Imitating cello

[metalinthenight]

Another option to get close to this sound:

Bass -> Fuzz -> EHX POG2 -> Reverb

Start with your bass soloing the neck pup if you have it. The fuzz (I've used a TAFM and W&C PPB to great effect) adds the hair-like quality of a bow, and the POG handles the attack delay and some of the octave over tones. Then just some light reverb.

This setup works well with the "correct" hand technique, for lack of a better term. It takes some practice to get the best "cello" sounds. Also using a volume pedal helps to get longer cello swells and crescendos.

 

[WildMidwest]

I don't understand why do you suggesting octave up. I thought I played in cello register.

The notes are in register but the harmonics are not. It's like me playing notes on my A-string and calling it a viola or a violin: the tone color is off. If you have good speakers attached to your computer try listening to the sound samples from that Amazon link — Starker playing Bach Suites — you'll hear what I mean. (Better yet, buy the CD. Those are some of the most sublime performances by one of history's great masters. Yo-Yo Ma may be technically better, but he doesn't convey the old man's insights into humanity's strengths/weaknesses.)

I am not any kind of expert on octave-up effects, but I can tell you the tone-shifting from my Zoom G3X processor isn't good enough to make a bass sound cello-like. I tried an Electro-Harminux Micro POG at Music-Go-Round last week; it sounded totally cool, but not at all cello-like. I don't know whether one of the more expensive Electro-Harminux units or a different brand octave pedal would get you there, nor even if it's worth trying.

Definitely borrow somebody's acoustic bass and a horsehair bow before you change anything on your effect. It may be that a standup bass will get you 90% of the way there, +/- a small dose of octave-up.

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).

I respect this. I am having fun trying to make my cello sound like a bass even though I expect many people in these forums would scoff at the results. I am not brave enough to post sound samples.

 

[gastric]

Super nice job, dude.

No, it doesn't sound EXACTLY like a real stringed instrument. But YES it is totally passable as a stringed instrument. If you did that live people would wet themselves.

 

[nofretdave]

Awesome! I've been searching for this sound. So basically you need a reverb unit, a octave pedal of some sort and some overdrive or dirt, correct?