mcgraham

I'd recommend Ableton. I'm doing something similar live and it works perfectly, albeit with a bass synth and more to be the 'electronic half of the band'. If you buy the Novation Launchpad it comes with a budget version of Ableton that would allow you to make all sorts of drum loops, fills, pads, etc. That would require a free finger from time to time to trigger stuff, but to reduce the need for this you can also create arrangements of the loops in the 'arrangement' view, not entirely dissimilar to the layout in garageband or other recording programs. The arrangement view can play like a normal backing track, but it can also be like an interactive backing track (i.e. you could deviate from it, change it on the fly, etc, etc). You can also connect a midi foot controller if you don't want to have to use your fingers to trigger. The learning curve can seem a bit steep if you're not computer savvy, but the triggering options are very flexible.

Great news! So glad to hear this is on the move again!

It does sound [i]quite[/i] good

Yea I believe black machine are still producing.

That's what we've been waiting for! It seems not!

I'm happy to talk about it! The core concept is to have a 'total instrument' - one that has the range of a guitar AND a bass, that I can use for playing bass or playing guitar. This was originally going to be as a Charlie hunter fanned fret 8 string, with separate pickups for bass and guitar sides. Would've been tuned EAD/ADGBE, so bottom three strings are the strings of the bass, top 6 strings are guitar in drop D. However, this requires individual bridge saddles, three bass, five guitar. Problem? ABM suck serious ass at following through on delivery times. We're broaching the 5-6 month mark for waiting for just a few bridge units. I'm not in any rush, but it seems like this could go on indefinitely. So, had a rethink this week and started browsing Conklin's website. You can see they do quite a lot of 8 strings with just a single scale length, so it's clearly doable. I'd tune it EADGCFAD, so becomes more an extended range guitar than a hybrid. Hipshot make 8 string bridges. Alan is talking with them to do a custom toploading bridge (no string through - I love the toploading slot bridges for ease of restringing). It'd be 14mm spacing between the E A and D strings on the bass side, 13mm spacing between the middle D G and C strings, then 12mm between the highest C F A and D strings. Still discussing this with the Hipshot workshop guy. Scale length is TBC, but it's likely to be between 26" and 28". It's a question of whether I want this to be more of an extended range bass or extended range guitar concept. Probably going to opt for nearer the 26" mark for playability in the guitar register. That way I have the option to be able to tune it a fourth higher (i.e. ADGCFBbDG) if I wanted. Instead of split pickup system it'll be a normal pickup system, humbuckers, 3 way toggle switch, volume and tone. We're exploring the possibility of having separate windings for bass and guitar to allow separate outputs, but with that sort of spacing we're probably pushing it.

I'm having a guitar/bass hybrid built by Alan at AC Guitars. It [i]was [/i]going to be a 8 string fanned fret Charlie hunter style guitar, but difficulties with hardware (******* ABM) is prompting a possible change in direction to a single scale length 8 string. That will also prompt a change in electronics to a single pickup system rather than the split one we were envisaging.

urb, very creative! I think it shows you know what you're after. I'm keen to see what you create in the future. [quote name='Chris2112' timestamp='1329154248' post='1538014'] Though I might just buy an old-skool synth to play on. Like an Oberheim Xpander...! [/quote] Having gone down this route I think that just opting for playing a keyboard synth is quickest way to a large array of sounds and (IMO) a more musical way to do it. The music created would only be limited by your own lack of technique/ability rather than lack of gear, whereas trying to do it all from bass can often be limited by not having the gear you want or the ability to play certain things all at the same time.

Just checking in again on this thread to see how people are getting on with their bass synth endeavours? I've been diving deeper into tweaking my 'go-to' sound (the Minitaur saw/square patch mentioned above) and it's working really well. Sticking some chorus on really helps to give the bass some character, but too much turns it to mush. I've also switched the monophony mode so that the attack is freshly triggered on every fingered note and to have no portamento at all. This is much better for upbeat songs as it gives each and every note a very defined attack. Despite this, a lower cutoff frequency allows you to make it sound smoother and more legato while still maintaining the groove of the bass part. How're you guys getting on?

On a Fodera? ... ... ... bwahahahahahhahaha, you crack me up you do...

Brilliant. I'll let the wife know that I [u]need [/u]to find an [i]old [/i]Fodera. She's been saying since day one 'Mark, your basses are nice but they are not anywhere near as well made as the [i]new [/i]Fodera that Matt Garrison plays on his Shapeshifter album - you should get one of them... definitely spring for the horse chestnut top' Clearly she has no idea what she's talking about. Vintage Fodera is where it's at. Women eh?

[quote name='molan' timestamp='1328830507' post='1533595'] My '86 Fodera Monarch has volume control for each pickup and master bass/treble controls. I use it in a soul / disco band set up to simply flick the switch forward for neck pickup only on the old solu/funk stuff for a P bass sound & then to both pickups, with the bridge pulled back a shade for the more 'modern' disco material. Works really well for me [/quote] Well [i]that[/i] has convinced me I need a Fodera, if only to be able to do that.

