Imitating cello

[Shish]

I didn't find such a topic although I don't believe I'm the only one on the quest for approximating sound of cello with a bass.

Here is my best attempt so far:


Anyone else has something to share?

 

[MADChuudoku]

that sounds awesome! how did you get that sound?

 

[acleex38]

Ooh...I may need that. I definitely want to know how you managed that.

 

[Shish]

The main part of this sound is 100% wet room reverb with 0 pre-delay and very short decay. I play on neck pick-up with highs rolled out on my bass. And the final twist is Copilot Android. It's a dirty-dirty ring mod, but it can sound as an overdrive with power starve and that's how I use it.

 

[cst bass]

thats really cool man.

 

[HunterBurgan4Me]

I'd pay a lot of money to have that in a pedal. I'm guessing you used software?

 

[Shish]

I'd pay a lot of money to have that in a pedal. I'm guessing you used software?

Just Copilot Android and reverb from Line6 M5. Other reverbs work too, I tried it with Radical Red Reverberator and Blue Sky.

 

[Darknut]

The EHX Super Ego can do the cello (Chello) thing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJ7Ng-EwHog

its at the 1:30 mark

Shish ... yours is way cool by the way

 

[Skrogh]

Just Copilot Android and reverb from Line6 M5. Other reverbs work too, I tried it with Radical Red Reverberator and Blue Sky.

which reverb on the M5 did you use? I've got to try this out

 

[Shish]

which reverb on the M5 did you use? I've got to try this out

Room. You want short decay for that sound since you don't need reverb itself, you just need to kill the attack.

 

[Lukejt]

Way cool.

 

[cheapbasslovin]

That sounds amazing. It loses a little of its authenticity on a long decay, but who the hell cares when it sounds so great on the attack.

Thank you and I will be stealing that.

 

[Basehead]

This sounds amazing! Thanks Shish...

 

[WildMidwest]

Sorry to throw mud, but as a cello player I think you've got a ways to go with that sound. The abrupt note termination is definitely un-cello like. Perhaps a longer sustain and an octave-up? (I'm an electronic noob, so I'm afraid I can't tell you exactly what to do to mimic horsehair bowing on a real cello.) I wonder how your effect would work bowed on a standup bass, again with a good octave-up processor?

For those who want to throw money around, a cheap cello off CraigsList + The Realist pickup works wonders. Of course, there's the price of years of cello lessons. Cello is not the easiest instrument to master. Can't say I'm there after 40 years of trying.

 

[PDGood]

That's plenty accurate enough to be effective in a mix. I've never heard anyone come even close to that. Very well done!!!

 

[alec]

Here is a guitar example. Don't know if it would sound more or less convincing on bass...

 

[chriss]

Nice job man,

I found that the Auto Volume Echo on my M5 can do a passable job.While it does not really replicate the timbre it still fills the space where a cello part is nicley

 

[gumtown]

I use my Roland GR-55 for any instrument or synth sound you could imagine (including cello)

 

[WildMidwest]

Alright, everybody loves the cello imitation except the cello guy. I couldn't locate any recordings of Das Wohltemperierte Klavier on cello for you (nice effort on electric bass, by the way), but for the real sound of Bach on cello you could do worse than Janos Starker:

http://www.amazon.com/Bach-Suites-Cello-Janos-Starker/dp/B000003FD9/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

Listen and weep!

 

[Shish]

Sorry to throw mud, but as a cello player I think you've got a ways to go with that sound. The abrupt note termination is definitely un-cello like. Perhaps a longer sustain and an octave-up? (I'm an electronic noob, so I'm afraid I can't tell you exactly what to do to mimic horsehair bowing on a real cello.) I wonder how your effect would work bowed on a standup bass, again with a good octave-up processor?

For those who want to throw money around, a cheap cello off CraigsList + The Realist pickup works wonders. Of course, there's the price of years of cello lessons. Cello is not the easiest instrument to master. Can't say I'm there after 40 years of trying.

I understand about note termination, I don't think I can do anything about it. And I can't play long notes this way, bass just doesn't have enough sustain for that. Trying e-bow would be interesting, it's still on my list to buy some day.
I don't understand why do you suggesting octave up. I thought I played in cello register.
I didn't have a goal of getting exact cello sound out of my bass, I don't think it's possible. I consider this thread as an example of using pedals in a fun and somewhat unexpected way (I've never seen anybody doing that at least).

And I want to thank everybody for comments and good words