Ambient/Post-Rock/Textural bass playing thread

[lordradish]

from what I’ve read, the DX7 is one of the most, if not the most advanced synths ever made. Too bad I couldn’t make a decent patch on one to save my life

I once saw a documentary, and it said that back in the day, there were like only 3 or 4 people who could really program DX7's, and one of them was Brian Eno.

 

[lordradish]

I will say this thread is really the epitome of the opposite of what you see on those top threads when you first log in. The level of discourse here is a lot more substantive, and we get into process and philosophy, too.

 

[ugly_bassplayer]

I once saw a documentary, and it said that back in the day, there were like only 3 or 4 people who could really program DX7's, and one of them was Brian Eno.

It might be a good sounding synth.But how the heck are people supposed to use something if no one knows how to use it without reading a 400 page manual and the entire encyclopedia of modular synthesis.
I certainly would not have the patience for a machine that complex.

That’s why it went extinct and musicians went on it use more “accessible” means of self expression.

My 2 cents.

 

[ugly_bassplayer]

I will say this thread is really the epitome of the opposite of what you see on those top threads when you first log in. The level of discourse here is a lot more substantive, and we get into process and philosophy, too.

+2345678765456 to that.
Where else can people go from Morton Feldman to Eno to Marley Marl in the same post.
And then from Jean Jacques Rousseau to (insert name of incredible painters @steubig shares).

Then read a text about modular synthesis.

Then a video on how to build instruments inside a daw using band pass filters, to making home made instruments with contact mic’s,

This thread is very rich in content, always makes me think and reflect.


So......what flats sound best for metal?

 

[lordradish]

It might be a good sounding synth.But how the heck are people supposed to use something if no one knows how to use it without reading a 400 page manual and the entire encyclopedia of modular synthesis.
I certainly would not have the patience for a machine that complex.

That’s why it went extinct and musicians went on it use more “accessible” means of self expression.

My 2 cents.

I think it also went extinct because you literally couldn't turn on the radio without hearing it. I still cringe when I hear the Whitney Houston DX7 piano sound that still lives on in every cheesy "FM piano" preset on every synth.

 

[lordradish]

So......what flats sound best for metal?

Depends. Is it on a P bass?

 

[ugly_bassplayer]

Depends. Is it on a P bass?

D’uhhhh.



Sorry, I just went blank for 1min, woke up on the floor after just reading the W Hous name,...

 

[Passinwind]

It might be a good sounding synth.But how the heck are people supposed to use something if no one knows how to use it without reading a 400 page manual and the entire encyclopedia of modular synthesis.
I certainly would not have the patience for a machine that complex.

That’s why it went extinct and musicians went on it use more “accessible” means of self expression.

My 2 cents.

You should've heard the private discussions between keyboard techs back when those things (DX7 et al) came out. We couldn't even get snarky with RTFM comments, because we also had no idea how to program them.

And way way back in the early 80s my roomie and I were given one of the first Apple additive synth rigs (Alpha Syntauri) for a while to decipher by the music teacher at the little prep school near us in VT. I'll bet there werre a few cool sounds in there somewhere, maybe someone has found them by now.

 

[Spectrum]

I am mystified enough with my Volca FM, which is supposedly more user friendly than the DX7. It doesn't help that Korg Volcas have the absolute worse "manuals" of any gear maker. Basically it's just a folded sheet of paper that tells you what the knobs are. No explanation of how to use anything. When you buy a Volca you have to go to YouTube and start watching tutorials to get started. I have a Korg Sound on Sound recorder which has a very nice manual that explains everything, don't know why they dropped the ball on the Volca line.

 

[dukeorock]

I will say this thread is really the epitome of the opposite of what you see on those top threads when you first log in. The level of discourse here is a lot more substantive, and we get into process and philosophy, too.

beats arguing about whether tort pickguards are cool or ugly

I think it also went extinct because you literally couldn't turn on the radio without hearing it. I still cringe when I hear the Whitney Houston DX7 piano sound that still lives on in every cheesy "FM piano" preset on every synth.

I think that’s why FM fell out of favor in a general sort of way for awhile. Too many bell piano induced nightmares When I heard what Eno was doing with FM, I knew it was something I could fall in love with, but I couldn’t make heads or tails of the DX7. The EssenceFM is a joy to program, but still, I have a ton of learning to do about FM.

