any ideas on an approach to making a decent sounding electric bass? NOT a synth thing, or a slappy thing. The MIDI approach, when played from a straight midi keyboard, seems to chop the notes up too much.
I haven't figured a way to use my guitar and tweak the sound so that it sounds like a bass.
bass
Re: bass
you should just buy a bass....seriously...im with you on the no synthy, slappy midi cutting the notes (although you can fix that) but yeah i think to get a decent electric bass sound....you need to play a real bass....imho
Re: bass
Buy a pack of bass strings
Get a 5 gallon plastic bucket
Rig some bolts on opposite sides of the open end
Wrap the string around the bolt and stretch it across the bucket
Cut a whole in the bottom and stick a mic in it
Pluck the string and record it
Place chopped notes into sampler
Pitch accordingly
Get a 5 gallon plastic bucket
Rig some bolts on opposite sides of the open end
Wrap the string around the bolt and stretch it across the bucket
Cut a whole in the bottom and stick a mic in it
Pluck the string and record it
Place chopped notes into sampler
Pitch accordingly
Re: bass
all,
great suggestions, esp. that last. I didn't subscribe to the thread, and just remembered it today 'cuz I'm going to post another question on yet another thread (stay tuned).
I don't want to take the time to learn another instrument, get another amp, deal with more stuff...but I probably should get a bass...in fact, I know I should...in fact now I want one.
I did cave and use a fairly good midi bass (live lite) on a track I'm working on now. It hums pretty well, but it definitely has that electronic sound.
It may work...I guess I won't know until I put a real bass on it and compare.
great suggestions, esp. that last. I didn't subscribe to the thread, and just remembered it today 'cuz I'm going to post another question on yet another thread (stay tuned).
I don't want to take the time to learn another instrument, get another amp, deal with more stuff...but I probably should get a bass...in fact, I know I should...in fact now I want one.
I did cave and use a fairly good midi bass (live lite) on a track I'm working on now. It hums pretty well, but it definitely has that electronic sound.
It may work...I guess I won't know until I put a real bass on it and compare.
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Dragonbreath
- Posts: 561
- Joined: Fri Sep 14, 2007 2:34 am
Re: bass
You dont NEED the amp for the bass, its nice but you can plug in straight into the interace (assuming it has a Hi-Z input)
its a nice as good amp but the amp is alot less important for bass then for electric guitar.
Often at live shows they take the sound straight from the bass (with a DI box)
It will require processing to get it sounding close to were you want it but it will be easier then trying to make a guitar sound like a bass, because you cant add frequency that arnt allready there.
Are you using a mac?
If so in the AU plugins theres the native apples ones. One of them is called pitch and is realtime pitch shifter 1200 cents is a octave... drop the pitch an octave or two and apply that to your guitar and should sound pretty close to a bass... until you buy the real thing
If you are using a mac check out the Apple Au, theres some really good ones in there. I Like Pitch, Parametric EQ and reverv as well as the delay
its a nice as good amp but the amp is alot less important for bass then for electric guitar.
Often at live shows they take the sound straight from the bass (with a DI box)
It will require processing to get it sounding close to were you want it but it will be easier then trying to make a guitar sound like a bass, because you cant add frequency that arnt allready there.
Are you using a mac?
If so in the AU plugins theres the native apples ones. One of them is called pitch and is realtime pitch shifter 1200 cents is a octave... drop the pitch an octave or two and apply that to your guitar and should sound pretty close to a bass... until you buy the real thing
If you are using a mac check out the Apple Au, theres some really good ones in there. I Like Pitch, Parametric EQ and reverv as well as the delay
Re: bass
currently on a pc, dreaming about a mac.
a long time ago I ran the axe into Audacity and was able to, with a couple of really simple tweaks (pitch shift and bass boost) render a bottom-dwelling string sound. But I figured Live must have the most excellent such gizmos and that audacity was a fossil in comparison.
Anyway, I can go there if need be, if I haven't got a bass. Like, for example, now I'm looking for a simple delay for the guitar. I'm sure it's in there, but gawd only knows what it's named, so I've just copied>pasted>panned>de-volumed the riff four times and made my own. Now on to that E chord...
a long time ago I ran the axe into Audacity and was able to, with a couple of really simple tweaks (pitch shift and bass boost) render a bottom-dwelling string sound. But I figured Live must have the most excellent such gizmos and that audacity was a fossil in comparison.
Anyway, I can go there if need be, if I haven't got a bass. Like, for example, now I'm looking for a simple delay for the guitar. I'm sure it's in there, but gawd only knows what it's named, so I've just copied>pasted>panned>de-volumed the riff four times and made my own. Now on to that E chord...
