Ambient/Post-Rock/Textural bass playing thread

[jbybj]

hi folks. I'm writing to tap into the collective wisdom in this thread. The only musician I can practice with right now is my wife, who is (extremely conveniently) also my drummer, so we have formed a duo. This gives me a lot of room to experiment with weird textures and the like. I've been having a blast exploring hitherto undiscovered (by me) corners of my Eventide H9. I'd really like to get one more spacey pedal to complement it. Since the H9 is edited with an app, maybe something that's done entirely on the pedal or at least doesn't require a software editor. The Meris Polymoon has my attention. Maybe an EQD Afterneath (yes the H9 can cop that sound, but then it can do other things). Other ideas? Bonus if it plays well with distortion. What I really want is a hardware version of the Ghost Mode on ValhallaDelay, complete with diffusion, but that does not exist.

Anyway, something that complements the Eventide sound is probably what I want, but controllable. I really want a Chase Bliss Mood but we are writing actual songs, so it needs to be controllable.

Oh, and I'm playing an 8-string instrument tuned in 5ths, so I can go from the low B of bass to high D on a guitar....

Perhaps consider a Panda Audio Future Impact or a Source Audio C4. Both amazing devices, (I can only speak directly to the FI, but the C4 is pretty awesome too).
They require a computer to edit and create patches, but they both have significant user patch libraries that you can cherry pick.
Your situation seems well suited to a synth pedal.

 

[steubig]

hi folks. I'm writing to tap into the collective wisdom in this thread. The only musician I can practice with right now is my wife, who is (extremely conveniently) also my drummer, so we have formed a duo. This gives me a lot of room to experiment with weird textures and the like. I've been having a blast exploring hitherto undiscovered (by me) corners of my Eventide H9. I'd really like to get one more spacey pedal to complement it. Since the H9 is edited with an app, maybe something that's done entirely on the pedal or at least doesn't require a software editor. The Meris Polymoon has my attention. Maybe an EQD Afterneath (yes the H9 can cop that sound, but then it can do other things). Other ideas? Bonus if it plays well with distortion. What I really want is a hardware version of the Ghost Mode on ValhallaDelay, complete with diffusion, but that does not exist.

Anyway, something that complements the Eventide sound is probably what I want, but controllable. I really want a Chase Bliss Mood but we are writing actual songs, so it needs to be controllable.

Oh, and I'm playing an 8-string instrument tuned in 5ths, so I can go from the low B of bass to high D on a guitar....

define spacey.

and

what kind of sounds are you getting out of your eventide?

 

[steubig]

addendum to my earlier post about pedals.

i’ve heard @Bob_Ross and another friend of mine get amazing sounds out of the mood and blooper. the challenge that i have is how to *integrate* those sounds, textures into a piece of music. (in certain ways this iist gets to my methodology/conceptions and the limitations thereof.)

 

[JES]

Thanks for the replies. Keep ‘em coming. I have some reading/listening to do. I play synth as well, but not in this “band” so no synth pedal for me, and while the Zoia looks cool and I’m into modular approaches (synth, Bitwig), I think I want a more direct hardware interface for this new pedal friend.

Any budget or size constraints?

Smaller than my MF-101. I have more money than sense.

I just wanna say I am so jealous of you! That's awesome that you and the missus are able to make music together during these "interesting times"

I love you man...

I love you too but somewhat less than I love her. She has always had a drummer’s personality but took up the instrument a few years ago. We are in a “regular” band but now we are a band by necessity.

Chapman Stick?

It’s a NS stick tuned in the “crafty” tuning, however, it’s my learning instrument for a Touch Guitar which is on order (I miss having a radius). Been playing for 9 months, and I can now sort of play some kind of bizarre cross of effect and distortion drenched doom, post-rock and indie rock. Prog is a ways away.

 

[emjazz]

addendum to my earlier post about pedals.

i’ve heard @Bob_Ross and another friend of mine get amazing sounds out of the mood and blooper. the challenge that i have is how to *integrate* those sounds, textures into a piece of music. (in certain ways this iist gets to my methodology/conceptions and the limitations thereof.)

I'm learning that I really enjoy unpredictable effect pedals that I have to play along with. I have the Tensor, and just got a Count to 5 today. I'm loving these things. The Tensor has become a staple for me.

 

[cosmicevan]

All these pedals are tameable if you put in the time. I was going to suggest a Count to 5. The cool thing about it is that there are 2 different firmwares for it now so you can try each to see which suits you best.

 

[emjazz]

All these pedals are tameable if you put in the time. I was going to suggest a Count to 5. The cool thing about it is that there are 2 different firmwares for it now so you can try each to see which suits you best.

They are tameable, but still with a degree of unpredictability....and I love that.

