Ambient/Post-Rock/Textural bass playing thread

[JES]

We just watched the New Order documentary Decades. I was a big fan in the 80s and early 90s, lost track of them and honestly until tonight I didn’t even know they continued after 2007 without Peter Hook (he was a big influence for me in the 80s). The doc is only so-so, too much self congratulatory stuff. it’s really about a recent festival show they did. but there were some good bits of band history, and it was an interesting concept to have 12 synthesists reproducing all the sequenced parts live—basically, reverse-engineering the MIDI to orchestration. They don’t explain it until later on in the movie, so I’m like “what’s the big deal” at first, but by the end, I wanted more on all the extra synth players.

 

[monsterthompson]

We just watched the New Order documentary Decades. I was a big fan in the 80s and early 90s, lost track of them and honestly until tonight I didn’t even know they continued after 2007 without Peter Hook (he was a big influence for me in the 80s). The doc is only so-so, too much self congratulatory stuff. it’s really about a recent festival show they did. but there were some good bits of band history, and it was an interesting concept to have 12 synthesists reproducing all the sequenced parts live—basically, reverse-engineering the MIDI to orchestration. They don’t explain it until later on in the movie, so I’m like “what’s the big deal” at first, but by the end, I wanted more on all the extra synth players.

Worth a listen if you're a fan.
i'm not a big fan but still enjoyed it.
Joy Division Pt I

 

[hieronymous]

I apologize for putting this up again and again, but if you want to put together part 3 of this the floor is open!



Contact me and I can send you the WAV file, plus stems if you want. Contact @monsterthompson if you want to manipulate part 1 also!

My concept for this is that the next person would record something over part 2, and then extend it to make part 3, with which the next person could then do the same thing. I see it being quick & dirty, don't spend weeks on it. But there are no rules! Maybe if you have an experiment or demo in mind this would be a fun way to work on it.

 

[monsterthompson]

I like the updates

 

[monsterthompson]

Got the 5 string out for the first time in ages. It’s still wonderful. It works nicely with the new OTO reverb, which doesn’t quite work as well with bass as with synth. I’m closer to figuring out the issues, which seem to relate to which engine is used and how percussive the string plucks are. Snappier notes with more fret noise have brighter early reflections which sound almost like a delay meets a tank reverb. Adjusting the controls and technique helps a lot.

Some of the reverb sounds with long feedback settings can get pad-like with significant sustain.

Overall, it was nice to pluck instead of patch for a change. Not that I’ll give up on either

BTW. New bass status is “soon.” The finish is finished, so it’s time to finish it.

 

[Bob_Ross]

Last night I had an interesting experience which empirically proved the point(s) I was trying to make in this post:

Playing with the RMA Trio, I pulled out my Big Pedalboard for the first time since the COVID lockdown started 14 months ago. And yet, it was like I'd just played it yesterday*
Everything worked as expected, it was trivial to get the sounds I was intending, it became an intuitive and responsive extension of my bass that contributed organically and sensetively to the music we were making... so, Hooray For Familiarity! I guess.

I'd been doing so much work over the last year with the Pandemic Pedalboard, which is a jury-rigged subset of my Small Pedalboard (and then for 4 months, no pedalboard) that I'd forgotten just how familiar one can be with equipment one has a long history with. Which either means I need to be a lot more patient with the toys on the Small Pedalboard, or else I need to accept that the steeper learning curve of some of those newer toys is making them an obstacle to creativity rather than an enhancer. Hmm, gotta think about that one...

*Funny thing was, two of my loopers have non-volatile memory, and they both still had whatever I had last played into them 14 months ago stored and recallable...so it literally was like just yesterday!

=========

On a totally separate note, I played the whole session on my Schecter 8-string bass (which I also hadn't touched in 14 months). I may need to rethink my priorities instrument-wise. That Schecter is the least expensive bass I own, in some cases by an order of magnitude...and yet last night confirmed what I've suspected for a while: It is the most comfortable bass I own.

 

[ugly_bassplayer]

Last night I had an interesting experience which empirically proved the point(s) I was trying to make in this post:

Playing with the RMA Trio, I pulled out my Big Pedalboard for the first time since the COVID lockdown started 14 months ago. And yet, it was like I'd just played it yesterday*
Everything worked as expected, it was trivial to get the sounds I was intending, it became an intuitive and responsive extension of my bass that contributed organically and sensetively to the music we were making... so, Hooray For Familiarity! I guess.

I'd been doing so much work over the last year with the Pandemic Pedalboard, which is a jury-rigged subset of my Small Pedalboard (and then for 4 months, no pedalboard) that I'd forgotten just how familiar one can be with equipment one has a long history with. Which either means I need to be a lot more patient with the toys on the Small Pedalboard, or else I need to accept that the steeper learning curve of some of those newer toys is making them an obstacle to creativity rather than an enhancer. Hmm, gotta think about that one...

*Funny thing was, two of my loopers have non-volatile memory, and they both still had whatever I had last played into them 14 months ago stored and recallable...so it literally was like just yesterday!

