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Ambient/Post-Rock/Textural bass playing thread

#17,962
I do think tubes can be pretty amazing. Just a tube DI gives the effect of a more "studio" sound...meaning, slightly compressed, and a bit more "excitement" when just barely breaking up. It's just a matter of deciding if that's for you or now. I'm making a couple of quick pedal demos right now, and I'm using the Khan tube DI (because it hasn't sold yet).....and MAN is the sound fantastic! Tubes can work for sure.
 
#17,964
I don't know much about preamps or anything, but I have used a tube amp on the treble side of my Rickenbacker setup and it's glorious. Funny thing is it's just a 15W guitar head but through the 210 cab it's loud enough for small gigs, gets mic'd up for bigger. When I'm forced to go mono I feel like I'm not getting the most out of this bass. It's not really practical for ambient type stuff, though, strictly use it for rock band stuff.

20161120_124930.jpg
 
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#17,965
The sound I have in my head has some tube "warmth" to it, particularly in the low end. I don't want scooped mids though (at least not "baked in"...I'd rather have that as on option I can switch on if/when needed than something that's on by default and I have to work around). I think this is a counterintuitive goal when I'm also referring to the Alembic pres because my understanding is that the Fender tone stack has the mids scooped by default (when the EQ controls are all at noon, at least). Phil Lesh's tone in the mid- to early-70s has exactly the warm low end (and mids, for that matter) I have in mind, though, which is what makes Alembic my point of reference. I'll likely never try to copy his tone, though, because I'm more of a rounds and fingers guy than flats and pick.

So I guess the bottom line is that I want warm, but not boomy, lows and I assume some sort of tube pre is the way to get there, but if that's possible with solid state all the better. Also I think I'd want it in pedal form so I'd have the option of running it with a crossover to send the highs through different effects.
 
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#17,966
lucas303 said:
The sound I have in my head has some tube "warmth" to it, particularly in the low end. I don't want scooped mids though (at least not "baked in"...I'd rather have that as on option I can switch on if/when needed than something that's on by default and I have to work around). I think this is a counterintuitive goal when I'm also referring to the Alembic pres because my understanding is that the Fender tone stack has the mids scooped by default (when the EQ controls are all at noon, at least). Phil Lesh's tone in the mid- to early-70s has exactly the warm low end (and mids, for that matter) I have in mind, though, which is what makes Alembic my point of reference. I'll likely never try to copy his tone, though, because I'm more of a rounds and fingers guy than flats and pick.

So I guess the bottom line is that I want warm, but not boomy, lows and I assume some sort of tube pre is the way to get there, but if that's possible with solid state all the better. Also I think I'd want it in pedal form so I'd have the option of running it with a crossover to send the highs through different effects.
Click to expand...
Have a look at Sushibox FX for sure
 
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#17,967
Spectrum said:
I don't know much about preamps or anything, but I have used a tube amp on the treble side of my Rickenbacker setup and it's glorious. Funny thing is it's just a 15W guitar head but through the 210 cab it's loud enough for small gigs, gets mic'd up for bigger. When I'm forced to go mono I feel like I'm not getting the most out of this bass. It's not really practical for ambient type stuff, though, strictly use it for rock band stuff.

View attachment 4509557
Click to expand...

I bet that sounds great. I have a Traynor Darkhorse that, though I got for guitar, I have used for bass overdrive sometimes. The eq isnt quite right for bass, but my basses are mostly pretty good flat anyway.
 
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#17,969
I've been an Alembic F-2B preamp user for years - one thing I learned is that bass: 2, mid: 10, treble: 2 is close to flat. I usually run mine Bass 4-5, Mid 5-7, Treble 2-4 - slightly mid-scooped but I like it.

I also have a tube compressor (Custom Audio Electronics/Japan V-Comp) that I run 95% of the time (bass or synth). Lately for bass I've been using that and my old Boss PQ-3B parametric eq. This is all "studio" recording (direct into my antiquated ProTools rig), I do use the compressor live too but haven't had much opportunity the past couple of years. Pretty much all my Soundcloud recordings from the past 7-8 years have the CAE comp, and Alembic pre as well until the past couple of years when I've switched to the Boss.
 