I am mystified enough with my Volca FM, which is supposedly more user friendly than the DX7. It doesn't help that Korg Volcas have the absolute worse "manuals" of any gear maker. Basically it's just a folded sheet of paper that tells you what the knobs are. No explanation of how to use anything. When you buy a Volca you have to go to YouTube and start watching tutorials to get started. I have a Korg Sound on Sound recorder which has a very nice manual that explains everything, don't know why they dropped the ball on the Volca line.

the Volca FM sounds really nice, but from what I’ve read over on Elektronauts, it’s pretty tough to program

 

[ugly_bassplayer]

Any suggestions for soft synth vst?

Always looking to expand.

 

[steubig]

i think a lot of the problem with the dx/tx stuff was the ui, which made things neigh impossible. with analog stuff, you could twist some knobs and get tactile/sound feedback.

there are actually some nice fm synths on ipad with make things a *bit* more understandable.

overuse can def kill a synth. d50?

i think it’s cause people use the factory presets so much that people get tired of the sounds very quickly.

 

[ugly_bassplayer]

i think a lot of the problem with the dx/tx stuff was the ui, which made things neigh impossible. with analog stuff, you could twist some knobs and get tactile/sound feedback.

there are actually some nice fm synths on ipad with make things a *bit* more understandable.

overuse can def kill a synth. d50?

i think it’s cause people use the factory presets so much that people get tired of the sounds very quickly.

The FM2 by audiokit on iPad is kinda cool.
I "kinda" get what's happening. (No not really.....)

 

[monsterthompson]

Any suggestions for soft synth vst?

Always looking to expand.

What sort of synth? Wave table? FM? Granular?

 

[ugly_bassplayer]

What sort of synth? Wave table? FM? Granular?

Granular, Wave Table, etc.....
I reallly dig Moog stuff.
.....ill skip FM for now.

 

[Spectrum]

i think it’s cause people use the factory presets so much that people get tired of the sounds very quickly.

I think that's what did it. Since the things were so hard to program everyone fell back on the presets, which were the sound of 80s cheese. It didn't help that the presets were chosen by pop music producers for the same reason studios like P-basses: they are known territory and easy to work with, and the objective with pop is to make all music sound the same as that last big hit so as to ride the gravy train as long as possible. The DX7, a fine enough machine when in capable hands, became cast as a villain for a decade or two. My theory, anyway.

 

[monsterthompson]

Granular, Wave Table, etc.....
I reallly dig Moog stuff.
.....ill skip FM for now.

Most of my soft synth experience is with Native Instruments stuff. I’ve got Komplete, so I can comment on a bunch of those. The solo stand-alone pricing might be a bit more than you like, but if anything from them grabs your attention and meets your budget, I’ll share what I can.

The Reaktor-based stuff is pretty good. Monark is a good Moog clone. Blocks can get interesting with the virtual modular format, but there might be equally interesting cheaper options around. Form is an interesting sample based synth but I don’t quite click with the format (I did use it in the last track I posted). It is also CPU intensive.

 

[monsterthompson]

Just found this:

Any information which is common, after several repetitions, you cease to hear.

You reject the common information, rather like if you gaze at something for a long time, you’ll cease to really see it.

You’ll see any aspect of it that’s changing, but the static elements you won’t see.
- Brian Eno​

 

[steubig]

I think that's what did it. Since the things were so hard to program everyone fell back on the presets, which were the sound of 80s cheese. It didn't help that the presets were chosen by pop music producers for the same reason studios like P-basses: they are known territory and easy to work with, and the objective with pop is to make all music sound the same as that last big hit so as to ride the gravy train as long as possible. The DX7, a fine enough machine when in capable hands, became cast as a villain for a decade or two. My theory, anyway.

my experience is a little different.

most producers wanted something that would sound new; it they heard it too much, they got tired of it.

the bass is sort of an outlier, imo, because, ya know, most people don't even hear it.

 

[dukeorock]

my experience is a little different.

most producers wanted something that would sound new; it they heard it too much, they got tired of it.

the bass is sort of an outlier, imo, because, ya know, most people don't even hear it.

I would venture to say on many sessions I do in Nashville, if I brought a P bass with flats, no one would ask where my other basses are. I only own one P bass and I rarely take it to sessions
I usually bring 3 electrics and my 1948 Epiphone B4 upright. The electrics are usually
A Tbird, just because I like the sound and they are more versatile than they get credit for.
My ‘65 Hofner Beatle bass, which doesn’t always work, but when it does, it’s a beautiful thing.
My 1987 MusicMan Sabre. It plays great and gets the most use when I do a more modern country session. I would never use it on my own projects because it sounds ‘good’ but has very little personality, if any. Perfect for modern country as they want a really safe sound that provides cushion but stays out of the way, so I give em what they want and play my best, then never have to hear it again