 

[JES]

define spacey. what kind of sounds are you getting out of your eventide?

hahahaha. Basically I use the Eventide to produce pad-like sounds to go with me playing medium tempo parts over or under. Washes of controlled delay feedback, frozen reverbs, pitched delays, cavernous plates with a high pass for the low tones, etc. We don’t do looped rhythms though I could see a looped pad here or there. I do like distortion.

 

[lordradish]

I wonder with all these really sophisticated effects and pieces of gear we have now if any of them will stand the test of time the way some of the older, simpler pedals have. It seems like there are so many of these things and they all have such steep learning curves, some need firmware updates or computer connections to fully utilize, etc.

Not that it concerns me; I'm having fun with this stuff now and plan to keep doing so for quite a while.

It's funny you should say that. As I've got a lot of recent stuff (the Wavestate, Aeros Looper, MPC live and soon, Iridium) that is super hi-tech, I have often been thinking of how much of this gear I'll have 20 years from now that is still in working order... and what that means for my style, sound, composing, everything, because it could end up being like when you get a new computer and you have to get all of your other stuff back up and running. How to get new sounds for your older material can sometimes be a challenge. Something I don't have to really do when playing bass.

I don't think it will be as simple as restoring/refreshing a Minimoog, when it comes to most of my sytnhs. The only one I'm pretty sure I'll be good on is the Moog Subsequent 37 I have.

 

[lordradish]

hi folks. I'm writing to tap into the collective wisdom in this thread. The only musician I can practice with right now is my wife, who is (extremely conveniently) also my drummer, so we have formed a duo. This gives me a lot of room to experiment with weird textures and the like. I've been having a blast exploring hitherto undiscovered (by me) corners of my Eventide H9. I'd really like to get one more spacey pedal to complement it. Since the H9 is edited with an app, maybe something that's done entirely on the pedal or at least doesn't require a software editor. The Meris Polymoon has my attention. Maybe an EQD Afterneath (yes the H9 can cop that sound, but then it can do other things). Other ideas? Bonus if it plays well with distortion. What I really want is a hardware version of the Ghost Mode on ValhallaDelay, complete with diffusion, but that does not exist.

Anyway, something that complements the Eventide sound is probably what I want, but controllable. I really want a Chase Bliss Mood but we are writing actual songs, so it needs to be controllable.

Oh, and I'm playing an 8-string instrument tuned in 5ths, so I can go from the low B of bass to high D on a guitar....

Okay, I have an H9 and a Polymoon, in a chain of something like 10 pedals. The unofficial Polymoon editor is fantastic, and it has a randomizer thing that is killer, too. Polymoon's a great choice, for lots of reasons, Can get a clean conventional delay out of it, but oh, oh, the options for mangling, and there's a smeary-type thing on it that makes it more of a texture, which you'd send through the Blackhole or something on the H9.

 

[JES]

Okay, I have an H9 and a Polymoon, in a chain of something like 10 pedals. The unofficial Polymoon editor is fantastic, and it has a randomizer thing that is killer, too. Polymoon's a great choice, for lots of reasons, Can get a clean conventional delay out of it, but oh, oh, the options for mangling, and there's a smeary-type thing on it that makes it more of a texture, which you'd send through the Blackhole or something on the H9.

Be still my beating heart.

 

[Spectrum]

It's funny you should say that. As I've got a lot of recent stuff (the Wavestate, Aeros Looper, MPC live and soon, Iridium) that is super hi-tech, I have often been thinking of how much of this gear I'll have 20 years from now that is still in working order... and what that means for my style, sound, composing, everything, because it could end up being like when you get a new computer and you have to get all of your other stuff back up and running. How to get new sounds for your older material can sometimes be a challenge. Something I don't have to really do when playing bass.

I don't think it will be as simple as restoring/refreshing a Minimoog, when it comes to most of my sytnhs. The only one I'm pretty sure I'll be good on is the Moog Subsequent 37 I have.

When I think of my monosynths, the Mother 32s and the MicroBrute will probably still work decades from now but there might not be any firmware support after a while; they'll just have to work with whatever's loaded. I find any dependence on computers or internet for maintenance to be annoying.

My simple Volcas, on the other hand, don't have any means of updating firmware as far as I can tell, not meant to be done by a user anyway.

All these modern analog synths have digital components and integrated circuits, and so someday when the wrong part breaks and no replacement is available they'll be down for the count. A synth from the early 70s, by comparison, can probably be fixed with common electronic parts off the shelf.

I still have a Casio keyboard that my brother got as a kid in the 80s, and it still works fine, so I guess it's not so bad.

You are right about the bass guitar itself, though, take care of it and it should last a lifetime or longer and is always easy to just plug in and play.

