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Synth Bass


NoirBass
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I have a hankering for synth bass. I've tried just about every pedal going and have come to the conclusion that I'm better off buying a dedicated synth keyboard and just playing that.
Problem is I'm not sure what I need, it's a whole different world.
Initially I'm only going to need it for a few covers; Human League, Depeche Mode, and a couple of slightly more modern pop songs, but ultimately would like to branch out and use it more.

Things I'm thinking about are:
Novation Bass station 2
Novation Mini Nova
Microkorg XL
Moog Minitaur

Can anyone with any knowledge of the above or other products chip in to steer me in the right direction.

Edited by NoirBass
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[quote name='NoirBass' timestamp='1491665003' post='3274657']
Those both look really good, unfortunately that just expands the possibilities and leaves me even more unsure ��.
[/quote]

Will you want to play more than one note at the same time?

as that can thin the selection down...

Edited by bartelby
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[quote name='NoirBass' timestamp='1491731331' post='3275024']
[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif][size=3]I don't think so, a monosynth would be fine. I have an old roland module that I could use if I need polyphonic stuff. I'd like a dedicated bass synth. [/size][/font][/color]
[/quote]

In that case the world is your oyster.

I've got an Arturia MiniBrute that I'm very impressed with.

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I think I'll be following in your footsteps at some point Noir, and at the moment the Bass Station 2 is top of my list with an Ultranova in a close second place. My toss-up at the moment is mono vs. poly, which is a bigger deal for me as I won't have another synth to take poly duties...

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  • 2 weeks later...

Ah good subject,
i am writing songs for a funk band and its nice to get some of them fat synth bass sounds on some tracks.
we are just releasing a new track with such a synth bass sound, and have been through the mill of trying
various sounds without spending too much cash, so have synth pedals by boss and tc and have old rack synth gear by novation, korg,
And the best thing i have found is..... do your own.
the best thing i have to do this which is a fantastic bit of kit is a AKAI Z4 sampler, the last one and best one that was ever made
the Z4 or Z8
check them out
These ones also have dedicated pc software to make editing a doddle and is still free from akai called akai sys
[url="http://akaipro.com/product/z4#downloads"]http://akaipro.com/p...ct/z4#downloads[/url]
Akai have all them moog and big fat bass sounds anyway, but you can very easy sample bass sounds you like and add other bass sounds to it making them even fatter, the whole world is open to you with this.
you can get them on ebay now and again, and i would say worth every penny for another 1000 other reasons.
Just a quick check on ebay i found this just sold for £140 ! less than the price of a synth pedal....... its a no brainer.
that ALOT of potential for 140 and still with great backup from AKAI
[url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Akai-Z4-Sampler-/222465319632?hash=item33cbf762d0:g:z0IAAOSw~CFY5jp9"]http://www.ebay.co.u...0IAAOSw~CFY5jp9[/url]

In terms of what else this can also do i would say it will be the best 140 you will ever spend,

loads of stuff on youtube

Edited by funkgod
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Right, little update.

I've picked up a Bass Station 2. It seems perfect, many of the preset sounds do exactly what I want anyway.

With a little bit of tweaking I can refine them, and I seem to understand what I'm doing (largely due to the excellent layout of the BS2) as in when I want to adjust something I seem to be able to find it quickly and get what I'm after. Time will tell as I'm, yet to gig it, but first impressions are very promising.

I'll report back soon.

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For that price, get a Bass Station. The Minitaur sounds great but I think a huge downside is the fact that you can't see what preset you're working with. And you need a good midi keyboard to work with ;) I have a Moog Sub Phatty which is heavier, sounds better and feels more solid than the Bass Station, but it's a lot more expensive as well ;)

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I have a Minitaur and it does what it does; I'm planning to get a KMI 12 Step to play it, as I can't select things with my current Ketron pedals. I don't want a computer in the loop, though.

I've also got a Roland SH-32 and it is a pretty awesome piece of kit.

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I've had a BS2 for a couple of years, it's a great little synth for the price and nice and light and portable for those of us doubling on synth and bass guitar. Really easy to use too. I wish it had a three octave keyboard though, I don't know why everything's got two octaves now, v. irritating.

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I also have a Peavey Spectrum; whilst noodling around with it, I found that it has a "multi" mode, which means that it'll work on the same channel as another instrument; I had it and my Minitaur doubling up - that was interesting!

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  • 1 month later...

Gigged the Bass Station 2 a couple of times now, it is excellent, spot on for my needs.

Even used it as mentioned in the original post for some Depeche Mode tunes, it was great fun and the entire band agreed the sound was perfect and greatly enhanced the song.

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[quote name='Kiwi' timestamp='1496903176' post='3314541']
Have you considered Industrial Radio? Steve Chick has developed the systems originally in the Wal MB4 and Peavey Cyberbass and marketed them under his own brand.
[/quote]

You still need a synth the generate the sounds though.

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[quote name='Kiwi' timestamp='1496903176' post='3314541']
Have you considered Industrial Radio? Steve Chick has developed the systems originally in the Wal MB4 and Peavey Cyberbass and marketed them under his own brand.
[/quote]

I sure have, prohibitively expensive for me though. I'm only using it for the odd section or song, and the BS2 sounds bang on. Plus, I'm really enjoying having to play/learn a different instrument.

I should clarify that I have tried before this a VB-99, GR-55, Deep Impact, Future Impact, Korg G5, plus a myriad of other pedals.

Edited by NoirBass
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[quote name='CameronJ' timestamp='1496889209' post='3314520']
Hey Noir, have you tried powering your BS2 off of a pedalboard power supply? It should be doable as it takes a standard 9v centre negative input and only draws 300mA.
[/quote]

No, good to know incase the supplied PSU fails. Cheers

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[quote name='NoirBass' timestamp='1496925590' post='3314741']


No, good to know incase the supplied PSU fails. Cheers
[/quote]

No problem, let us know how it works out. Hopefully I'll be getting myself a BS2 soon and I want to power it off my board.

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