• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Ambient/Post-Rock/Textural bass playing thread

#101
Subbed! Three piece post-metal project where the guitarist and I use lots of effects :) I'll post a pic later but my current setup is:

TCE Polytune > DG B7K > Micro Pog > EHX Steel Leather > TCE Shaker > EHX Ego > TCE Chorus > TCE Flanger > TCE Reverb > EHX Holy Stain > EHX Holy Grail Nano > Boss RC-3 > Skinny Little Twins
 
#102
This thread is awesome! Wish I could do half of the cool things you guys have posted, all I know to do is crank all feedback knobs available and then mess around with any other knob in sight and hope it won't sound too bad. :D

I usually do my noise cr*p (because I don't seem to improve over that, heh) at home when I'm too lazy to do any actual practice. I have a little space in one of my bands to go nuts with the board and sometimes it sounds cool, most of the time it doesn't, sadly. Here's this track, it's the very first time I did some sort of textural or soundscape stuff in band context:



Edit: This was my board at the time, I've added more pedals and replaced others.

'll post a picture of my current board tonight, though it's nothing compared to some of the mosters you guys have.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
#103
eyeballkid said:
i feel dumb.. but how do you get the lush sound of the second one with delay involved? I dont hear any of the repeats or anything. Do you just set the delay soooo long that it gets to be part of the reverb, or....?

in full disclosure, ive never figured out how to use delays effectively other than really short ones, or very well timed tap tempo.



META: kinda same question for you. Both of you are doing things Ive tried to get towards sonically and havent figure out the best way with my pedals yet... got some nice OD's, Fuzzes and a RE-20. .. any pointers?
Click to expand...

Sorry this reply is so late! The trick to lush sounds on that track are few things. First is technique, I'm using a bow on an electric upright bass for everything on that track. Next I'm using volume swells to soften the attack of the bowed note. The combination of reverb and delay really makes the delay echo sound like part of the reverb as well. I'm using a longish delay time but not very long. On bass guitar just simple volume swells with delay works for a basic ambient sound. Reverb and modulation are good to add to increase to lushness and space.
 
  • Like
Reactions: BayingRidge
#104
I try to get a little ambient at the end of the bedroom loops I enjoy playing. I dunno if it totally 100% fits in with the thread but the last half of this track is quite reverbed/delayed out. Gave it a shot, don't mind the horrible slicing and dicing:



Not at home now, but will post the board when I get home. A lot of the ambient stuff it try to get into some loops are done with an Eventide Timefactor and Iron Ether Nimbus, maybe a little wah thrown in there. Good thread start :)
 
Last edited by a moderator:
#105
Hey everyone.

I was wondering if anyone here could recommend some pedals I could look into?
My band is playing mostly Post-Metal, Ambient and Progressive Metal (Or, will when I get all the members lol)

Thanks in advance!
 
#106
Will be pricey, but a high end delay and/or a nice reverb.

As for delay, I have an Eventide Timefactor that I got on TB for $250. I think the best is probably a Strymon Timeline but I've never tried it and it's harder to find used for a lower price. They're both really good. More affordable would be a TC Electronics Flashback X4.

Also a Boss Space Echo may get you what you're looking for and has delay and reverb in one double stomp box.

As for reverb, I use an Iron Ether Nimbus that really rocks. I am not sure about other reverbs.
 
#107
What kind of tone do you guys like to go for when playing in an ambient/post-rock band? I think that style of music presents interesting ways to approach bass because you can use it to fulfill different roles. I've heard some bassist who go for warm finger-plucked tones and some who turn up the mids, use a pick near the bridge, and make the bass sound as close to a guitar as possible.

I'd like to hear what you guys have to say. Personally in the band I play in I like to go back and forth between the two extremes but I mostly end up going for warmer tones with my fingers.
 
  • Like
Reactions: stario
#108
I tried to get a little ambient on the track in my sig. It's really just a short recording of an idea that I would like to eventually expand on. It was all done with the Zoom B3. There's 2 tracks the ambient track was a patch I made called swirl and the synth track was one called VAG. Both patches are on my google drive share. Let me know what you guys think.
 
