knicknack Posted July 16, 2019 Share Posted July 16, 2019 (edited) Morning all... I've recently decided to immerse myself in the synth bass world I've always loved but never tried! Got myself a Sub Phatty and am completely starting from scratch...no piano/keyboard experience whatsoever. I've challenged myself to learn and dial in a track every week, so in a way this is me making myself accountable to basschat. Would love song recommendations and general advice... and if anybody fancies posting their own videos that'd be great too! Here's my starter... one of the tracks that inspired me to try it in the first place: Edited July 16, 2019 by knicknack 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CameronJ Posted July 16, 2019 Share Posted July 16, 2019 (edited) 23 minutes ago, knicknack said: Morning all... I've recently decided to immerse myself in the synth bass world I've always loved but never tried! Got myself a Sub Phatty and am completely starting from scratch...no piano/keyboard experience whatsoever. I've challenged myself to learn and dial in a track every week, so in a way this is me making myself accountable to basschat. Would love song recommendations and general advice... and if anybody fancies posting their own videos that'd be great too! Here's my starter... one of the tracks that inspired me to try it in the first place: Nice work sir! Here’s one I was listening to just yesterday with a synth part I reckon you’d enjoy learning: Bit more of a challenge but definitely achievable! Edited July 16, 2019 by CameronJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knicknack Posted July 16, 2019 Author Share Posted July 16, 2019 @CameronJ Very nice... it'll go on the list! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattpbass Posted July 20, 2019 Share Posted July 20, 2019 Stumbled across your post by accident and weirdly sounds like we are doing exactly the same thing at the same time! Been playing bass 20+ years, no keys experience, bought a Sub Phatty about a month ago, first gig with it tonight! I play in a wedding/party band so it’s all pop stuff, thankfully tonight is just a low key gig for one of our singer’s local pubs. On the synth menu this evening - Ain’t Nobody, Say You’ll Be There, Into The Groove, I Wanna Dance With Somebody and Flashdance! More than happy to share experiences, patches, and anything else that might help, I’ll let you know how it goes! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phill Posted July 20, 2019 Share Posted July 20, 2019 I'm in the exact same boat! Have to pick up key bass for an upcoming tour, would be great to share patches and help each other out (feeling a bit overwhelmed so dar) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattpbass Posted July 20, 2019 Share Posted July 20, 2019 Got to say I’m a little nervous for tonight’s gig, first time I’ve ever played anything other than bass in front of an audience - what could possibly go wrong?! 😅 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveFry Posted July 20, 2019 Share Posted July 20, 2019 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattpbass Posted July 21, 2019 Share Posted July 21, 2019 First gig with the Moog in the bag! Thoroughly enjoyed it, its weird but on the tracks I used it for I still feel like I’m a bass player playing bass even though the instrument is different. Having tried every bass synth pedal out there and never been 100% happy with them it should perhaps come as no surprise that the answer to the perfect synth bass sound is errm.... a synth! 😁 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xgsjx Posted July 22, 2019 Share Posted July 22, 2019 Not a Moog, but just before Xmas I played a gig with a few songs from the Greatest Showman. This Is Me was all synth. The Greatest Show was a mix of bass guitar & synth bass, great fun switching between them. Another fun song to play is 24k Magic. A bit of pitch bend wheel practice for you 😎 Don’t be afraid to grab those dials on the Moog whilst playing for some extra expression. The filter cut off is a good place to start. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knicknack Posted July 22, 2019 Author Share Posted July 22, 2019 A sore left hand was a good excuse to try and blag as much of Saturday's set on the Moog as possible... made for a fun, if slightly hairy evening! I'm ok as long as things are going smoothly, it's when a mistake is made or things don't go to plan where the lack of experience shows! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattpbass Posted July 22, 2019 Share Posted July 22, 2019 Sounds great! And a Sandberg for the stringy bits, me too! Is that a TM4? I found my biggest issue Saturday night was it was so hot and sweaty I kept slipping off the black keys! 😅 It definitely feels like a bum note sticks out more on the synth than bass but that might just be psychological. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knicknack Posted July 22, 2019 Author Share Posted July 22, 2019 @Rattle&Drum VM4... recent purchase from here and about to get another one I think, loving it! The thing I really miss about the synth compared to regular is the touch sensitivity... if you're a little unsure on bass it's easy enough to ease something in, on the synth it feels like a huge commitment! Volume pedal might help but it's not quite the same... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattpbass Posted July 22, 2019 Share Posted July 22, 2019 Haha yeah that’s exactly it, if you miss a fret on the bass can always slide it in or pretend it’s a run to the right note as if intended, whereas it’s very clearly a duff note on keys, or at least I don’t have the ability to not make it seem like one. 