Synthesis for Bass Players

[Jeremy Darrow]

Hey JMJ, after playing around with synths here and there for a few years I'm leaning into it a little more. Even in the roots/americana world that I mostly work in there is some call for synths, so I'm working on those skills. (IMO some synths are folk instruments now anyway)

Do you have a particular approach when it comes to re/creating patches for performance use, and then keeping them organized?

I'd also love to know some of your thoughts on synths vs "actual" bass, and creating new sounds in the studio.

Thanks!

 

[jmjbassplayer]

Howdy,

Glad to hear you're diving into the fun and frankly inevitable world of synths.

As far as re-creating patches, that's not really something I can answer easily or briefly. That's a massive body of knowledge that depends firstly upon grasping and applying some basic tenets of synthesis, then having the right gear to re-create the original source material (making sure it has enough capabilities as well as a sympatico tonal identity), and then eventually getting eventually savvy enough to make quick changes on the fly as performance and/or your collaborators demand.

Keeping them organized: super easy if you're using soft-synths and laptop setup via MainStage, Ableton, etc. I never do that, I'm always using hardware. So I just make my patches and organize a bank so they're all close together. Not much more to it than that.

Synths vs. actual bass: I'm afraid that's again too broad of an area for me to comment on easily, as it lies firmly in the realm of subjectivity. There's no "versus" there anyway...there may have been "versus" 30 years ago, but in more recent times, you just pick the right aesthetic. Either a moment or a song calls for one or it calls for the other, and again: highly subjective. I am agnostic in this area, as I smoothly and easily glide between both instruments both in performance and as a producer, so it's all extremely fluid in my mind and I honestly have no prejudices.

re: Creating new sounds in the studio: not sure what you're asking, can you clarify?

 

[sifrancis]

Thought I'd add a link to a synth sound-design tutorial plug in that I have recommended to other musicians looking to get in to synth programming; feel it may be relevant to the conversation.
It can be a helpful tool for ear training and helping to break down and increase understanding of the core components of most classic subtractive synthesisers.

Syntorial: The Ultimate Synthesizer Tutorial | Syntorial

 

[pbass2]

...IMO some synths are folk instruments now anyway...

I like this. If you mean that something like a classic Moog sound is as iconic now as a dulcimer, or a Fender bass, or whatever, I agree. If you simply mean you can do folk instrument sounds on synths, well then that too of course.
As for the synth vs bass guitar thing, as JMJ says "...there may have been "versus" 30 years ago".....very true. I remember when I was coming of age playing in clubs as a bassist in the early 80's, at one point I switched to synth bass entirely - I put down my Yammy BB1200 and insisted on playing only my SH101, no matter what. Heck, our dummer went entirely Simmons. We were determined to usher in this new music Seemed like a good idea at the time (pretty funny looking back at trying to get that all working in some dive club...). But I love how now it's practically the norm to see folks switching between the two, it is awesome. Almost every major artist has a bassist on stage playing both. So damn cool....

 

[Jeremy Darrow]

As far as re-creating patches, that's not really something I can answer easily or briefly. That's a massive body of knowledge that depends firstly upon grasping and applying some basic tenets of synthesis, then having the right gear to re-create the original source material (making sure it has enough capabilities as well as a sympatico tonal identity), and then eventually getting eventually savvy enough to make quick changes on the fly as performance and/or your collaborators demand.

?

Thanks, that's a very helpful answer. I don't have immense depth of experience, but I've spent enough time experimenting with the OP-1, and very recently with a Sub 25, that I can hear something (on a recording or in my head) and then get close pretty quickly most of the time. The variety of engines in the OP-1 have been super-useful and IMO cover a lot of ground. The Moog is a bit of a different story; it feels more natural to me and is very inspiring to dig into.

re: Creating new sounds in the studio: not sure what you're asking, can you clarify?

Sure, I'm talking about making sounds to use in a track, rather than re-recreating or approximating patches for the purpose of live shows. What I'm taking from what you're saying is that whether the right choice is bass guitar, a particular synth sound, or something else entirely, is informed by taste and experience; and is apparent based on those things. Which answers pretty much all of my questions.

Thanks again!

 

[Jeremy Darrow]

I like this. If you mean that something like a classic Moog sound is as iconic now as a dulcimer, or a Fender bass, or whatever, I agree. If you simply mean you can do folk instrument sounds on synths, well then that too of course.

That too, but what I meant to say is that banjos, fiddles, dulcimers, etc., were initially played by people because they were what was around or what could be made using available materials. These days a person is much more likely to have a computer or smartphone than they are to have a guitar, and so those devices are now the tools of everyday music-making.

 

[pbass2]

That too, but what I meant to say is that banjos, fiddles, dulcimers, etc., were initially played by people because they were what was around or what could be made using available materials. These days a person is much more likely to have a computer or smartphone than they are to have a guitar, and so those devices are now the tools of everyday music-making.

Spot-on. Nicely put.