  • Like
Reactions: franksapene
#111
CHILDISHGAMBINO said:
I tried to get a little ambient on the track in my sig. It's really just a short recording of an idea that I would like to eventually expand on. It was all done with the Zoom B3. There's 2 tracks the ambient track was a patch I made called swirl and the synth track was one called VAG. Both patches are on my google drive share. Let me know what you guys think.
Click to expand...

Dude. This is awesome.

I just received in the mail a zoom ms60b. I have a pretty massive pedal board to attempt to make sounds much like the ones you have. I haven't recorded anything in a while but have about 18 things saved on my loop pedal that i plan on turning into recordings sometime soon. some are along the lines of this clip you have posted here.

really sweet.
 
#112
Veldar said:
Hey guys I'm just getting into this stuff with my new band, I've been digging Palms and MBV so far, they both have great atmosphere in their song writing.

Right now I have just a tuner, wah and a Zoom B3, I'll be adding a ms-60B next week and some mod/delay pedals shortly after :).
Click to expand...

Palms are awesome. Have you listened to Isis? You might already know this but they have three former members in Palms and Jeff Caxide gets some of the best and most distinct ambient bass tones I've ever heard. The earlier Isis stuff is really heavy but if you listen to some of their later albums like In the Absence of Truth you'll hear some awesome bass work.
 
#113
Coreymcd22 said:
Palms are awesome. Have you listened to Isis? You might already know this but they have three former members in Palms and Jeff Caxide gets some of the best and most distinct ambient bass tones I've ever heard. The earlier Isis stuff is really heavy but if you listen to some of their later albums like In the Absence of Truth you'll hear some awesome bass work.
Click to expand...

Yeah I knew that Palms were a reincarnated Isis, but I still haven't spun an Isis record yet, but I'll be doing it soon if the bass tones as good as you say.(Also for my resume to a music reviewing website I'm reviewing the Palms album :bassist:)

And since everyone is putting up how they play in their projects I though I'd add my style, I use a lot of modulation/reverb over my guitarist chords.
because I'm the main song writer and he is a more basic guitarist he'll play a power chord for a while and when he's doing that I'm plucking the note-5th-octave-5th as a pattern letting the notes ring out, it sounds pretty cool especially since he loves flange and I love chorus so having both on at the same time sounds rad. :)
 
#114
honestly speaking, i think line 6 POD HD series is the best ambience, delay, verb, pedals out there in the market, in term of its flexibility of parallel mixing... i have not really explore it yet, but i have some sounds that i thought will sound cool in my mind for example:
stereo pingpong delay ->(loopA (use whammy modeller 2 oct up)->(loopB (use whammy modeller 4th below+chorus) than run the output in mono...
 
#116
BooshBass said:
Dude. This is awesome.

I just received in the mail a zoom ms60b. I have a pretty massive pedal board to attempt to make sounds much like the ones you have. I haven't recorded anything in a while but have about 18 things saved on my loop pedal that i plan on turning into recordings sometime soon. some are along the lines of this clip you have posted here.

really sweet.
Click to expand...

Thanks! The 60B seems really fun. I'm thinking about picking one up or the CDR to compliment the B3. I'd love to hear your stuff once you get it recorded. I have about 8 or 9 pedals on my board but I use the Zoom for a lot of my sounds. I had about 14 pedals at one point but the Zoom booted a bunch of them off my board.
 
#118
I recorded this yesterday afternoon while trying out my new Snarling Dogs Whine-O wah in my board.



I think I only need a reverb pedal next and then I'll be done with pedals for a while.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
#119
Here's my board. The Timefactor and Nimbus great for the ambient jams. Had some reallllly good ones going yesterday with my buddy on drums and his dad on the synth. Hopefully going to get some of it recorded later today.

Pedal_Board.png
 
#120
Great thread (Sub'd)! I've heard some very cool things in here, definitely some stuff I can learn from.

Usually when I'm jamming by myself, I end up in ambient-like settings. I've been working on some stuff, but can't continue on it for about a month or so since I'm moving and will need to dismantle and rebuild my recording setup (actually I really need to improve on it!). Anyway, here is a small piece I recorded a few weeks ago using mostly delays. No swells or long feedbacks, but instead I started with my bass as a percussion instrument, creating a beat.

https://app.box.com/s/jlb1jdmmhzdk6r4hiwwa

I also include a picture of my current set-up:
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Cheers, Greg
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back