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Help - 80's pop/dance sounds: pedal/keys/midi ?

C

cycler

Oct 6, 2010
206
25
#1
Hi All.

I've moved over to bass for this project and looking to cover bass parts that are synth based: specifically:
Into The Groove- Madonna
Just Be Good TO Me - SOS Band
Let It Whip - Dazz Band

There's sure to be more, there are already, but you all know that heavy, filtered 80's bass thing and it's a female fronted pop/dance project.

I have acquired some decent foundation gear ( a Jazz and PJ, RH450 head and GB neo 2x12 ) and have been using Mainstage and a 25 note USB keyboard so far, no shortage of synths in Logic but I'd like to be spending the time practicing my right hand than learning how to get those sounds out of soft synths.

As new to bass playing I'm asking in case there is a headslap answer, pedal(s) that I'm not aware of. I've seen the EH bass synth and that seems to do the filter thing ok, the MARKBass unit maybe, a combo of dirts and filter pedals maybe? I've even thought that the Moog Little Phatty a simpler alternative to a laptop on stage but have to double on guitar for a few tunes so an equivocal decision with the guitar rigs in Mainstage through the bass amp.

Any and all opinions welcome and cost is not an issue. Still one set to learn before getting out so plenty of time to experiment. As always - thanks for the help.

john
 
#4
Get into the groove is a keyboard, no doubt. To play that on a bass guitar..... well, I'd say you'd be able to pull it off on a clean dry signal with ridiculous chops (maybe some slight dirt).

Having said the answer you don't want to hear, the Digitech bass Synth Wah will do it easy. Yes, it's cheap and cheesy looking but it sounds wickedly cool. Easy to dial in, too!

Sound demo (it also does more regular synth sounds):
http://www.digitech.com/flash/BassSynthWahDemo.php
 
#5
I've done "get into the groove" and "let it whip" with my cover band.

If price is really not an issue, I'd get a midi-equipped bass or a little phatty.

As the many excellent synth bass threads will attest, single synth pedals all have their limitations and will usually just end up causing frustration.

A classic octave-fuzz-filter is a more versatile approach. You'll never really pull off a true moog or prophet sound, but you can make lots of interesting tones that will approximate the timbre of the bass line you are trying to reproduce without the compromise to technique that most synth pedals require.

Getting a synth pedal to cleanly track those rapid fire fills on "get into the groove" is a nightmare. As the previous poster said, it's way more important to nail the notes, and with a synthy filter your tone will be more than good enough for any cover band gig.

There are a lot of excellent synth bass threads around here, check em out for more detail.
 
#7
I might be in the minority, because so many love the pedal, but I didn't find my EXH Micro Synth to be a good pedal to use in a gigging band. You can get a lot of cool sounds out of it, but the settings are very sensitive, and the sliders(?) would always move around while transporting my pedal board...more trouble than it was worth trying to constantly adjust it. I do like the "synth" pop sounds I can get between my separate octave/fuzz/filter pedals...then phaser and chorus on certain parts too.

An example, the tone I get from using my octave & chorus together on "Billie Jean" gives a nice semi-synthy gritty sound. "I got a feeling" by Black Eyed Peas sounds good with fuzz/octave/filter combined.
 
#8
Right now that's how I am playing it, maybe not note for note with all the octave fills but hitting the rythym hard and it sounds very good, just missing the filter sweep. dirt thing.

The Logic Mainstage is really cool and I already own it and the keyboard but the Little Phatty would ease my computer crash anxiety. I will check out the pedals mentioned too. The EH is not gig friendly - having used a POG, for the reason stated, dark stage, tunes flowing into each other etc. thanks.



Moe45673 said:
Get into the groove has a lot of staccato rapid fire notes. Is that how you play it?
Click to expand...
 
#10
Floridabwoy may have beaten me to it. but yeah your naming things all Frequency Modulated by the iconic DX7 . the idea that most bands can afford Moogs (or even rent one) is a modern one. funny and ignorant to why FM synthesis was made in the first place.

real moogs are mofoin expensive, although much cheaper then they where in the 80's.. DX7s are about 200 on the 'bay.. sometimes the cheapest option IS the best.

listen to twightlight maze. that is almost all dx7.. and you will instantly find the sound every where else.

if you held a gun to my head and said " I HAVE to get this sound from a bass guitar" then its a moog freqbox which ironically enough is more expensive and wont track as well. :rollno::D
 
#11
Madonna Into The Groove - there may be some bass synth type pedals that can do this sound, my concern would be that the notes are really fast and clean which can sometimes be hard to do. blended octave > heavily gated fuzz > played very clearly stacatto > static or low rate resonant phaser get you close. Or a gated fuzz into one of the bass synth type pedals assuming they can track the fuzz, but that'll help give you that clean, stacatto sound.