 

[lordradish]

Finally, something new, from tonight. Wavestate, then Moog, then Virus. Kinda going for a somewhat distant, deteriorated vibe, like in an abandoned grand hotel.
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[lordradish]

After listening to what I just posted, a few more times, I don't know what the hell I was thinking when I said 'abandoned grand hotel'. I think I was thinking about another recent one as I wrote this. Still cool, though.

 

[steubig]

All these pedals are tameable if you put in the time. I was going to suggest a Count to 5. The cool thing about it is that there are 2 different firmwares for it now so you can try each to see which suits you best.

i have a ct5. owned two. sold the other.

i prefer its mini-looper side because it fits my needs more than the sounds on the other modes. i get pretty tired of pitched delays, etc. they don’t do much for what i like to do.

 

[ugly_bassplayer]

Re: gear that will age well or not

I don't have much stuff compared to most here but I use alot of workarounds and I am very lucky to have what got. Not complaining one bit. Makes me work harder


The only piece of kit that I have that will not age well is my computer and audio interface for obvious reasons.
(Ableton update to live 10 I'm looking at you
....punches wall ...... crappy 300$ update for a "new look" my @$$.....)

My 4 track recorder is no longer supported but uses sd cards and works flawlessly.
(Zero issues in more the 2 years of daily use)

My noise synths are 100% analog ,are point to point with no pcb built by hand by one craftsman. Imo, I think they will go up in value instead of down (i could easily be wrong here....this is merely speculation. )

All my pedals are stand alones and dont need firmware updates. So if they don't wear out....they'll be a-ok for many more stomps and sweaty gigs.
Only my boss RC-3 plugs into a computer but its a tank and not "that expensive" if it becomes obsolete or "bricks" on me.

My bass collection of 4 is ok for the long run....so ok there.

My sp404sx is basically the same as the OG 404 that dates back to 2005 but uses sd cards for memory instead of crappy CF cards. Its still based on the 303 that was released in the late 90s.
Still going strong for a sampler that's based on 25 year old tech. Has a cult following so it might get some updates if anything happens. The last firmware is from 2013 I think...??
I really dig this little machine. Wish I started using one 20 years ago.

My mixer is 100% analog with 24 bit onboard fx. Still going strong, no firmware or computer needed.

All my synths are software so...not to bad on that end.....either on ipad or Ableton instruments.

My 2 cents

 

[ugly_bassplayer]

Finally, something new, from tonight. Wavestate, then Moog, then Virus. Kinda going for a somewhat distant, deteriorated vibe, like in an abandoned grand hotel.
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Damn....really dope.
Can I put some drums on that for fun.



Already have a secret stash break I havent used yet .

Zoia is out of my price range for now. (1000$ cad to my door is too much for me....)
But damn....now.I have serious polymoon envy.....anyone see that thing used not selling 8$ less than new?!?!?!?

 

[JES]

On the obsolescence thread, I feel like any self-contained instrument with its own interface is fine until it physically stops working. Even my H9... though when Eventide gives up their iOS support, the H9 will go from having an amazing interface for editing to having something just a step up from a 1980s rack unit. At least the pedal is very well built and you can do everything on the pedal. My Aftershock will still work, though it will be impossible to edit (I actually hate the Neuro editor, but it's not their fault). My Source Audio Reflex never got an editor to begin with.... To be fair, I have an old Ibanez AD-202 and a Roland RE-150 Space Echo and neither is in perfect working condition even with maintenance, but they do sound wonderful in their slightly imperfect state.

I'm old enough to have lived through this already a couple times. My favourite plugin suite in 2002 was the Audio Ease Nautilus bundle . . . that didn't make it to OSX.

I just bought a ribbon mic to record some percussion overdubs for a record. Now THAT is going to be a lifetime investment.

 

[ugly_bassplayer]

On the obsolescence thread, I feel like any self-contained instrument with its own interface is fine until it physically stops working. Even my H9... though when Eventide gives up their iOS support, the H9 will go from having an amazing interface for editing to having something just a step up from a 1980s rack unit. At least the pedal is very well built and you can do everything on the pedal. My Aftershock will still work, though it will be impossible to edit (I actually hate the Neuro editor, but it's not their fault). My Source Audio Reflex never got an editor to begin with.... To be fair, I have an old Ibanez AD-202 and a Roland RE-150 Space Echo and neither is in perfect working condition even with maintenance, but they do sound wonderful in their slightly imperfect state.

I'm old enough to have lived through this already a couple times. My favourite plugin suite in 2002 was the Audio Ease Nautilus bundle . . . that didn't make it to OSX.

I just bought a ribbon mic to record some percussion overdubs for a record. Now THAT is going to be a lifetime investment.

Ribbon mic will last a lifetime.....unless you drop it and bend the ribbon. I love ribbon mics but man are they fragile.

 

[JES]

That's why I bought a Beyer. They are a bit more durable. But it's never going to leave the apartment.

Plus, it can get re-ribboned. No OS compatibility needed.