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#17,970
JES said:
Let us no aspersions cast toward our aged horse. He’s got lots of knowledge and is generous to share it.
Click to expand...

Agreed. My comment was certainly in jest.

I have little doubt that various bits of technology and hardware can be engineered and designed to sound like other types of technology and hardware in a very convincing way. I also have observed that certain designs simply work more easily than others. For example, I could build a profiling amp to mimic a famous tube head and vintage cab, or I could just use the tube and cab designs as a blueprint. The question becomes how complex it is to replicate the key elements using an alternative design. This requires someone to identify the key elements and ensure the design reflects those. This is a bigger task than most can handle and the devil is in the details.

Today I’m running various software sounds through the BOUM hardware compressor and distortion unit. I have plugins which should do similar tasks, but there’s something to the hardware design that gets better results faster.
 
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#17,971
I’ve used plugins from when using my focusrite solo thing into my laptop. and sounded ok but doesn’t beat my sound of using my genz Benz amp with pre tube sound if I’m using headphones of both.
And then of course nothing beats my genz Benz through my actual 4x10 cab with no tweeter. probably one of the reasons I haven’t gone ampless at band practice.
I just take it all as I use what I can - can’t exactly play at home at 10pm with all the kids asleep cranking my cab ;) and when recording (which I rarely do these days hah)

on another note - I saw that arturia pigments has a free update to 3:5. I didn’t mind it when I got it so will have to try it back again sometime soon to mess around with - getting rid of the sy1 on the pedalboard side of things though - going fuzz/filter for a synth sweep seems more what I wanted anyways
 
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#17,975
monsterthompson said:
Noodling around with my OTO collection. This is just my P Bass into the BOUM set to a Fuzz with the LPF and some compression. No other preamp/eq/cab sim. Then into the BIM delay and BAM reverb.
Just a quick sample of the sound.
Click to expand...


I know we are not supposed to admit it on this thread but I am a sucker for an overdriven precision sound.
 
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#17,976
I've been lurking in this thread for a loooong time. I finally came to grips with the fact that my gigging days are going to be somewhere between incredibly sparse and non-existent, so I've been dismantling the big board piece by piece for specific recording projects. This line up isn't quite finished -- I have a Julia stuck in transit as I type this -- but I'm planning on making lots of fun noise with this set up over the next week or three:

20211219_085757.jpg

Hearing some of the stuff you lot have come up with has been both humbling and inspiring. I've been a die hard dirt guy for the majority of my playing years, but I'm really trying to branch out creatively and do things solo for a change. I believe I have found the right place, or at least a place to help me spend my money. I've got a friend who has been building modular synths for years and I'm almost frightened to jump down that rabbit hole.
 
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#17,978
davedamage said:
I've been lurking in this thread for a loooong time. I finally came to grips with the fact that my gigging days are going to be somewhere between incredibly sparse and non-existent, so I've been dismantling the big board piece by piece for specific recording projects. This line up isn't quite finished -- I have a Julia stuck in transit as I type this -- but I'm planning on making lots of fun noise with this set up over the next week or three:

View attachment 4510332

Hearing some of the stuff you lot have come up with has been both humbling and inspiring. I've been a die hard dirt guy for the majority of my playing years, but I'm really trying to branch out creatively and do things solo for a change. I believe I have found the right place, or at least a place to help me spend my money. I've got a friend who has been building modular synths for years and I'm almost frightened to jump down that rabbit hole.
Click to expand...

welcome
 
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#17,979
davedamage said:
I've been lurking in this thread for a loooong time. I finally came to grips with the fact that my gigging days are going to be somewhere between incredibly sparse and non-existent, so I've been dismantling the big board piece by piece for specific recording projects. This line up isn't quite finished -- I have a Julia stuck in transit as I type this -- but I'm planning on making lots of fun noise with this set up over the next week or three:

View attachment 4510332

Hearing some of the stuff you lot have come up with has been both humbling and inspiring. I've been a die hard dirt guy for the majority of my playing years, but I'm really trying to branch out creatively and do things solo for a change. I believe I have found the right place, or at least a place to help me spend my money. I've got a friend who has been building modular synths for years and I'm almost frightened to jump down that rabbit hole.
Click to expand...
Cheers, welcome buddy.
 
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