UPDATE: I've heard through the grapevine he's scheduled a gig despite him laying down the law that he refused to do so til the band and choir were ready. Fortunately he's not called me back. I'd still politely tell him... well, I'll let you fill in the blanks in your mind, makes for a much more entertaining story. My wife is involved with the running of the choir and has emailed them to point out we are seriously drifting from the aims/values of being a community choir, and that we need to reassess where we're at or we're going to have to make some tough decisions. The person in charge has agreed. Hopefully he'll get his trousers pulled up for him. [quote name='TimR' timestamp='1327620214' post='1514492'] Lots of the choir will turn up weekly because they enjoy each others company and get to sing a bit. A few of them will drift off when they realise they're never going to sing to an audience. A few others will leave because of his attitude. [/quote] Bingo! Already happening!

You're better off without him. There's 'considerate' levels of tolerance, 'gracious' levels of tolerance, and then there's 'please-flagellate-me' levels of tolerance. I am often in the latter camp and am learning to reel it back to the 'gracious' levels of tolerance, particularly when dealing with primadonnas above. Which reminds me, there's been an update on my related thread!

I used to wonder the same thing, but if you are running into a dirty amp then you have the ability to set your neck pickup to a chimey clean or bluesy sizzle and bridge pickup to roaring crunch and to easily switch between the two with the toggle switch. Clean and dirty sounds without a dirt pedal - et voila! Without that combination of vols AND selectors you can't do that. Another one is to set the neck volume to 'off', bridge to 'full' then get a faux stuttering trem 'cut-off' sound by toggling the switch back and forth. Loads of famous records with that on (brain isn't giving me any names right now tho!). If you were so inclined you could also put a treble bleed on just one of the pickup's volume controls to retain high end on one of them and still toggle between them easily if you like. Not possible with single volume control setups.

uhhh, nbtone, can I ask what exactly your website specialises in selling? there seems to be a LOT of different products for sale...

Personally I think it looks pretty cool. It involves some vintage technology in a simple way to provide a different tonality to your instrument if you so desire. What's not to like? Reading claim 1, it's quite specific, so I'd be surprised if that exact circuit had been done before. It seems probably that inventive step/non-obviousness would have been raised as an issue during prosecution, but clearly they've attended to those issues and it's granted. I'd certainly be interested in giving it a whirl!

Quality. A thread on 'The Gear Page' was cited as a relevant document. I'm just having a read of the granted patent now.

Mm20, I was reading your other thread - I'm really sorry to hear things have been quite that rough for you and your lady. I'm not a million miles away from you in Nottingham, so if you did want to get together to check out some sounds and see what you make of the Microkorg XL as well as the synthy sounds I've been getting with my pedals then I'd be more than happy to show you what I've been up to. We could even try and arrange a meetup with Shep/pantherairsoft so you can check out his mammoth rig and synth-esque setup.

Bear in mind that synths are literally just generating waveforms or sampled sounds, and are bundled with a load of effects filters etc to help YOU shape the sound, so the determining factor of whether a sound is 'in there' is whether you are capable of making it or not.

Wil, let me have a play with my microkorg later and see if I can't find one in there already. It already has piano and electric piano sounds in there, I just haven't had any reason to look for a rhodes sound, but I can't imagine it'd be hard to create even if it wasn't there.

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1328446790' post='1526991'] I would rather download 4 Pink FLoyd cds or eat my own liver...... [/quote] I'm surprised you could type a response, I expected you to be literally shaking with uncontrollable rage at the prospect of a covers band charging that much.

[quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1328178791' post='1522992']Appreciate the advice. It seems you are taking it from the same position as I would...eg a bass player playing synth for certain lines/songs/sets.[/quote] No worries! I'm still learning too! I posted in the other thread about how the synth (when programmed appropriately) can allow you to play like a keys/synth player - e.g. octave jumps, pitch bends, pads, etc - but you can also play to give the impression there's a real bass guitarist there by approaching note choices like a bass guitarist - e.g. root-fifth playing, running on single notes, scalar fragments, less extended arpeggios, etc. It's just the way the note choices and way you choose to attack the bassline changes the impression of what instrument is playing. Last night was another practice, and I went with the intent of using whichever worked best (expecting half bass/half synth) but to be honest the synth worked best EVERY time. Because you have complete control over the sound you can get it to till every inch of sonic space you need it to very easily/quickly. The band has never sounded as massive as it did last night. Sure it's not my beautiful W&T, but it's a HUGE fat sound.

Allihts, [url="http://www.korg.co.uk/downloads/microkorgxl/editor/KorgUSA_MicroKORGXL_bank.zip"]http://www.korg.co.uk/downloads/microkorgxl/editor/KorgUSA_MicroKORGXL_bank.zip[/url] direct link for you. All the 'bass' bank sounds are useable, particularly those in the vintage synth and rock n pop genre sections. If anyone is interested I can try and send them the two patches I'm using at the moment. They are designed as bass sounds so very functional. I used the synth again at practice last night. I'm taking both bass guitar and synth and fully intended to use whichever worked best, it just happened that the synth worked best for everything. Our band has never sounded so huge. One thing I really like about the keyboard interface is that you can play more like a keys player if you want - e.g. swell in pads, octave jumps, pitch bends - but you can also make it sound like there is a genuine bass guitar player there by just changing your approach to your basslines - e.g. root-fifth playing, running on single notes, scalar fragments, shorter/less extended arpeggios, etc... basically note choices that are more similar to the sorts of choices you'd make on a bass guitar because they are physically more natural to do on a bass, rather than note choices that are more similar to those that are physically more natural to do on a keyboard.