- Mar 8, 2011
- 12,232
- 51,187
- Disclosures
- Authorized greenboy designs builder/Owner of BNA Audio
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Ambient/Post-Rock/Textural bass playing thread
- Thread starter ttasselm
- Start date
i was musing over some of the comments here about gear: buying it, using it, keeping it, dumping it.
seems to me that purchasing gear just means that you're purchasing possibility: you might bond with it, it might suck, it might be great but you don't know how to use it now, you might not be able to use it now but believe you can in the future, you might never be able to work it into what you do, etc.
for me it comes down to can i figure out a way to use it for some music now or in the future. and sometimes that stuff lays fallow until i hear it again.
hopefully this seems cogent.
seems to me that purchasing gear just means that you're purchasing possibility: you might bond with it, it might suck, it might be great but you don't know how to use it now, you might not be able to use it now but believe you can in the future, you might never be able to work it into what you do, etc.
for me it comes down to can i figure out a way to use it for some music now or in the future. and sometimes that stuff lays fallow until i hear it again.
hopefully this seems cogent.
- Mar 8, 2011
- 12,232
- 51,187
- Disclosures
- Authorized greenboy designs builder/Owner of BNA Audio
Your post resonates with my experience, and reminds me of a shift in my gear-buying proclivities that, now that I think about it, took place subconsciously maybe 15 years ago:
I used to buy gear -- especially pedals, but also some instruments and studio processors -- because I thought "that thing sounds cool...I'll get one, and then maybe if I'm lucky I'll sound cool too."
But it seems like nowadays my thought process is more like "that thing sounds cool...let's see if I can imagine how that might fit into my musical aesthetic." If I succeed in that thought-experiment, then I'll buy it (and hopefully sound cool too). But if I can't quickly begin to see how it might contribute to my palette in a creative and inspiring way, the GAS dissipates almost immediately, and I just return to the stuff I already own, the stuff that I already know inspires me.
It might be slightly knee-jerk/impatient, but it does save me a lot of money.
Your post resonates with my experience, and reminds me of a shift in my gear-buying proclivities that, now that I think about it, took place subconsciously maybe 15 years ago:
I used to buy gear -- especially pedals, but also some instruments and studio processors -- because I thought "that thing sounds cool...I'll get one, and then maybe if I'm lucky I'll sound cool too."
But it seems like nowadays my thought process is more like "that thing sounds cool...let's see if I can imagine how that might fit into my musical aesthetic." If I succeed in that thought-experiment, then I'll buy it (and hopefully sound cool too). But if I can't quickly begin to see how it might contribute to my palette in a creative and inspiring way, the GAS dissipates almost immediately, and I just return to the stuff I already own, the stuff that I already know inspires me.
It might be slightly knee-jerk/impatient, but it does save me a lot of money.
i get that. usually it’s all about imagining how i could use some piece of gear or stumbling on something that supplies the sound i’ve been looking for.
and it’s sometimes hard to know where my “research” and “intuition” and “want/need” all intersect.
case in point: been ogling the make noise desktop stuff for a while (intuition), listened to/watched vids about (“research”
), then got some money burning a hole in my pocket (want/need 
).so i buy it, realize that the learning is going to be deep… but also got ideas from it that are going into a new avenue of sound/music that i’m working on. and that process also helps me learn the stuff. so i can rationalize the purchase so far.
re knee jerk: sometimes i hate or am disappointed by something right out of the box, but then have to sit down and work out its possibilities.
Working away with the OTO BIM. With my bass it sounds okay but it has a high frequency noise in some of the settings. Playing around with the settings I found that some dry blend adds noise but full wet doesn’t add as much. I find the synth sounds get cleaner wet signal results. My Pocket Operator drum machine gets even better results. I have to believe that something in the guitar signal is responsible. Layering on thick reverb after it makes the “white noise” really take up lots of space.
I started wondering if the BIM wasn’t for me. It turns out it’s quite good for certain applications. Learning how to use tools is important.
I started wondering if the BIM wasn’t for me. It turns out it’s quite good for certain applications. Learning how to use tools is important.
