• 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 freeLog in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Ambient/Post-Rock/Textural bass playing thread

Speaking of looping, I just got an email from Soma. Coincidentally, I just got paid for something in Euros. So I have, for only the second time in my life, just ordered something from the very first production run. Fingers crossed.

I've been keeping up reading but have been real quiet. Busy time at work, some bad dentistry, and The Drugs were really messing with me, so I have been off them for a few days now (with in consultation with oncologist). I am pooping like a normal person now for the first time in months. I also have a TON of energy (=normal amount of energy for other people; chemical fatigue is real!). Which gives me perspective and also a chance to do something for my past and future self. My synth setup and recording setup at home required too much effort before. If I was feeling like butt, I wasn't going to set anything up, so I've been using some of my energy to reorganize everything to a mise-en-place setup. I tried and failed once before but I think I know why I failed: no central hub that's not the computer.

So I took a chance on a 1010 Bluebox as a mixer/recorder/hub and it is exceeding my expectations. It's tiny so I need some extra-small cables, which should arrive today and tomorrow. By the time my stomach fully settles and I go back on The Drugs (probably later this week or weekend) I should be all set up to flip a switch and start making music. In the meantime, it's like I'm on stimulants or something. Kind of fun.

Look forward to hearing your thoughts on the BlackBox!
All the best for your health to get better quick.
 
  • Like
Reactions: JES
I’ve been determined not to add anything to the home recording rig and just focus on getting better at utilizing what I have. So far, so good. The main band I work with got a much bigger van. Basically a small bus that sleeps four. Way more room. I thought a small sketch pad music machine of some sort could help pass the time on long trips. Been wanting the Dirtywave M8 tracker for this purpose, but they’re really hard to get. Basically, the guy who runs Dirtywave makes as many as he can all week, then every Monday morning at 9am central time he opens up the order page until all the units are sold. The first week, all units sold out in about 90 seconds. After that I just decided to hold off a few weeks. This morning I logged on early, got all my payment info written in and tried to time it fast. Worked this time, so I should have mine in a week or so. Any attempts to work with a tracker have been disastrous for me so far, but for some reason I’m looking forward to the challenge.
 
25853205[/URL], member: 188059"]I’ve been determined not to add anything to the home recording rig and just focus on getting better at utilizing what I have. So far, so good. The main band I work with got a much bigger van. Basically a small bus that sleeps four. Way more room. I thought a small sketch pad music machine of some sort could help pass the time on long trips. Been wanting the Dirtywave M8 tracker for this purpose, but they’re really hard to get. Basically, the guy who runs Dirtywave makes as many as he can all week, then every Monday morning at 9am central time he opens up the order page until all the units are sold. The first week, all units sold out in about 90 seconds. After that I just decided to hold off a few weeks. This morning I logged on early, got all my payment info written in and tried to time it fast. Worked this time, so I should have mine in a week or so. Any attempts to work with a tracker have been disastrous for me so far, but for some reason I’m looking forward to the challenge.
You’re lucky, if I look at a screen or read in the car I get nauseous.
Combine that with a tracker, I’d certainly pass out and get weird spasms
 
  • Like
Reactions: JES
You’re lucky, if I look at a screen or read in the car I get nauseous.
Combine that with a tracker, I’d certainly pass out and get weird spasms

I don’t get car sick, thankfully! But the tiny screen and tracker workflow could be my undoing
 
  • Like
Reactions: ugly_bassplayer
Dislike. Always hated booking and organizing shows.
I'd book a good old blood sweat and tears basement/rehearsal room show but we run the risk of getting shut down and getting HEAVY as @#$% fines due to sanitary measures.
FUBAR!!!!!!

Less venues and less shows...... just as many bands.
The math ain't that hard......
Another I wanna quit all this crap.moment.
 
We were just discussing this last night at band practice. I'm not ready to be in a public place where people who have their masks off for any amount of time. I think our first gig might be outdoors in the late spring. The other thing we were talking about was booking a daytime show (less stupid, lax, drunkenness) and collaborate with dancers or visual artists to make it more of an "event." (This is the post-rock band, not the dad rock band, obvs)
 
I went to a small pizza place where a friend does DJ sets for brunch. I’d guess it was about 20-30 people most of the day inside, and about 1/3 to 1/2 were part of my group of friends. People drinking and eating with masks off, and yelling in your face to be heard over the PA.

