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Best rig for "4:33"
- Thread starter Bar Band Bassman
- Start date
Long ago I assisted with a video production of 4:33 and had access to the original... score? sheet?. It's a short list of instructions in English. It's still in print and a decent music school's library should have a copy.
Cage's directions include that the performer is to sit ready to play for the duration of the piece. David Tudor's premier of it involved closing the keyboard cover at the beginning of each movement and raising it at the end.
So I'd say that if you're doing a reasonably faithful arrangement for solo bass, you might have your amp on, bass and pedals plugged in, and switch a tuner pedal as necessary.
As far as the gear to use, I'd guess that has a lot more to do with the style of music you play. A punk version might involve a P bass and Peavey amp, a djent version a Dingwall sixer, Darkglass and some kind of FRFR rig, shoegaze would use pretty much anything as long as a lot of effects pedals are in the chain
Cage's directions include that the performer is to sit ready to play for the duration of the piece. David Tudor's premier of it involved closing the keyboard cover at the beginning of each movement and raising it at the end.
So I'd say that if you're doing a reasonably faithful arrangement for solo bass, you might have your amp on, bass and pedals plugged in, and switch a tuner pedal as necessary.
As far as the gear to use, I'd guess that has a lot more to do with the style of music you play. A punk version might involve a P bass and Peavey amp, a djent version a Dingwall sixer, Darkglass and some kind of FRFR rig, shoegaze would use pretty much anything as long as a lot of effects pedals are in the chain
You need to experiment a little here.
In my experience, you want some idle noise floor, but it needs to be right. Too much and people will think you're trying too hard, too little and you'll be lost in the mix.
This depends on the quality of cables used, the shielding of the bass and how much is going on in terms of interference in the place where you record. Best bring a few combinations and try them out on location before attempting 4:33.
In my experience, you want some idle noise floor, but it needs to be right. Too much and people will think you're trying too hard, too little and you'll be lost in the mix.
This depends on the quality of cables used, the shielding of the bass and how much is going on in terms of interference in the place where you record. Best bring a few combinations and try them out on location before attempting 4:33.
D
Fender J bass, set on the bridge, volume rolled back to zero. Boss Nothing- MXR silence and for a bit of pop the EHX f-all, all set to zero and not plugged in. Use a Hartley Amp, not plugged in or turned on with all eq and volumes set to zero.
That should get you in the zone.
That should get you in the zone.
Any vintage piece of Behringer gear should be appropriate
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This all reminds me of an old joke: what happens when you turn on the noise reduction circuit of your playback system while listening to AC/DC*?
Answer:
*This is the particular version of the joke that I read. YMMV
Answer:
*This is the particular version of the joke that I read. YMMV
One of my favorite Internet moments was on a site similar to Talkbass but for recording engineers, when someone posted that they were going to be recording a concert that included "4:33" and wondered how to approach it. Like, would you leave your mics at the same level as for other pieces or crank up the gain to capture more of what was going on onstage? Use spot mics on individual players or stereo pair only? Should there be an audience mic or mics? How do you adjust the gain on the final recording relative to the other tracks?
The ensuing thread was great fun to read as everyone weighed in with their ideas, and I'm pretty sure John Cage would have gotten a huge kick out of it.
As for bass — I think something with single-coil pickups going into a nice big tube amp with juuust a touch of compression.
The ensuing thread was great fun to read as everyone weighed in with their ideas, and I'm pretty sure John Cage would have gotten a huge kick out of it.
As for bass — I think something with single-coil pickups going into a nice big tube amp with juuust a touch of compression.
Yarn works too, if you need something to keep the bridge from falling off.
edwinhurwitz
Supporting Member
