thisnameistaken

When you say 'some crackling', which controls are crackling?

Is that the film with Andy Serkis? I saw that at flicks, enjoyed it. :-)

I really wish I could justify buying this. It looks amazing, and I'm a Warwick fan, and having spent three years living in the USA in the mid '90s I heard all of the best of P-Nut's output, and opened for 311 a couple of times too when they came through our town.

There aren't many basses that catch my eye like this one. Can't believe it hasn't been snatched yet.

Is that Jimmy Saville?

[quote name='Mr Anthony' timestamp='1411930118' post='2564053']
...my question is what do you guys use chorus for?

I met a guy at a gig recently who said he uses chorus to thicken the sound since they only had the one guitarist.[/quote]

I think the worst reason for using an effect is 'It thickens'.

Nobody wants to listen to thick. Thick isn't interesting. I'll concede that 'thin' isn't interesting either, but if your music is going to live or die by being thick or thin then you've got bigger problems than your pedal collection.

I never use chorus. I use **** tons of effects and I never use chorus. If there's something that needs to sound absolutely massive then there are ways and means, and you need to get 90% of the way there before you turn on a chorus pedal. And even then you'll either sound like Peter Hook or Simon Gallup or (if you've got fuzz too) like you're aping that tired old Dubstep sound.

If that's what you're going for then definitely keep the chorus pedal.

I'm confused. If you want a double bass sound, wouldn't it make sense to buy a double bass?

I like the sound of some electric uprights, because they sound like electric uprights and it's a nice sound. But if that's not what you want, don't buy one?

I have thought about getting an EUB myself (I've played DB for about 5 years now) but the only ones I would want to own are the Yamahas.

The MoPho Keyboard might be a good option, I didn't realise they'd released a standalone model. The MicroKorg is fun but I like having full-size keys, due to having full-size hands.

[quote name='Spike Vincent' timestamp='1411851784' post='2563369']Just curious, but why more than 2 octaves for a bass synth? I use a Basstation rack with a midi keyboard, if that's any help.[/quote]

I just think while a 2 octave keyboard is probably OK if everything is in C I'm worried it will start to feel a bit tight in keys a fourth or fifth away. I'd rather have three, or even two and a half.

Yeah a module and controller would be one way around it but I like having all the controls to tweak, and less gear to carry (there's potentially double bass in the mix in one band too).

Now you made me watch a Sub 37 demo. YOU'RE A BAD PERSON!

I looked at the Gaia, but the romantic in me wants an analogue synth.

As for modules: The reason I'm looking at buying a synth is because I like tweaking controls. Otherwise I'd probably just stick with software (mostly MASSIVE) and a controller keyboard which is what I'm doing at home.

I didn't know there was a 37-key Sub Phatty. That's very cool, but a bit pricey. I'm not sure I can justify it, even if it is a Moog. I would also like something a bit more portable. Yeah I know, portable, more keys, conflicting priorities etc. What I really want is a Bass Station II with more keys and I'm waiting for one of you to make me one.

[quote name='The Badderer' timestamp='1411765563' post='2562699']
you're a bit further down the journey than we are [/quote]

I'm just not in any bands with control freak guitarists.

If you do it and it sounds good, and you do it regularly enough, eventually people will encourage you to do what you do. Even if what you do is dive-bombing B-movie robot attack sounds.

I've been looking at analogue synths. I like the idea of a proper analogue synth, but I also like the idea of patch memory, so obviously I really like the idea of the Bass Station II, but I don't like the idea of a 2-octave keyboard, and I don't like the idea of having to carry a second keyboard just to add more range.

What else should I look at?

Er...

Well I use an OC-2 to sound not-like-a-bass-guitar sometimes. Usually for dancehall type bass sounds. I use a sample rate reducer (Bugbrand Bugcrusher) sometimes to add some lo-fi noise to it and make it sound messed-up and out of tune, like a broken robot.

I use a synth-modded OC-2 with a low-pass filter (IE Xerograph) to do more sort of '90s hip-hop synth sounds. I also use a bitcrusher (IE Frantabit) as a colourful, modulating fuzz when the guitar isn't busy, again with the low-pass filter to vary the flavour.

I use a reverb (Mooer Shimverb) with the OC-2s to make synth sounds a bit more authentic sometimes. Again this works best when the rest of the arrangement is sparse.

I use a +1 octave whammy effect (Line 6 M9) as a kind of hook-generator anywhere in a song that I think it will prick up the ears, I also use it to lead into fills sometimes.

I use a very fast pitch vibrato effect (Line 6 M9 again) to add synth-like modulation to notes at the end of fills. A Bernie Worrell sort of thing.

I use a gated fuzz through a narrow band-pass filter (both in my Octavius Squeezer) to do nerdy-sounding Parliament-ish lead synth things sometimes. I have it in a 2-channel mixer (SFX Loop Logic) with the OC-2 so I can add beef at the bottom if I want, or switch between the weedy sound and the beefy sound in alternate bars, which sounds cool.