S.O.S. Band- Just Be Good To Me - probably most of the bass synth type pedals would be close enough

Dazz Band - Let It Whip - probably most of the bass synth type pedals again, add mild vibrato or tremolo for the modulation sound


I think the EHX Micro Synth would do everything you need, though it's really annoying to have to try to move the sliders all around for each song as they're touchy. But my recollection is it can do all of these sounds, and can take gated fuzz in front and it tracks excellent so you don't have to worry so much about that aspect of it.
 
#13
A Little Phatty is a great idea, and a great synth, but for half the price, a Dave Smith Mopho would cover your needs just as well. I own both, and if I absolutely HAD to pick one over the other, as much as I love that fat Moog sound, the MoPho actually does MORE.
 
#14
This is part 2 of 3 of a Sequential Circuits Prophet-5 polyphonic analog synth video I found yesterday:



ummm......:eek: Check out the other 2 videos too!

I would totally get that if money was not an issue. Otherwise, I would imagine a Little Phatty or the Mopho will deliver and then some.
 
#16
Had a much longer reply, but decided to scrap it in favor of this executive summary:

I've been down this road before. Pedals don't even come close to a keyboard in terms of sound and versatility.

microKORG - Great sound, compact, battery operated, cheap. Programming is fairly intuitive if you're familiar with subtractive synthesis. Tiny keys can be a pain.

Alesis Micron - Good sound, full-sized keys, compatible with Ion patches. Programming is a huge pain--computer helps (micronAU) but live performance editing is quite limited.

Little Phatty - Best sound, best live performance editing (I've even built patches during an 8-bar intro for a song I never expected to play). The real deal. Beautiful sounding filter, smooth sweeps. Asymmetric pitch bend wheel option (mine is set to +2st/-12st) allows for really expressive playing (e.g. PFunk). Expensive and heavy.

Slim Phatty - New from Moog. It's basically a Little Phatty sound module for $700. Pair it with a small MIDI controller.

I'd recommend getting a microKORG and getting used to the small keys. It's cheap, and the small size will be a bonus.

If you're more serious about key bass, or have a use for an analog Moog elsewhere (e.g. in the studio, playing leads, etc.) then there really is no substitute. The more I delved into programming 70s/80s synth bass sounds, the more I realized the Minimoog was all over, well, everything. If that's the sound in your head, the fact that you can now get authentic Moog sound for well under $1000 is almost a no-brainer.
 
#17
I read that and said..." a what" ? then check it out. I have two Roland midi guitar set ups now and tracking is iffy. This is interesting though.

cultrvultr said:
Hey, the OP said price was not an issue. If I had an unlimited budget, I'd get an industrial radio midi bass and send it to a phatty. Bass guitar for the BG songs, keys with pitch bend and mod wheel for the synth songs and midi bass for everything in between.

I bet they would even make him a doubleneck for his guitar tunes.
Click to expand...
 
#18
Great replies. Thanks.

I spent a lot of time today with Logic and the EFM1 synth and yesterday I hit my buds' music store and checked the Little Phatty. I was intimidated and lost on both but started to get some usable sounds after awhile. Tried some pedals and not that thrilled. I do have a USB controller so still a toss up but I think my questions have been well answered; there is no obvious easy solution, Mainstage and controller ( and ALL those great Logic VI synths ) in addition to the guitar rigs in Mainstage gets me to the same basic place as either Moog with a bit more tedium but I already own it soe learn to use it. If if gets a massive FAIL then on the the Moogs.

Thanks guys.
 
#19
If you have your heart set on playing it with your actual bass and you're comfortable with a Windows laptop you can get some great sounds out of the free FrettedSynth VSTs and they can push some really great sounding synths, I prefer GuitarSynSE in particular. The filtering and other effects are fairly basic but should work fine for what you're doing.

Lots of options available.
 

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