😆 I’ve played all sorts over the years but just 2 Sandbergs now, main gig bass is an Ida Nielsen 5 and my other is a cream HCR TM4. Love them, Fender kind of vibe but a bit more special. Right, next on the synth list for me is 24K Magic, see if I can get it as close as this chap - 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knicknack Posted July 22, 2019 Author Share Posted July 22, 2019 That guy is great... got chatting to him on instagram and he helped me with building some sounds! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattpbass Posted July 22, 2019 Share Posted July 22, 2019 Nice! Another guy worth checking out is Darrell Freeman - definitely overplays for my taste but no knocking the dude’s considerable ability. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mook Posted July 24, 2019 Share Posted July 24, 2019 The Sub On 22/07/2019 at 11:00, knicknack said: A sore left hand was a good excuse to try and blag as much of Saturday's set on the Moog as possible... made for a fun, if slightly hairy evening! I'm ok as long as things are going smoothly, it's when a mistake is made or things don't go to plan where the lack of experience shows! This sounds great...nice drummer too. I have just started the same journey due to my left hand starting to get sore after a run of gigs. I'm skint though so cobbled together a setup that I have already of a controller keyboard and laptop that I'm going to use Ableton on. At least this way I can trigger samples as well as butcher basslines. I'm nervous about taking it to rehearsal let alone the gigs though. Do you think it's safe to run it through my bass amp....I'm using a 2x12 cab. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xgsjx Posted July 24, 2019 Share Posted July 24, 2019 Yes. Safe to run through your bass amp. When I'm using mine, I take the lead from the pedalboard (which would normally go to the bass amp) & plug into the audio interface. I create a channel in Logic for the bass (you can do this in Ableton) & however many VST channels I want for synths, etc. I then take a cable from the output on the audio interface straight to the bass amp & another can go to the PA (mind make your DAW output mono). Oh, & 24k Magic is fun to play on the bass guitar too, just tune the bass to Eb. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattpbass Posted July 24, 2019 Share Posted July 24, 2019 Yeah, I ran both my bass and keys into my HX Stomp on Saturday, then straight into my Aguilar stack and it sounded great, although patches definitely sound different than do in headphones so something to think about when dialling in sounds. Here's where I am with 24k Magic so far - not great but not bad being as I had never played keys a month ago. Slips here and there and doesn't sit in the pocket like I want it to but hopefully will get better as the playing becomes more natural. 24kmagic.mp3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mook Posted July 24, 2019 Share Posted July 24, 2019 1 hour ago, xgsjx said: Yes. Safe to run through your bass amp. When I'm using mine, I take the lead from the pedalboard (which would normally go to the bass amp) & plug into the audio interface. I create a channel in Logic for the bass (you can do this in Ableton) & however many VST channels I want for synths, etc. I then take a cable from the output on the audio interface straight to the bass amp & another can go to the PA (mind make your DAW output mono). Oh, & 24k Magic is fun to play on the bass guitar too, just tune the bass to Eb. I have a 4 channel desk that I was going to use to have both sources running into the bass amp. Was a bit afraid to run the bass through the audio interface because of lag or anything glitchy happening but it would be a lot neater to do it that way so might give it a go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xgsjx Posted July 24, 2019 Share Posted July 24, 2019 1 hour ago, Mook said: I have a 4 channel desk that I was going to use to have both sources running into the bass amp. Was a bit afraid to run the bass through the audio interface because of lag or anything glitchy happening but it would be a lot neater to do it that way so might give it a go. I’ve not had any latency issues. Just be aware of what software you have running & don’t overload the cpu. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knicknack Posted July 24, 2019 Author Share Posted July 24, 2019 @Mook I was a bit worried about this too, my gut feeling is that it'd be fine, but I'm running a HPF at around 37 after the two signals combine to ensure the cab doesn't get bit sustained amounts of anything it can't handle. For these gigs I'm taking a 1x15 just for some lows on stage, PA and IEMs for monitoring! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mook Posted July 24, 2019 Share Posted July 24, 2019 6 minutes ago, knicknack said: @Mook I was a bit worried about this too, my gut feeling is that it'd be fine, but I'm running a HPF at around 37 after the two signals combine to ensure the cab doesn't get bit sustained amounts of anything it can't handle. For these gigs I'm taking a 1x15 just for some lows on stage, PA and IEMs for monitoring! HPF is a good idea thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obi 2 kenobi Posted July 26, 2019 Share Posted July 26, 2019 Great thread. Also check out the band tuxedo for some great nu disco synth bass 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knicknack Posted July 26, 2019 Author Share Posted July 26, 2019 @obi 2 kenobi great shout... never heard them before and having a great evening with them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phill Posted August 5, 2019 Share Posted August 5, 2019 Ive got to recreate this bass synth soon on a Sub Phatty! I'm close but just can't get the tone of it right 😩 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ob7vObnFUJc I'm not a huge Beyonce fan, but the baseline is pretty sweet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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