There are times in daft punk recording where I'm thinking maybe there's a upright bass going to work... it's got this growl that double basses are famous for, Gary peacock brings it out all the time and I think it's having to do with string being low to the fingerboard on an upright. But I hear that quality in places. It might be some of the growl that's taking place.
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getting that prrrrt tone
- Thread starter lyralain
- Start date
Very easy.
In any DAW (Ableton): combine a Bitcrusher with an Envelope filter.
I spent weeks trying to get this sound in my DAW and the Bitcrusher/Envelope combo does all the work. Bitcrusher is the secret ingredient.
(Can't remember what the stacking order is. But try it both ways and enjoy!)
Digitech Bass Synth Wah has a setting that will get you 90% of the way there, but DAW sounds better.
In any DAW (Ableton): combine a Bitcrusher with an Envelope filter.
I spent weeks trying to get this sound in my DAW and the Bitcrusher/Envelope combo does all the work. Bitcrusher is the secret ingredient.
(Can't remember what the stacking order is. But try it both ways and enjoy!)
Digitech Bass Synth Wah has a setting that will get you 90% of the way there, but DAW sounds better.
My bet would be that the Daft Punk song bassline was played on a keyboard - it sounds to me like the wave generation beneath all of the effects has a high degree of constancy between attack and decay, which is hard to do on a stringed instrument, especially a bass guitar which makes notes that decay quickly by comparison. I could be wrong, but that is what my ears tell me. The decay problem can be addressed with a compressor to some degree, but I don't think this much.
I'd concede that whomever played the line seems to understand how a bass guitarist would piece together the notes of a bassline and has played the keyboard part in that way. Another song like that is "Things Can Only Get Better" by Howard Jones. Clearly a synth, but the bass part in general, especially the part underneath the keyboard solo/horn feature that begins at 2:40, sounds like it was conceived by a bass player.
I'd concede that whomever played the line seems to understand how a bass guitarist would piece together the notes of a bassline and has played the keyboard part in that way. Another song like that is "Things Can Only Get Better" by Howard Jones. Clearly a synth, but the bass part in general, especially the part underneath the keyboard solo/horn feature that begins at 2:40, sounds like it was conceived by a bass player.
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Octave, bit crusher, filter, compressor, little chorus or vibrato.
I use a lot of synth types of effects and these have been the most reliable. If you have a tremolo, you can put it at the end for sequencer-like chop.
I use a lot of synth types of effects and these have been the most reliable. If you have a tremolo, you can put it at the end for sequencer-like chop.
please leave your brown note jokes at the door, but I am after getting a 'farty' tone
I really, really love this kind of timbre, especially on the low notes-
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Currently bassless & unable to try things as I'm still waiting on a replacement bass to arrive Saturday, but here's my guess on how to approach things-
1. Muted source (flatwounds, right pickup choice, tone roll-off)
2. distortion / saturation to add in those lower harmonics (pedal, amp, fx etc.)
3. mute tone on distortion / add a lowpass filter to remove the abrasive upper frequencies the distortion added
Is that the way? Would a little bit of an octave/sub-octave effect aid it? What particular distortions would you choose?
Sounds like you need a solid synth pedal like the Sourca Audio C4 or the Future Impact. Or just a good keyboard synth.
I've been able to get the forwardness with a tight gate, HPF & heavy compression / saturation, then the muted formanty/vocally sound with mid boost / a resonant lowpass filter (& using the bridge pickup).
What I'm missing is the groany rumble on the low notes. FM could probably do it. Does anyone know of a pitch-tracking pedal / plugin / max4live device that will apply FM to your bass signal with a specific ratio?
I could set it up in eurorack modular land with a guitar interface, PLL pitch-tracking, a sine oscillator & a module called FM AID, but that gets expensive right quick.
What I'm missing is the groany rumble on the low notes. FM could probably do it. Does anyone know of a pitch-tracking pedal / plugin / max4live device that will apply FM to your bass signal with a specific ratio?
I could set it up in eurorack modular land with a guitar interface, PLL pitch-tracking, a sine oscillator & a module called FM AID, but that gets expensive right quick.