I use a barberpole phaser effect (M9 again) sometimes if I'm running a bass sound with enough treble frequencies to make it worthwhile, although this is getting rarer now. It's nice just to add a little movement to the bass and make it less routine-sounding.

I use a ring modulator (M9 again) sometimes in conjunction with an expression pedal so I can ramp it in and out as needed, much like the sample rate reducer but because it's more extreme I only use it to **** sh*t up briefly. The sample rate reducer I can leave on for whole songs.

I also sometimes resort to fuzz-into-envelope-filter effects (Octavius Squeezer again) but rarely. This is also an interesting sound to run into the sample rate reducer because it inexplicably gives the quacky filter sound a really weird vocal quality. At higher sample rates it does quite distinct vowel sounds, the more you lower the rate the more it sounds like an angry robot shouting at you.

So yeah. They are the things I do most at the moment. I don't ever really just switch on one effect for a song or a chorus or whatever (well, I do with the OC-2 but that's a classic bass sound in itself), I use them to add different hooks and fills and generally make arrangements more interesting. I've built my board in such a way that I can turn things on and off again or modulate certain effect parameters quickly and easily, and my board hasn't changed a whole lot over the last five years or so, so it's become kind of automatic for me to just push the right buttons or modulate the expression pedals, it's as natural as doing a trill with your fingers or pluck ghost notes or whatever.

Oddly the effects I never use are overdrive and chorus. The two that seem to be discussed the most in here.

Flats and rounds are the reason I always have two basses, so I can have both.

People get so tribal about stuff. Strings good, humans bad.

Speaking of excellent lady bassists, I don't think I've seen this vid posted on BC yet:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyTTX6Wlf1Y

Haha. Well this is a pneumatic 200mm diameter wheel, it looks about as smooth a ride as a bass can get. It's surely better than those little nylon wheels you see on more expensive gig bags.

My wrists are knackered already so I don't like carrying the bass very far. Usually I only need to carry it short distances, to the car and back, but I got a wheel for those odd occasions that I've got half a mile to plod with it.

I suppose there's only really two ways of doing it. I did wonder if anyone pulls the bass along behind them but I imagine that would be a disaster actually...

If you play a festival get a wheel or a trolley. Or if you play pubs within walking distance and you fancy a pint. Carrying a DB more than a couple of hundred yards is not much fun. Especially if like me you're prone to wrist tendon issues.

I got a bass wheel in the post today, and tried wheeling my bass around the dining room, and I found it quite tricky - the bass just seems to want to run away from me and it's tricky to keep my leg out of the way. How do the bass wheel users here use theirs? What's the most natural way to hold the bass?

I suppose I'll find out tomorrow night when I have wheel it across town but thought I'd ask. :-)

For what it's worth I quit using Champix which is available on prescription from the NHS. I'd tried to quit cold turkey quite a few times before and failed, managed it on the first attempt with Champix. Might be worth looking up if you don't manage to quit on your own.

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1410882400' post='2554270']
I was walking my dogs lunchtime and realised that I cannot remember the last time I heard a musician practising through an open window. I used to hear it all of the time when I grew up, guitars, drums, saxophones etc but it is a very rare occurence now.
[/quote]

Every time I walk my dog I hear a musician practising through a window. Sometimes piano, sometimes clarinet, flute, vocals, all sorts. All from the same building though where I'm assuming a music teacher lives...

Haha yeah I did that for a couple of years, good fun. Some of the ska stuff is a bit sprightly (Desmond Dekker particularly, although Get Up Edina is nice and easy) and can be quite tricky to play with good feel, but the older stuff with a strong emphasis on brass melodies like as you say the Skatalites stuff, Byron Lee, Justin Hinds, are all very do-able.

Pretty much all the Alton Ellis back catalogue is in G major so that's good news for a beginning upright player, also a lot of the older Trojan ska releases like Next Door Neighbour, No Praise No Raise just have simple 8th note walking style lines, Iron Bar is a nice simple one too.

Basically the further back you go the simpler the bass parts are, typically, and those older tunes are often based around 1-4-5 changes so it's easy to pick them up.

[quote name='paul_5' timestamp='1408463680' post='2530455']
I must confess, I rarely;y use a chorus as a 'chorus' pedal. I prefer a 'wobblier' sort of sound than a slight detune style thingy.[/quote]

I like super-wobble as a momentary effect, currently using the Pitch Vibrato patch on my M9 for it, but the TC Electronic 'Shaker' would be a good single-pedal alternative. Great for Bernie Worrell style nerdy modulation.

[quote name='bassace' timestamp='1410613824' post='2551271']
A piece of wire approx 150mm with the last 10mm turned up at a right angle to help you change strings. Costs nothing and saves a lot of frustration. [/quote]

Go on, I'll bite. What do you do with it?

I use a right angle plug with the lead pointing away from me, I've never come close to pulling it out.