This wasn’t comfortable at first, particularly since I’ll be seeing some elderly family with health issues soon. I eventually accepted that I was in the crowd and that this event had happened in previous months with no infections (or at least ones resulting in major illness).

Virus anxiety aside, I could not enjoy the loud, day drunk crowd. After nearly two years of apartment isolation the group party energy just didn’t resonate. One friend asked if I missed performing and if I’d ever do it again. I had an immediate reflex of “oh no, I’m done.” Something definitely changed in me.
 
For me, it's just a calculation of risk and doing what my oncologist tells me since I am high risk compared to most people.

But my weird moment like that was at a party at a park early in the fall. I was so happy to see people, but I was not ready for small talk with strangers. At least we could talk about "how has your pandemic been?"
 
This whole covid era has made it tough for many, socially. After so much isolation, many are either afraid to be in public, or just don’t care to be in public now. I rarely go out if I’m not playing, but I have 5 gigs this week, so…
 
852AD656-E572-4CB6-8B87-B81211AEB135.jpeg
 
It’s a weird and conflicting time. I love seeing my musician friends back doing what they love and what puts food on their table. At the same time, it’s challenging to reconcile that with the safety concern doubts and gremlins that have crept in my head over the last couple of years.

On top of all that, I’ve got a few extra layers. My physical strength and energy have decreased greatly without access to a gym. I’m solidly into my middle age now. I’m also 11 years into recovery from severe trauma, which has accelerated the effects of aging. I’m finding myself and friends in my age range seeing a rise in health issues for our parents, which becomes a big distraction.

Overall, my general feeling is that the world doesn’t need my hobby level music. It is a thing I do for me (and a few friends). I feel like it’s a small gesture, but that I’m stepping away from a public presence to make room for those who have a more professional interest.
 
yep.

people are starting to play out in l.a. a bit. i haven't felt comfortable to go hear them yet.

turned down or cancelled a couple of gigs due to my discomfort. if it's a small room and has a low ceiling, i don't want to be there.

played a memorial for someone the other night. luckily it had high ceilings. most people were masked, but a lot weren't—and i was probably low median in terms of the age group (so arguably some of these folks were way more at risk than me). i think people don't get that they can still be carriers even if they're vaxed.

*******************

i can't imagine playing anywhere for a while. i had been toying with the idea of going to berlin and new york in the spring, but it looks like we're seeing surges again . . .

*******************

i've always been pretty hermetic, so i think i can handle this (???). plus i got some new stuff i really need to investigate. so maybe that's my future.

weird times.
 
The 1/8" adapters arrived for the Bluebox today. I had a meeting end 40 minutes early. So I got to give it a bit of a workout with my modular. All the effects are Bluebox internal. The reverb is surprisingly useful, though it's a bit fiddly on levels. Both delay and reverb have multiple options and parameters.

I did not mean to make something this dark, it just happened. It is a remarkably well-designed little box and you'd think mixing something on the iPad would be better, but the Bluebox is a closed system and seems to be making a lot of sense, at least so far. I'm running beta firmware and there are a couple small glitches but nothing that won't get ironed out.

I really think me being without a proper mixer for a few years was a dumb idea: my Mackie 1402VLZ from the 1990s gave up the ghost some time back and I should have replaced it. OTOH, this wasn't around until recently and is perfect for my needs.

Only ITB processing is a quick run through Ozone. Hopefully doesn't sound like butt.

 
I went out and played with people about 2 1/2 weeks ago, for the first time in a year! It was in the Santa Cruz mountains at a big house/center of some sort - I wore a mask because I was going to be around kids the next day (outdoors) - was kind of surprised that I was the ONLY person wearing a mask the whole time! Fortunately it was outdoors, but I still wore my mask. There's obviously a wide range of comfort levels out there. I'm trying to relax a bit, but I was definitely relieved when two weeks passed. Here's the place we played - we played in that big gazebo area:

51683689522_045b5963ec.jpg


Due to my work situation where I am basically on-call 24-7, even though it rarely happens, it is very hard for me to commit to gigs, so I haven't played much with other people over the past 15 years. That's why I love recording! I've been using stuff I've recorded in the studio for years now. And the DFAM & Subharmonicon are allowing me even creative freedom. Playing with other people is great, but in a way I feel like I've been preparing for the pandemic for the past 15 years.

In other news, I made an audio version of my Ric 8-string/DFAM+Subharmonicon sketch - it's downloadable if you like.