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What effects do you use for an indie band?

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KevInDaBassment

KevInDaBassment

The cat's "meh..."
Jul 30, 2010
8,465
9,396
Gulf Coast
#1
EDIT: Want to hear the scratch tracks of what I'm doing all this for? Check out the playlist here (it's only 3 songs):
]

(These tracks aren't even close to completed, finished, or really polished. It's ideas recorded down so I don't forget the rhythm and have some idea of the mix. Please consider this before commenting on them!)


---Original Message---

I know that the genre of "indie" is like saying "What's good for rock?", but lets narrow it by saying mid 2000's and up.

So I'm in dialogue with someone who wants to start an indie band project. I've listened to some of his stuff and it's pretty neat, it's mostly clean guitar and lo-fi type of stuff. I tossed him a track I had made prior for fun and he liked it. So far the formula I'm doing is such for tone:

Guitars: Fender clean or biting strat, generous reverb, sometimes chorus on lead parts
Bass: Flats with 50's P or Jaguar P/J bass. Typically low-gain SVT style tone. No effects so far.
Drums: Sequenced with Addictive Drums. I go with either the Vintage or 70's kit, so it's not a super clear/modern sound to them.


Any effects you've found to work well on bass? I've typically got a rhythm part and a very "phrased" lead part (think "Ocean Breathes Salty" by Modest Mouse) with bass doing chord tones, pretty lively stuff. I want to experiment some more because I think too much distortion on the guitar or crazy effects will lose the sound, but I'd like to mix things up some. The sound would be a type of Modest Mouse, Strokes, Silversun Pickups (maybe not quite as heavy though) mix. This genre is a totally different world for me, I typically write grunge or metal music.



- VT
 
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#2
Not much generally. If you're getting a slightly overdriven tone from your amp I'd say maybe a heavier gain overdrive pedal when you want to kick it up a notch.

And personally I love fuzz bass much more against clean guitars than when competing against distorted guitar tones. So that's an option.

And you're right that Indie isn't all that descriptive but if it extends to bands like Kings of Leon or Death Cab then their bassists have used delay, pitch shifting (whammy like), tremolo, chorus & flanger.

No hard & fast rules really, just what fits with the music.
 
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#3
Jared Lash said:
Not much generally. If you're getting a slightly overdriven tone from your amp I'd say maybe a heavier gain overdrive pedal when you want to kick it up a notch.

And personally I love fuzz bass much more against clean guitars than when competing against distorted guitar tones. So that's an option.

And you're right that Indie isn't all that descriptive but if it extends to bands like Kings of Leon or Death Cab then their bassists have used delay, pitch shifting (whammy like), tremolo, chorus & flanger.

No hard & fast rules realky, just what fits with the music.
Click to expand...
I would definitely agree with the fuzz suggestion. I Smallsound/Bigsound F*ck Overdrive would be the first pedal I'd buy for indie. Also a phaser or tremolo could be rad on melodic lead lines
 
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#4
My synth pedal gets the most action in my band which sounds similar to the description of your music. Also use some light overdrive tube sounds with my sansamp DI and occasionally chorus but I don't use effects often besides my main tone on my sansamp and a compressor
 
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#7
So much depends upon the songs and music you are playing. Indie is a pretty broad generalization. I could see lots of effects or no effects fitting in.

You mention "lo-fi", so let me throw out there that you may want to consider a gritty, thrashy fuzz, something like the SGFX Sasori, or another FY-2 clone. Even any one of the superfuzzes out there would do great too - personally, I use the Wounded Paw Attack Goat.

That said, no one will ever, EVER go wrong with picking up a ss/bs TAFM. So much range, so much flexibility. If I could only have one dirt pedal, that would be it. Of course I have many and think everyone else should :) but in terms of just having a single pedal, it can't be beat!
 
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#9
blindrabbit said:
So much depends upon the songs and music you are playing. Indie is a pretty broad generalization. I could see lots of effects or no effects fitting in.

You mention "lo-fi", so let me throw out there that you may want to consider a gritty, thrashy fuzz, something like the SGFX Sasori, or another FY-2 clone. Even any one of the superfuzzes out there would do great too - personally, I use the Wounded Paw Attack Goat.

That said, no one will ever, EVER go wrong with picking up a ss/bs TAFM. So much range, so much flexibility. If I could only have one dirt pedal, that would be it. Of course I have many and think everyone else should :) but in terms of just having a single pedal, it can't be beat!
Click to expand...

The TAFM is an amazing pedal fo sho. Have you bought another yet? :p

Have you tried the Sasori? SGFX posts at least one pic of it everyday on their Instragram and it makes me want one.
 
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#10
Loving the replies, this is a lot of stuff I hadn't even thought of which is exactly why I asked! :)

winterburn69 said:
Idk if it would work for your band, but I'm a big fan of Sting's synthy Moog Taurus droning stabs with some Police songs. The Taurus 1 sample setting for the EHX Bass Micro Synth nails it.
Click to expand...

You know I was thinking of getting something to add more droning sustain on some notes, that sounds like something worth looking into. I'm sure the bass has more than just one thing on it, and it's a mixed studio track, but I like the way the bass hits at first on Bloody Mary (Nerve Endings) by Silversun Pickups...would like a superhard and round thump that holds from time to time. Like a dead flatwound with tons of sustain.



Starts around 0:36 I think...
 
#11
winterburn69 said:
The TAFM is an amazing pedal fo sho. Have you bought another yet? :p

Have you tried the Sasori? SGFX posts at least one pic of it everyday on their Instragram and it makes me want one.
Click to expand...

I have tried it, and it is magnificent! I'm all about the FY-2/FY-6/Superfuzz-ish type tones lately. Love that trashy, zippery, ripping tone. :)

As for the TAFM, sadly no, I've not bought my fourth one yet :laugh: but it is inevitable. I'm totally enjoying my ss/bs Mini right now though! What do *you* think of the TAFM? ;)
 
#12
blindrabbit said:
I have tried it, and it is magnificent! I'm all about the FY-2/FY-6/Superfuzz-ish type tones lately. Love that trashy, zippery, ripping tone. :)

As for the TAFM, sadly no, I've not bought my fourth one yet :laugh: but it is inevitable. I'm totally enjoying my ss/bs Mini right now though! What do *you* think of the TAFM? ;)
Click to expand...

Hmmm. I may have to look for some bass demos on that then.

As for the TAFM, still loving it! it's my second favorite fuzz after the Malekko B:assmaster. Although for the past few weeks everything has been taking a backseat to my new Fuzzrocious Heliotropic.
 
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#13
I'd say fuzz, and any kind of modulation category effect.
You could probably up the sustain with a compressor. If you get a really transparent one, you could stomp it in for single notes or passages, which would be cool and it'd leave your usual tone unaffected.
Mix that with any gain-building effect, such as the aforementioned fuzz, as you've got a long note that turns into harmonic feedback. That sounds pretty cool.
 
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#14
winterburn69 said:
Hmmm. I may have to look for some bass demos on that then.

As for the TAFM, still loving it! it's my second favorite fuzz after the Malekko B:assmaster. Although for the past few weeks everything has been taking a backseat to my new Fuzzrocious Heliotropic.
Click to expand...

Hmm...can you give a brief comparison between the TAFM and the Bassmaster? I obviously know the TAFM very well, and wonder often about the bassmaster. Similarities/differences, strengths/weaknesses?
 
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