Pulsating Bassline

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DJ Mike Beeds
Posts: 76
Joined: Wed May 28, 2008 8:54 am

Pulsating Bassline

Post by DJ Mike Beeds » Tue Jun 23, 2009 3:45 am

I'm trying to create a bassline similar to Mark Knight's remix of "Music Matters": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hlOoMCG5qE

You can really hear it when it's just the male vocals, the kick and that pulsating bassline. Do you guys have any idea how to create that effect? Which controls should I use? For example, what might the attack or the release be?

Thanks!

Slapdash
Posts: 118
Joined: Mon Jun 08, 2009 11:45 am
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Re: Pulsating Bassline

Post by Slapdash » Tue Jun 23, 2009 5:06 am

YAY! A milestone day for me on Ableton, as i get to help someone else on here for the first time.

I don't have audio here at work, but I'm guessing you need to look into 'side compression'. You put the compressor onto the bassline track (this is for ableton 7 and after, i think), and expand the compressor window. Select audio from the kick drum track. This will essentially turn the volume down on the bassline for the moment the kick drum hits, and add the pulsating sound you seek. You can play with the settings in the compressor until you get a nice sound.

The effect was used famously in 'One More Time' by Daft Punk.
soundcloud.com/slapdash

DJ Mike Beeds
Posts: 76
Joined: Wed May 28, 2008 8:54 am

Re: Pulsating Bassline

Post by DJ Mike Beeds » Tue Jun 23, 2009 8:35 am

Thanks mate! I'm actually aware of side-chain compression and use it a lot, but I don't think that's the effect that is being used to create the specific bass line I'm referring to... you know, it's a very common bass line used in techno, to give the track an increased tempo... almost like a constant thumping.

Other examples include the second track (in my most recent mix) by Christian Fischer, titled "Othilie": http://www.bigcontact.com/mikebeeds

It's the bass line that really kicks in when the song drops at 6:21 minutes. Funkagenda uses it a lot too...

Any help would be appreciated...

Superchibisan
Posts: 593
Joined: Thu Jun 10, 2004 7:25 pm

Re: Pulsating Bassline

Post by Superchibisan » Tue Jun 23, 2009 6:55 pm

its an arpeggio. you need to just find out what the rhythm is and program it into the arp.

the bass noise itself has a short attack and a short release. possibly a square wave mixing with a sine wave

very easy to make, getting the rhythm perfect will be the challenge.

Slapdash
Posts: 118
Joined: Mon Jun 08, 2009 11:45 am
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Re: Pulsating Bassline

Post by Slapdash » Tue Jun 23, 2009 10:33 pm

*listening*

I have so much to learn. :roll:
soundcloud.com/slapdash

paq
Posts: 115
Joined: Wed Feb 11, 2009 4:50 pm

Re: Pulsating Bassline

Post by paq » Tue Jun 23, 2009 10:34 pm

superchibisan is referring to the lead. the bass just sound as if it has a long (not really long but long for a bass) attack and indeed a long release. u could do the effect also more intensive with using autopans tremolo and pulsed eq-ing.
nothin notable here.

Superchibisan
Posts: 593
Joined: Thu Jun 10, 2004 7:25 pm

Re: Pulsating Bassline

Post by Superchibisan » Wed Jun 24, 2009 12:24 am

uh, no, he's talkinga bout the bubbly pulsating bassline...

paq
Posts: 115
Joined: Wed Feb 11, 2009 4:50 pm

Re: Pulsating Bassline

Post by paq » Wed Jun 24, 2009 12:47 am

yea, the deep bass is different from that. it does "woumm-woumm-woumm-woumm".
nothin notable here.

ampman117
Posts: 20
Joined: Sun Jun 07, 2009 10:55 pm
Location: Portland Oregon

Re: Pulsating Bassline

Post by ampman117 » Wed Jun 24, 2009 5:54 am

To me it sounds like 32nd notes playing on the "and-a" of the beat. +1 for the sound having some sine wave component for that low end and short attack/release. Having a similar/same tempo might also help you dial in the rhythm (~128bpm)

ampman117
Posts: 20
Joined: Sun Jun 07, 2009 10:55 pm
Location: Portland Oregon

Re: Pulsating Bassline

Post by ampman117 » Wed Jun 24, 2009 6:01 am

Also, in the past I have imported songs into Live then used the tempo/looping and warp controls to slow sections waaaaay down so I could hear exactly what was happening, and then tried to rebuild what I heard to learn how a particular rhythm or lead or whatever was put together...that could help too :mrgreen:

paq
Posts: 115
Joined: Wed Feb 11, 2009 4:50 pm

Re: Pulsating Bassline

Post by paq » Wed Jun 24, 2009 11:41 am

this is getting pretty confusing. u all refer to the arp line. i thought, the op was meaning just the subbass. (i thought that because he was saying something about "very often used in techno tracks".) the subbass and the arp line have nothing to do with each other, these are two different track lanes. i think the op should specificate what he is talking about :).
nothin notable here.

Superchibisan
Posts: 593
Joined: Thu Jun 10, 2004 7:25 pm

Re: Pulsating Bassline

Post by Superchibisan » Wed Jun 24, 2009 7:07 pm

i don't even know what you're talking about paq

paq
Posts: 115
Joined: Wed Feb 11, 2009 4:50 pm

Re: Pulsating Bassline

Post by paq » Wed Jun 24, 2009 7:23 pm

maybe ur speakers dont go low enough :P
nothin notable here.

Superchibisan
Posts: 593
Joined: Thu Jun 10, 2004 7:25 pm

Re: Pulsating Bassline

Post by Superchibisan » Wed Jun 24, 2009 11:53 pm

i figured out what op means. i thought you were talking about the operator plug.

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