When you are looking for a Basspedal kind of device, there are not that many. I'm only aware of the Iron Ether FMeron and (again) the Source Audio C4. Both pretty pricey though. Maybe there is some kind of Eurorack modul that does somthing like this?
For Eurorack related stuff, ask the Guys in this thread:
Ambient/Post-Rock/Textural bass playing thread
(They are the weirdos
)
Which lowpass filter did you use?
For Eurorack related stuff, ask the Guys in this thread:
Ambient/Post-Rock/Textural bass playing thread
(They are the weirdos
)Which lowpass filter did you use?
Hah well yeah- for example with my idea above, a combination of Boredbrain Injectr, Doepfer A196-PLL, 2HP Sine & Happy Nerding FM Aid could do it. Bass is amplified by Injectr, pitch tracked by the PLL, which controls the Sine's frequency. The sine is then the modulator of the FM Aid with the bass signal as the carrier. Total cost if everything's bought brand new, excluding a case & power? ...$647
Just Ableton's model of the MS-20 in Auto-Filter, for a bit of character with the resonance. (it's not a great ms-20 but it works)
please leave your brown note jokes at the door, but I am after getting a 'farty' tone
I really, really love this kind of timbre, especially on the low notes-
(0:33)
(0:30)
(1:52)
Currently bassless & unable to try things as I'm still waiting on a replacement bass to arrive Saturday, but here's my guess on how to approach things-
1. Muted source (flatwounds, right pickup choice, tone roll-off)
2. distortion / saturation to add in those lower harmonics (pedal, amp, fx etc.)
3. mute tone on distortion / add a lowpass filter to remove the abrasive upper frequencies the distortion added
Is that the way? Would a little bit of an octave/sub-octave effect aid it? What particular distortions would you choose?
Agree on the flatwound strings approach, to be more precise LaBella DTF 760FL which have some distinct base grit.
For the rest you need a jazz bass or, better, a Stingray and a quick right hand ..
You said it all yourself .. finger noise ! Flats do not produce any and some kind of flatwound strings, when played in the correct way, are grittier than you may think of I guess ..
the Paul Young track above was interesting. I can get in that same neighborhood using my fretless and Future Impact. The FI with it's full 4 oscillator configuration is more 'Moog-like'. Overall track was compressed in post and that is going to have an impact of course.
If I were going the SA route. Spectrum. Yes, I know the Spectrum is a part of the C4 but... The Spectrum is more filter like (less synthy) on it's own, There was something of the C4 that I was never able to get rid of. Spectrum is very easy to dial in.
On the other hand if you want ARP style brassy stabs, the C4 is your beast.
If I were going the SA route. Spectrum. Yes, I know the Spectrum is a part of the C4 but... The Spectrum is more filter like (less synthy) on it's own, There was something of the C4 that I was never able to get rid of. Spectrum is very easy to dial in.
On the other hand if you want ARP style brassy stabs, the C4 is your beast.
From a cover a guy did on youtube in the notes:
"Bass cover of Voyager by Daft Punk. Bass originally recorded by Herbie Flowers using a 1960s Jazz Bass. Then run by a Musitronics Mu-Tron III and two dbx 163x stereo."
No idea if Herbie Flowers played bass on Voyager (kind of doubt it)? I don't think he is credited. However, maybe Mu-Tron III is where the tone is at and the dbx compression makes sense. Sorry if that has already been stated. The cover gets the tone pretty well.
"Bass cover of Voyager by Daft Punk. Bass originally recorded by Herbie Flowers using a 1960s Jazz Bass. Then run by a Musitronics Mu-Tron III and two dbx 163x stereo."
No idea if Herbie Flowers played bass on Voyager (kind of doubt it)? I don't think he is credited. However, maybe Mu-Tron III is where the tone is at and the dbx compression makes sense. Sorry if that has already been stated. The cover gets the tone pretty well.
The exact same preset loaded on a Spectrum and C4 sounds different? That sounds like a bug.
@Derek Williams I wouldn't characterize it as a bug. The Spectrum was simply easier to dial in for me.
If the C4 sounded different somehow when using the same presets then there was definitely a bug