Is it the 0-coast??i get that. usually it’s all about imagining how i could use some piece of gear or stumbling on something that supplies the sound i’ve been looking for.
and it’s sometimes hard to know where my “research” and “intuition” and “want/need” all intersect.
case in point: been ogling the make noise desktop stuff for a while (intuition), listened to/watched vids about (“research”
so i buy it, realize that the learning is going to be deep… but also got ideas from it that are going into a new avenue of sound/music that i’m working on. and that process also helps me learn the stuff. so i can rationalize the purchase so far.
re knee jerk: sometimes i hate or am disappointed by something right out of the box, but then have to sit down and work out its possibilities.
Strega has my attention but seems kinda of a one trick kinda thing....I could be wrong....I'm often wrong.....
o-coast
strega
o-cntrl
impulse control, i know.
strega one-trick?
maybe, dunno?
the patching gets many different possibilities
you can play the touch plates to get some nice things (but some are mysteries to me, very interactive)
takes a cv sequencer pretty well (i have limited experience doing this in general)
can take modulation from different sources
you can mess with the oscillator or mess with the delay, or both
i recommend the sarah belle reid video on it
Like I previously mentioned, I'm often wrong.....
Strega would be my #1 pick amongst those.
Keep us posted with the progress.
Neighbors a few houses down are having a backyard party. A live band started playing with Walkin’ On Sunshine with a snare like they were in my living room. By the time they started Prince’s 1999, I had my PA warmed up and spinning Static X. Not trying to win a war, but I gotta block that.
No ambient practice now. Maybe I can do some sampling with my headphones.
No ambient practice now. Maybe I can do some sampling with my headphones.
So last night was spent assembling the frame and mounting the DFAM & Subharmonicon and making the connections to the mixer. I'd say it took me an hour (and two beers, etc.) - I was intimidated because I watched an unboxing video and realized that there were some parts to put together and the guy in the video wasn't doing a great job. But once I got everything spread out, it was actually kind of fun - kind of like opening up an effects pedal to change a battery - just keep track of screws and which direction things are pointing, maybe even take pictures. I don't want to bore you but here's the Subharmonicon and you can see the screws, washers and pieces in the background (and my Alembic screwdriver in front). The packaging for this thing is pretty fun!
I did fire things up to make sure they worked - now I'm going to go and play with the DFAM...
I did fire things up to make sure they worked - now I'm going to go and play with the DFAM...
@steubig
I'm an idiot.....I was thinking of another module than the Strega.
For some weird reason I had the stereo fields in mind.
So I was wrong....again asa usual.
Strega is dope as ^#&#&#&$*#
I'm an idiot.....I was thinking of another module than the Strega.
For some weird reason I had the stereo fields in mind.
So I was wrong....again asa usual.
Strega is dope as ^#&#&#&$*#
I'm conflicted: "Walkin' On Sunshine" and yeah, I'm right there with you, loading up the Brown Note Generator and aiming it in their general direction. "1999" and I might just saunter over to their backyard and join the party.
What was tune #3?
Yup - here's a pic - mixer-wise it's nothing special - I was kind of confused at first - I was expecting 1/4" outs, but the only out is the headphone out, no controls for each channel. The advantage is that it also will power three units with just one wall-wart. Plus it comes with the frame/cable holder, some patch cables (not quite long enough to connect to outboard gear, that's why the MAQ in the video below is turned sideways), a manual about working with both the DFAM & Subharmonicon, dice, cardboard cutouts, etc. Here's the mixer:
And I finally got the Doepfer MAQ16/3 to play with the DFAM! Had to figure out gate (which the MAQ also puts out) The sequence is just the way the knobs happened to be set. Had to RTFM for multiple units (something I've gotten good at) and use my noggin a little bit:
I know that in addition to being the clock, the MAQ is affecting the notes of the DFAM but not sure yet how. That's the next experiment I guess. I also realized that the MAQ & DFAM aren't starting on the same note - gotta work on that too, but I think it was just carelessness this time around...
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couldn’t hear #3 over static.
They took a break and came back later, with the volume down a bit, with I Want Candy and Sweet Caroline, then Journey. The band was good but that set list was a nightmare. If We Are Family had started I’d have thought it was a wedding.
I get that Prince has fans and is highly regarded by many, but not in my house. I won’t even argue my dislike for his music anymore because neither side will walk away convinced nor satisfied.
