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Simulating synth bass naturally

B

BioBiro

Oct 2, 2008
17
1
Bradford, West Yorkshire, UK
#1
I know this is gonna sound like a ridiculous question (and i'm also not sure where, if anywhere it will go, so I put it in here), but as i'm usually a keyboard/synth player, i'm a fan of everything electronicy and analog. What are some good ways to sound like synth bass naturally - e.g. without using a piezo MIDI pickup. Some of my ideas include:

- Gotta have a 5-string (even though I don't) for those low notes you just can't reach on a 4-stringer but can on a keyboard.
- Playing fretless, because of it's pure, organic smooth sound, and ability to slide around simulating groovy 80s-style pitch bends and modulation wheel vibratos.
- What particular type of strings are good for an electronic sound?
- What kind of pickups are good for an electronic sound?
- Can you get an octave bass and use 2 of the same string instead of using ones an octave higher, and tune each two strings slightly (e.g. 1/8th of a semitone) apart to simulate the beating of two detuned analog oscillators? Obviously you'd need super accurate/stable tuners for this.

I suppose a lot of it has to do with the technique of both hands - has anyone got any suggestions? :)
 
#2
There are many pedals that offer synth tones, either of the "filter sweep and fuzz" variety or tone generators triggered by the bass. Search on "synth" over in the fx forum. I realize that doesn't answer your question about "naturally" simulating synth, but I mention it in case you hadn't explored those options yet.

As far as "naturally", the closest I've come is playing flats with a pick back by the bridge.
 
#3
bongomania said:
There are many pedals that offer synth tones, either of the "filter sweep and fuzz" variety or tone generators triggered by the bass. Search on "synth" over in the fx forum. I realize that doesn't answer your question about "naturally" simulating synth, but I mention it in case you hadn't explored those options yet.

As far as "naturally", the closest I've come is playing flats with a pick back by the bridge.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tips. I've seen those pedals before, but thanks for the suggestion anyway. If I had to go with something that goes after the bass in the signal chain, i'd probably go with a Graphtech Ghost.
 
#4
Man I do this a bunch. What I do is blend almost fully to neck pickup, turn the highs down some, Turn my mids down all the way down at 800hz (I think). and boost the bass. I finger a lot closer to the neck which takes a lot of the attack off of the note and it makes it sound kind of moog-like. I also like to tap around the first couple of frets with the same setup but with the treble centered and it gives it sort of a sine-synth sound.
 
#5
Or you could do something I occasionally still pull out of the bag of tricks: Play a fretless through a chorus and octave pedals. Even better: SLAP on a fretless with chorus and octave. Very '80's Pino Palladino with Paul Young kind of sound, but most folks seemed surprised that it was me and not our keyboard player when I did it back in the day.
 

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