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Dragonbreath
- Posts: 561
- Joined: Fri Sep 14, 2007 2:34 am
Re: bass
Theres an effect called simple delay..it does what its called
Re: bass
I mostly use dry NI Jay bass and dry MM bass with processing from guitar rig. Also trillian electric basses are quite decent as well, but I prefer the played sound of the NI basses - seems to do a good job of choosing a sensible figer position note from what you are playing.
Nothing to see here - move along!
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jestermgee
- Posts: 4500
- Joined: Mon Apr 26, 2010 6:38 am
Re: bass
A bass instrument on a sequencer is one of the easier instruments to "fake". Is it that the notes you are playing are just cutting too short when releasing the key or not blending nicely from one to another?
I have to agree Trillian is the way to go (I want it!!!). I don't own it but I have trialed it and its great. I own Omnisphere (also from Spectrasonics) and the detail is great in their instruments. They sample a wide range and also the niggles from the instruments so you get different sounds when hitting hard or when switching notes/strings including vibrato and aftertouch/string release. I was very supprised, it was better than old Real Guitar.
What have you tried to get your bass sound? Have you played with the envelopes to get things sounding a little more natural? Sometimes a small amount of reverb can help to carry some background noise to make it less static but not too much as reverb doesn't sound too good with low end. If you want a good natural sounding bass that can carry its own, there won't be a great substitute for the real thing.
I have to agree Trillian is the way to go (I want it!!!). I don't own it but I have trialed it and its great. I own Omnisphere (also from Spectrasonics) and the detail is great in their instruments. They sample a wide range and also the niggles from the instruments so you get different sounds when hitting hard or when switching notes/strings including vibrato and aftertouch/string release. I was very supprised, it was better than old Real Guitar.
What have you tried to get your bass sound? Have you played with the envelopes to get things sounding a little more natural? Sometimes a small amount of reverb can help to carry some background noise to make it less static but not too much as reverb doesn't sound too good with low end. If you want a good natural sounding bass that can carry its own, there won't be a great substitute for the real thing.
Re: bass
i disagree......i think a bass is the worst instrument to fake....unless you are just playing all 16th notes or something like that....i guess maybe because the bass usually just provides low end, its doesn't have to be very distinct?jestermgee wrote:A bass instrument on a sequencer is one of the easier instruments to "fake".
i feel yaddablah's pain...i used to rock a real bass when i was doing the whole logic thing, then with abelton, i tried my hardest to get a bass sound that was as good as a real bass..(between logic and abes i sold my bass to pay bills)....its tough in the midi world to get a really good bass sound/feel, in my opinion.
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jestermgee
- Posts: 4500
- Joined: Mon Apr 26, 2010 6:38 am
Re: bass
Ah, but that's where the prob is I think...eddiex wrote:i disagree......i think a bass is the worst instrument to fake....unless you are just playing all 16th notes or something like that....i guess maybe because the bass usually just provides low end, its doesn't have to be very distinct?jestermgee wrote:A bass instrument on a sequencer is one of the easier instruments to "fake".
i feel yaddablah's pain...i used to rock a real bass when i was doing the whole logic thing, then with abelton, i tried my hardest to get a bass sound that was as good as a real bass..(between logic and abes i sold my bass to pay bills)....its tough in the midi world to get a really good bass sound/feel, in my opinion.
I don't play guitar\bass so I guess I can settle for a sound whereas someone who has more intimate knowledge of the instrument will be more driven to get an exact replicated sound. And that should instantly bring to light that the best way to get that sound you know and love is to play it from a real instrument.
Re: bass
funny about this process. I dug up an old "bass" track I made from a guitar on Audacity and it's the best one of the bunch, so far. And of course, as the bass IS after all a stringed instrument, it has the most "basslike" quality, which is what I was after. My rudimentary bass skills are the only inhibitor now.
I am NOT interested in becoming so proficient with a midi interface that I can fake an instrument -- it's just not my thing. I know there are awesome things you can do with a midi -- actually, as I have no drum kit here, one of the old-school ones in Live is, with a little TLC, doing the job OK for now -- a keyboard-driven synthesizer appeals to me more than a string-driven one for example.
Anyway, I'm finding a happy marriage right now between Audacity, with it's stripped-down, uncluttered interface for making clips, and Live into which I can import, tweak, and arrange them.
It's all brand new to me, I'm still learning these tools, but for the moment this seems workable. I still haven't even begun to tackle vocals.
I am NOT interested in becoming so proficient with a midi interface that I can fake an instrument -- it's just not my thing. I know there are awesome things you can do with a midi -- actually, as I have no drum kit here, one of the old-school ones in Live is, with a little TLC, doing the job OK for now -- a keyboard-driven synthesizer appeals to me more than a string-driven one for example.
Anyway, I'm finding a happy marriage right now between Audacity, with it's stripped-down, uncluttered interface for making clips, and Live into which I can import, tweak, and arrange them.
It's all brand new to me, I'm still learning these tools, but for the moment this seems workable. I still haven't even begun to tackle vocals.