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Ambient/Post-Rock/Textural bass playing thread

#10,241
Bob_Ross said:
We can hang. :::beer:::
I've been using MIDI since 1984, but if I ever have to integrate it into my bass playing you can just shoot me. :) It's a fabulously versatile technology (aside: a buddy of mine is one of the architects of MIDI 2.0, and that looks like it's going to be even more versatile! Can't wait...) but the entire control environment in terms of both planning and executing is so not what I want the bass to be about. If I were doing live performances as a synthesist and/or an "onstage audio manipulator" I would embrace MIDI in a heartbeat -- mostly because I already own a ton of MIDI hardware -- but as soon as you strap a bass around my neck I want live in a very different conceptual and gestural paradigm.
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To each their own, to me MIDI is no different than programming a preset into a pedal. It’s a one time minimal investment, but if not for you that’s cool.
 
#10,243
cosmicevan said:
to me MIDI is no different than programming a preset into a pedal.
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Actually, I suspect we are in agreement: I agree MIDI is indeed no different than programming a preset into a pedal. MIDI often is literally programming a preset into a pedal.

I'm just finding myself way more engaged by the challenge of crafting my bass vocabulary in the moment and then being able to recall/recreate those contributions from scratch as needed, rather than working offline to develop a library which can then simply [sic] be recalled as desired. It's not a judgement; I spent a crap-ton of years building onstage bass presets that got recalled at precisely the right moment every time a piece of music arrived at a specific point. As a composer and sound designer, I love that sort of control.

But these days I feel like it's more engaging for my audiences (such as they are) to witness the work in real-time. I'll probably get sick of that attitude eventually. :)
 
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#10,244
Bob_Ross said:
Actually, I suspect we are in agreement: I agree MIDI is indeed no different than programming a preset into a pedal. MIDI often is literally programming a preset into a pedal.

I'm just finding myself way more engaged by the challenge of crafting my bass vocabulary in the moment and then being able to recall/recreate those contributions from scratch as needed, rather than working offline to develop a library which can then simply [sic] be recalled as desired. It's not a judgement; I spent a crap-ton of years building onstage bass presets that got recalled at precisely the right moment every time a piece of music arrived at a specific point. As a composer and sound designer, I love that sort of control.

But these days I feel like it's more engaging for my audiences (such as they are) to witness the work in real-time. I'll probably get sick of that attitude eventually. :)
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Right on, my audiences these days are my unwilling family (though the kids love twisting buttons) and the other people I play with (though that hasn’t happened in person since March, but lots of talk about getting a jam going w my experimental synth sounds project.

You hit the nail on the head though about control. My whole purpose is to be able to control sound way beyond just rhythm and melody. I am not one for prerecording stuff but recreating in a vaguely similar way (I never like to play a song the same way twice...I am like a music/jam MIJ). As such, expression control via MIDI is a big thing for me allowing me to twist a knob with whatever boundaries I desire. My current setup isn’t all that complicated, but back in the day my gigging rig had 2 Electrix Repeater 4 track loopers controlled w a Behringer MIDI floorboard that had 10 banks w 10 foot switches and 2 expression pedals to work with. I programmed it fully and had a whole structure built into it having several commands sent per stomp. It was wild. I remember one setting would go from recording on track 2 while track one was playing to stop recording, kick into reverse, muting track 1, switching my live to track 3 and setting volume controls on one expression and the other did a tape slowdown on the reverse loop that was just recorded. Lol...crazy times indeed...heck of a trick to be able to use to get a layer of reverse ambience.
 
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#10,245
I finally had the chance this year to buy some pedals I've wanted, particularly the Moog MF-101 and MF-102 (completing the original trio with my MF-103) and the Eventide Rose. Then bought the new Eventide Blackhole on a whim. I've been very busy with work, but I'm slowly incorporating these new pedals into different mini-setups.

Here is my current drum setup: Nord Drum sequenced by EHX Clockworks, going through MF-101 -> MF-102 -> Behringer VF-400 delay. Still need to find a way to incorporate the Crash Pad, and probably swap the VF-400 for the Rose.

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The Blackhole will replace the TC Nova Reverb used with my eurorack system, and the Nova will go into a pedalboard for my bass rig. I'll be getting the board this week - currently considering the Voodoo Lab Dingbat medium with 4x4 power. It won't be exactly an ambient/noise setup, but it'll have the 720 looper on it so who knows? Will post pictures and audio tracks when it's done.
 
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#10,249
monsterthompson said:
Ooh - I just got linked to this audio only version with some mix/master tweaks.
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Just listening back now.
Right around the 62 min mark is where I recalled really having fun. It starts picking up around 66-70. That might've been my favorite bit of the night.
I was going to post up a comment on soundcloud, but it isn't letting me. I wanted to mark up my favorite spots. Dang.
 
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