=========

On a totally separate note, I played the whole session on my Schecter 8-string bass (which I also hadn't touched in 14 months). I may need to rethink my priorities instrument-wise. That Schecter is the least expensive bass I own, in some cases by an order of magnitude...and yet last night confirmed what I've suspected for a while: It is the most comfortable bass I own.

If a tool is helping, it’s hindering.
My 2 cents.

What are those pedals??

 

[Bob_Ross]

What are those pedals??
View attachment 4282296

Those are flip-flop pedals, aka Effect Order Switchers made by Loop-Master.

To get the full story on how I came to use a pair of them, read this thread.

 

[ugly_bassplayer]

Those are flip-flop pedals, aka Effect Order Switchers made by Loop-Master.

To get the full story on how I came to use a pair of them, read this thread.

Major props for being able to manage so many loops at the same time.
I tried a 2 looper set up once with my dual rig.
The train wreck was epic. (And yes it was meant for asynchronous loops, textures, noise....etc...)
Might try again with only one once I can see humans again.

 

[Dapper_Bandit]

Sooo, the Loupé arrived today....

And it is bomb!

The saddest part is that I hadn't set up anything to record because this is possibly the most inspirational looper I've ever had the pleasure of coming across. I've only had a couple of hours on it, most of the functions still go over my head but the interface is just wonderfully intuitive.

I'm very happy to have added this to my looping family and it very, very comfortably holds it own against some big hitters.

If you like looping and don't mind about volatile memories, get on that preorder!

 

[steubig]

Sooo, the Loupé arrived today....

And it is bomb!

The saddest part is that I hadn't set up anything to record because this is possibly the most inspirational looper I've ever had the pleasure of coming across. I've only had a couple of hours on it, most of the functions still go over my head but the interface is just wonderfully intuitive.

I'm very happy to have added this to my looping family and it very, very comfortably holds it own against some big hitters.

If you like looping and don't mind about volatile memories, get on that preorder!

congrats. looking forward to hearing more from you about it.

[shhhh, i put in for the october run]

 

[ugly_bassplayer]

[shhhh, i put in for the october run]

 

[steubig]

View attachment 4282797

that is just mean.

 

[ugly_bassplayer]

that is just mean.

 

[Bob_Ross]

The ability to load various loops, and then toss them back and forth between loopers while further processing them until they are practically unrecognizeable has led to some absolutely sick sonic atmospheres.

Major props for being able to manage so many loops at the same time.

Well, the objective -- which has only been fully implemented a tiny handful of times since the pandemic kicked in -- is to incorporate both Pedalboard #1, with its three looping delays and two nested flip-flop selectors, alongside Pedalboard #2, with its VFE Klein Bottle and two other looping delays (Montreal Assemby Ct5, and CBA MOOD). The Proof Of Concept works, but as intimated above, the Wrap-Your-Head-Around-It-And-Yield-Musical-Results part is still in the nascent stages.

Part of me thinks the best way to approach this is to stop playing bass, and just take a feed from the other band members, so I can capture/loop/mess with all the material they're generating.

But where's the fun in that?

 

[ugly_bassplayer]

Well, the objective -- which has only been fully implemented a tiny handful of times since the pandemic kicked in -- is to incorporate both Pedalboard #1, with its three looping delays and two nested flip-flop selectors, alongside Pedalboard #2, with its VFE Klein Bottle and two other looping delays (Montreal Assemby Ct5, and CBA MOOD). The Proof Of Concept works, but as intimated above, the Wrap-Your-Head-Around-It-And-Yield-Musical-Results part is still in the nascent stages.

Part of me thinks the best way to approach this is to stop playing bass, and just take a feed from the other band members, so I can capture/loop/mess with all the material they're generating.

But where's the fun in that?

Ok, that’s a lot of loops.
You hiding an extra arm or head somewhere???
A clone maybe??? Bob_CLONE_Ross....???
I mini one like in Austin Powers.

 

[steubig]

Well, the objective -- which has only been fully implemented a tiny handful of times since the pandemic kicked in -- is to incorporate both Pedalboard #1, with its three looping delays and two nested flip-flop selectors, alongside Pedalboard #2, with its VFE Klein Bottle and two other looping delays (Montreal Assemby Ct5, and CBA MOOD). The Proof Of Concept works, but as intimated above, the Wrap-Your-Head-Around-It-And-Yield-Musical-Results part is still in the nascent stages.

Part of me thinks the best way to approach this is to stop playing bass, and just take a feed from the other band members, so I can capture/loop/mess with all the material they're generating.

But where's the fun in that?

brings up aesthetic and logistic questions to me (hope that’s okay):

1] are you going to do all five loops at once or are you planning on just a) using them as formal elements where you bring them back in here and there, or b) are you just gonna use them on a spot basis depending on which looper seems best for the moment?

2] are you guys doing super-droney or super-dense pieces? (this is where it gets into the aesthetics) i tend to find that too many loops can clutter or lock a piece into one thing and can get tedious if they go on too long.

hope it’s okay to ask this.

