PJ Harvey - Under the Water fuzz/synth sound

[Bassybert]

I’ma big fan of PJ Harvey and have always loved this song but am a bit perplexed as to how to get this type of sound. It sounds a bit modulated but was wondering if a synth pedal alone would get close to this or if it’s more than that?

 

 

[bartelby]

An octave and a really nasty fuzz gets quite a lot of the way there. I have a Devi Ever Soda Meiser that gets that harsh square wave sound quite nicely.

[ThirteenDevils]

sounds like some sort of gated fuzz to me? 

[BigRedX]

Just get a keyboard synth. The "fuzzy" part should be fairly simple to do on any decent keyboard synth. There's a cleaner bassy part tracking the synth sound underneath that you could do with the bass guitar, but unless you have supper-precise technique and a perfectly set-up noise gate on a side-chain you'll be unlikely to get close to the precision of the fuzzy sound using bass guitar and effects.

[lee650]

Not a helpful suggestion as they are rare as Hens Teeth. But my CoPilot Orbit would get very close to that sound/especially if I booked up an expression pedal. It's a Gated fuzz with a Blendable Ring Modulator, so there's an idea to start. I think it's a synth on the track, but a good spitty Gated fuzz (Zvex Mastatron)with an expression controlled filter/ wah might work as a live approximation. A Bit crusher with expression controlled filter (Malleko Scrutator/Meris Ottobit) woukd sound cool. I'm sure our Quatschmacher could get that sound on a source Audio C4.

 

These cool synthy sounds are rarely cheap to reproduce 😁

[BigRedX]

3 minutes ago, lee650 said:

These cool synthy sounds are rarely cheap to reproduce 😁

 

Only if you are doing it the "difficult" way by using a guitar or bass as the controlling instrument.

 

The synth plug-in that came free with your DAW would probably out perform it for both sound and ease of playability.

[lee650]

4 minutes ago, BigRedX said:

 

Only if you are doing it the "difficult" way by using a guitar or bass as the controlling instrument.

 

Yes you are indeed correct! As the OP asked wether a synth pedal alone could get close to that sound, I'm assuming he's aiming at using a bass to do so, and not a keyboard plug in which would be the most cost effective/best performance option. There are also lots of expensive Esoteric pedals,for making crazy sounds 😁

 

For getting a close approximation of that sound a C4 with expression would get you in the ballpark as it is a Eurorack synth in a pedal, the Future Impact would work too. If not Bassybert, how's your grade 3 piano?

[AndyTravis]

17 minutes ago, BigRedX said:

 

Only if you are doing it the "difficult" way by using a guitar or bass as the controlling instrument.

 

The synth plug-in that came free with your DAW would probably out perform it for both sound and ease of playability.

I really enjoyed figuring out how to use the synth pedals I had (Korg g5/Digitech BSW/Ibanez SB7) as instruments in their own right - how to “play” the pedal.

 

I agree an actual synth/soft synth would be better, but I enjoyed changing my style to play “synth” with a bass (timing/phrasing/pick/fingers etc).

 

No call for it now I’m not doing 80’s/90’s pop covers…but still, I enjoyed it.

[Bassybert]

2 hours ago, lee650 said:

Yes you are indeed correct! As the OP asked wether a synth pedal alone could get close to that sound, I'm assuming he's aiming at using a bass to do so, and not a keyboard plug in which would be the most cost effective/best performance option. There are also lots of expensive Esoteric pedals,for making crazy sounds 😁

 

For getting a close approximation of that sound a C4 with expression would get you in the ballpark as it is a Eurorack synth in a pedal, the Future Impact would work too. If not Bassybert, how's your grade 3 piano?

 

Yes you're correct in thinking that - looking to see if I can get a similar sort of sound with my P bass with tone rolled down a bit for that fatter rounder sound. It sounds synth based to me and not fuzz, hence why I asked if a synth-type pedal like a C4 could get close.

[lee650]

2 hours ago, Bassybert said:

 

Yes you're correct in thinking that - looking to see if I can get a similar sort of sound with my P bass with tone rolled down a bit for that fatter rounder sound. It sounds synth based to me and not fuzz, hence why I asked if a synth-type pedal like a C4 could get close.

Yeah I don't see why not! You're right in its not a fuzz sound, but an oscillator producing what sounds o me like a Triangle wave, which has then been modulated to create the Dissonance (perhaps with a sample rate reducer or a ring mod, the C4 does the Former)

I've got a C4 but I'm clueless at creating sounds, I've filled mine with other people's 😁

Very cool sound though, and I love PJ Harvey! I put it on and my wife said "what's that horrible noise" she doesn't see the beauty in Dissonance 😂

[Bassybert]

11 minutes ago, lee650 said:Very cool sound though, and I love PJ Harvey! I put it on and my wife said "what's that horrible noise" she doesn't see the beauty in Dissonance 

😂 That’s some of my favourite stuff about music, you can’t have light without darkness!

[uk_lefty]

Use whatever fuzz pedal then feed it into a bass wah and rock it back with your heel the right amount to get the "sub" element to the sound.

 

It won't be a precise reproduction but it could sound close.