WORK. Pulled out the Music Man and that Janek Gwidzala Chordal Harmony book that's been taunting me for the last year, and went to town. It felt good. It didn't feel the same as jammin' out, but it felt good, regardless. I think I'm just going to take that approach... if uninspired to create, just learn something. My chops have gone to crap in the last month. Hell, if I just practice every night and don't create a damn thing, i'm having a hard time seeing how that's bad.

 

[lordradish]

I have found that jamkazam has been really inspiring. it allows live jamming over the internet.

I've been messing around with it, it's been a bit frustrating, because the only jams I seem to find are of dad band level guys playing tired old covers. Lots of beginners on there. Not dissing beginners, but the dearth of jams with intermediate/expert level players is a bit frustrating.

I did set up two sessions on there for RSVP's... an ambient soundscape session, and a 70's funk/jazz session. I've had 3 people respond to the ambient one, so far, so I'll likely do that next week and see how it goes.

 

[steubig]

Hell, if I just practice every night and don't create a damn thing, i'm having a hard time seeing how that's bad.

it all goes into the blender. you’ll probably hear something in what you’re practicing and that’ll be the springboard to new creative endeavors.

going back to my post. when i say i’m practicing piano, i’m practicing scales cause i need the *basics*. but it’s helping me to hear things differently/better.