 

[Bob_Ross]

1] are you going to do all five loops at once or are you planning on just a) using them as formal elements where you bring them back in here and there, or b) are you just gonna use them on a spot basis depending on which looper seems best for the moment?

I think it will be completely situational. I mean, that's my default answer to pretty much any question about "are you gonna do ______ (insert name of thing)?" but yeah, both a) or b) or -- ha-ha! -- c) (tbd) as needed. I mean, it's not supposed to be about "omg, he's using five loops!" it's just that should I need them, there they are. The music dictates what I need.

2] are you guys doing super-droney or super-dense pieces? (this is where it gets into the aesthetics) i tend to find that too many loops can clutter or lock a piece into one thing and can get tedious if they go on too long.

I don't disagree. We're not necessarily into "super-droney" (though occasionally we get there) but we definitely are into "super-dense" ...at times.
One thing I can say unequivocally is that we're into multiple layers of foreground/background; lots of our improvisations explore that space between WAY THE F BACK THERE IN THE DISTANCE and IN YO' FACE, and all the space in between those extremes...and so having multiple loops that are "seeding" or "painting" the acoustic space allows us to position various layers from front to back

...if we're being sensetive.

And yeah, if anything goes on too long I find it tedious. Sometimes my collaborators agree. Sometimes...

 

[steubig]

I think it will be completely situational. I mean, that's my default answer to pretty much any question about "are you gonna do ______ (insert name of thing)?" but yeah, both a) or b) or -- ha-ha! -- c) (tbd) as needed. I mean, it's not supposed to be about "omg, he's using five loops!" it's just that should I need them, there they are. The music dictates what I need.

cool, but you do have a band here, so i assume there's any overriding gestalt . . . maybe this is based in my own biases and methodologies, where i often let my knowledge of the other personal and how i want to approach them dictate what i'm gonna bring with me.

I don't disagree. We're not necessarily into "super-droney" (though occasionally we get there) but we definitely are into "super-dense" ...at times.
One thing I can say unequivocally is that we're into multiple layers of foreground/background; lots of our improvisations explore that space between WAY THE F BACK THERE IN THE DISTANCE and IN YO' FACE, and all the space in between those extremes...and so having multiple loops that are "seeding" or "painting" the acoustic space allows us to position various layers from front to back

...if we're being sensetive.

And yeah, if anything goes on too long I find it tedious. Sometimes my collaborators agree. Sometimes...

it's always a big "if," right?

the disparities in density and dynamics are always rewarding if you do them well as a group. i think a lot of people forget background/foreground in those situations (especially horn players and guitar players). my current frame of mind is foreground/mid-ground/background/no-ground (lead/counterpoint/accompaniment/tacet); you don't always need to play or be "interesting"—you can leave it to other folks.

if you're in improv land, it's not always easy to remember to *turn stuff off*. (i've messed up more than a few improvs by letting my loops go on too damn long).

do you ever use loops as motifs—using them early, turning them off and then reintroducing them later to create form?

 

[ugly_bassplayer]

I think it will be completely situational. I mean, that's my default answer to pretty much any question about "are you gonna do ______ (insert name of thing)?" but yeah, both a) or b) or -- ha-ha! -- c) (tbd) as needed. I mean, it's not supposed to be about "omg, he's using five loops!" it's just that should I need them, there they are. The music dictates what I need.



I don't disagree. We're not necessarily into "super-droney" (though occasionally we get there) but we definitely are into "super-dense" ...at times.
One thing I can say unequivocally is that we're into multiple layers of foreground/background; lots of our improvisations explore that space between WAY THE F BACK THERE IN THE DISTANCE and IN YO' FACE, and all the space in between those extremes...and so having multiple loops that are "seeding" or "painting" the acoustic space allows us to position various layers from front to back

...if we're being sensetive.

And yeah, if anything goes on too long I find it tedious. Sometimes my collaborators agree. Sometimes...

cool, but you do have a band here, so i assume there's any overriding gestalt . . . maybe this is based in my own biases and methodologies, where i often let my knowledge of the other personal and how i want to approach them dictate what i'm gonna bring with me.



it's always a big "if," right?

the disparities in density and dynamics are always rewarding if you do them well as a group. i think a lot of people forget background/foreground in those situations (especially horn players and guitar players). my current frame of mind is foreground/mid-ground/background/no-ground (lead/counterpoint/accompaniment/tacet); you don't always need to play or be "interesting"—you can leave it to other folks.

if you're in improv land, it's not always easy to remember to *turn stuff off*. (i've messed up more than a few improvs by letting my loops go on too damn long).

do you ever use loops as motifs—using them early, turning them off and then reintroducing them later to create form?

Controlling that many loops, with routing options PLUS dynamics of where it needs to be (front,background....on....off....texture....lead etc.....)

That is wayyyy over my head.
I'm drowning just imagining trying to pull that of with other musicians.

If you can pull that off, wow...very very very impressed I am.