Skol303 Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 Okay… so I’ve got ‘Can’t Stop The Feeling’ by Justin Timberlake firmly stuck in my head. Mrs Skol and the boys love it, so it gets played constantly at home. It’s inescapable. One thing that’s really struck me about this song is the bassline - and specifically, the [i]bass sound[/i]. It’s got some kind of auto-wah or funky envelope filter effect on it; not something I’d want to hear too often but on this particular song I think it works well. It’s very distinctive. [b]So my question is: does anyone here know how this effect is achieved?[/b] I’ve checked on some other forums, but nobody seems 100% sure. So I thought I’d ask at the Basschat font of all knowledge My best guesses are…[list] [*]Electro Harmonix Q-Tron pedal? [*]Electro Harmonix Bass Balls pedal? [*]Some kind of octaver? [*]And with overdrive? [/list] Maybe some of you guys’n’gals who lug around those big pedalboards can shed some light on this. You can hear the song here - the bass sound is particularly clear during the brief solo around 2:50… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ru0K8uYEZWw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockfordStone Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 i love this song. i'm not a fan of pop music, but occasionally you get a song which just hits the right notes in terms of vibe, groove and mood. it's perfect pop. not sure on the sound, it sounds to me like there is some kind of wah on it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skol303 Posted January 9, 2017 Author Share Posted January 9, 2017 (edited) [quote name='RockfordStone' timestamp='1483960572' post='3211358'] i love this song. i'm not a fan of pop music, but occasionally you get a song which just hits the right notes in terms of vibe, groove and mood. it's perfect pop.[/quote] Yeah I agree Rob! It's a crackingly good pop song... super catchy and the production is top notch (it's produced by Max Martin who's behind a long list of number ones). [edit] PS: my fact of the day from Wikipedia… [i]“Martin is the songwriter with third most number one singles, behind only Paul McCartney (32) and John Lennon (26). As a producer he holds the record for second-most number one singles with 20 behind only George Martin (23).”[/i] Wow… and I bet that almost nobody has heard of him other than studio nerds like me Edited January 9, 2017 by Skol303 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee-Man Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 (edited) I quite enjoyed this on Max Martin: [url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2DHuugaxWk"]https://youtu.be/D2DHuugaxWk[/url] Edited January 9, 2017 by Lee-Man Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockfordStone Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 [quote name='Skol303' timestamp='1483964090' post='3211404'] Yeah I agree Rob! It's a crackingly good pop song... super catchy and the production is top notch (it's produced by Max Martin who's behind a long list of number ones). [edit] PS: my fact of the day from Wikipedia… [i]“Martin is the songwriter with third most number one singles, behind only Paul McCartney (32) and John Lennon (26). As a producer he holds the record for second-most number one singles with 20 behind only George Martin (23).”[/i] Wow… and I bet that almost nobody has heard of him other than studio nerds like me [/quote] i've heard of him AND know of his importance to pop music didn't know he's done this one tho Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassman68 Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 I can get close with an EH BassBalls with the overdrive switched in but it still needs something like a Flanger etc. to get it sweeping. Probably something a lot more impressive and/or boutique on the original? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skol303 Posted January 9, 2017 Author Share Posted January 9, 2017 [quote name='RockfordStone' timestamp='1483967257' post='3211453'] i've heard of him AND know of his importance to pop music [/quote] That only goes to show you're as nerdy as I am! [quote name='Bassman68' timestamp='1483967288' post='3211456'] I can get close with an EH BassBalls with the overdrive switched in but it still needs something like a Flanger etc. to get it sweeping. Probably something a lot more impressive and/or boutique on the original? [/quote] ...yeah I did wonder whether it was the BassBalls, no doubt layered with a bunch of other stuff. I'm starting to think the sound is actually a mix of various processes: possibly a dry signal, layered with an overdriven/wah signal, plus a modulated signal on top: i.e. put together in post-production, rather than recorded all through a pedal chain or whatever. PS: how do you find the BassBalls? I've been tempted by one myself... it certainly has a very funky sound from the YouTube clips I've heard. Worth the money? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheddatom Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 (edited) I wouldn't have thought either of those pedals would do it (I have both). The envelope follower/LPF built into my Digitech XP-100 would do that extra resonant filter thing, then I'd put some dirt on top, but that's not a lot of help... anyway, yeh, some sort of envelope follower with dirt and some compression and an LPF in the studio EDIT: I can't hear modulation or flange or anything like that, just sounds like an envelope follower to me - what am I missing? Edited January 9, 2017 by cheddatom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahpook Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 [quote name='RockfordStone' timestamp='1483960572' post='3211358'] i love this song. i'm not a fan of pop music, but occasionally you get a song which just hits the right notes in terms of vibe, groove and mood. it's perfect pop. [/quote] That it is, I just grooved into the kitchen to put the kettle on. Deffo some kind of auto-wah/filter going on with the bass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockfordStone Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 [quote name='ahpook' timestamp='1483968929' post='3211485'] That it is, I just grooved into the kitchen to put the kettle on. Deffo some kind of auto-wah/filter going on with the bass. [/quote] i can't dance, but this song makes you want to dance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skidder652003 Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 [quote name='Skol303' timestamp='1483968468' post='3211478'] That only goes to show you're as nerdy as I am! ...yeah I did wonder whether it was the BassBalls, no doubt layered with a bunch of other stuff. I'm starting to think the sound is actually a mix of various processes: possibly a dry signal, layered with an overdriven/wah signal, plus a modulated signal on top: i.e. put together in post-production, rather than recorded all through a pedal chain or whatever. PS: how do you find the BassBalls? I've been tempted by one myself... it certainly has a very funky sound from the YouTube clips I've heard. Worth the money? [/quote] they're great. I got one on here for £30, so keep your eyes peeled, a really "chewy" sound, very funky and the overdrive feature is a nice touch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skol303 Posted January 9, 2017 Author Share Posted January 9, 2017 [quote name='skidder652003' timestamp='1483973259' post='3211554'] they're great. I got one on here for £30, so keep your eyes peeled, a really "chewy" sound, very funky and the overdrive feature is a nice touch. [/quote] I like "chewy" I'll keep my eye out for one... from the clips I've heard it sounds great. Seems to lose a bit of the low end when engaged (nearly every bass overdrive pedal does), but I see myself mixing it with a dry signal anyway in post-production to add some "oomph". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skol303 Posted January 9, 2017 Author Share Posted January 9, 2017 [quote name='Lee-Man' timestamp='1483964454' post='3211408'] I quite enjoyed this on Max Martin: [url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2DHuugaxWk"]https://youtu.be/D2DHuugaxWk[/url] [/quote] That's a good vid! I like Dave (aka Boy In A Band). He's a smart guy who posts some great content on YouTube. His music tutorials are also top notch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Damonjames Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 To my ears, it does sound a lot like an ehx bassballs, with the drive switch in, but I also sounds like there is a low pass filter with an expression pedal involved as the level of filter is not consistent. I've not got a envelope filter at the minute, but a bass wah might also be involved. As could a bass octave. I'll get to having a try at it in the coming weeks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skol303 Posted January 10, 2017 Author Share Posted January 10, 2017 ^ Nice one that's a really good pointer! I've got an octave pedal and a wah... I might keep an eye out for a secondhand Bassballs and give it a whirl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrtcat Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 When we play it I just use an envelope filter (discumbobulator) on the low setting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheddatom Posted January 11, 2017 Share Posted January 11, 2017 there's no octave there surely? But a LPF on top of an envelope follower is probably right. Whether or not the LPF frequency is being modulated... could be a good call there, it would explain some of the funkier noises Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Piper Posted September 23, 2017 Share Posted September 23, 2017 Just trying to work this out this morning myself. On the line 6 M series (5, 9,13) the voice box effect gets pretty close IMO. It also has quite a lot of control for fine tuning- which most auto wahs and bassballs style pedals don't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil.c60 Posted September 24, 2017 Share Posted September 24, 2017 (edited) Don't know about the bass effects, but I used t have a 1967 Camaro just like the one in the video and it was exactly the same colour. This is very strange, because I resprayed it myself to match the colours of the drag race team I crewed in and it is not a GM colour - it's Ford Olympic Blue! If I can find it I'll post a photo later! Edited September 24, 2017 by phil.c60 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scalpy Posted September 24, 2017 Share Posted September 24, 2017 I'm using the SA manta for this one. I'd love to describe how I've got it set up but I just end twirling the settings round and pushing buttons until it's vaguely right, something I'm guessing other manta users are familiar with! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bolo Posted September 25, 2017 Share Posted September 25, 2017 Using a good wet and dry signal mix, the wet chain using some overdrive and envelope effect. Made in a proper studio the original could have been anything at all realy, anybody know who played and who produced it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dood Posted September 25, 2017 Share Posted September 25, 2017 I found a post on TalkBass where a guy got close with the Zoom B3. Close enough that after tweaking some of the effects, you wouldn't tell the difference in the mix. Sorry I can't remember what I changed though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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