SYNTH BASS Secrets of the 80s (Part 2)
Вставка
- Опубліковано 21 лип 2024
- How did Sting get his amazing bass sound in The Police? And what does that have to do with synth bass and synth pop? This is the second of three videos on that subject, and part of a larger series “Secrets of the 1980s” where I showcase long lost production techniques and how they can turn a vanilla song into a hit record. In this video I explain techniques that used by Sting from the Police to get his amazing bass sound. Then I explain how those same tricks were used by Pet Shop Boys, and how you can use them in your productions. Then I build a synth bass sound on the fly using those techniques, and use that to do a live performance where I play synth bass live. All 100% dawless and, as per usual. I only use hardware vintage and modern analog synths, and all programming is done into my hardware Squarp Pyramid sequencer.
Sound sources used in this video include:
Behringer DeepMind 12
Behringer Pro-1
Yamaha TX81Z
Korg M1
Emu ESi32
Roland R8
Behringer RD9
#sting
#thepolice
#petshopboys
00:00 Previously on Distort The Preamp...
00:28 Learning from Sting: the art of producing bass
02:42 Basic bass production for excitement and clarity
04:28 Innovative bass guitar production from progressive rock
05:35 'Walking On The Moon' by The Police, bass production
05:47 Doubling bass with guitar an octave up for definition
07:12 'Spellbound' by Siouxsie and the Banshees, bass production
08:36 Sting's secret weapon: double bass
09:15 Doubling bass with double bass for extra thump
09:33 Sting's customised double bass called 'Brian'
10:00 Why bass guitar production techniques are relevant to an analysis of Pet Shop Boys synth bass
10:35 Pet Shop Boys' iconic synth bass for 'West End Girls' comprised three layers
11:40 The fourth reason to layer bass: unique sound design
12:09 How to create a signature bass sound
12:25 Synth bass layer one: sustain
15:03 Synth bass layer two: bite and definition
17:20 Synth bass layer three: thump
19:02 Combining the three synth bass layers into a killer signature bass sound
19:46 Recap: what have we done and why?
22:38 Live synth bass performance: 'Jim's Theme'
24:36 Afterword: reflections on record producer Nigel Gray, and what it means to be a 'producer' - Навчання та стиль
I think the secret to your videos is that your clear joy making sounds and music shines through to the viewers.
@@hedmanm That’s a very nice thing to say! But it’s absolutely true - I absolutely love it :)
For me its the accent 😎
@@DumbBeat haha! Do I have an accent? 😇
There is no future that would find me producing music whether with my fingers or through a mixing board. Every one of your videos captivates me with the simple pleasure of seeing an expert share their expertise with clarity, enthusiasm, and a dash of wry perspective.
This comment means a lot to me. I am really trying to make videos that appeal not only to producers but also to fans. Thank you so much for watching…
There's a piano doubling the bass guitar on Walking On The Moon. It's quite subtle, but once you hear it, you can't help but notice it every time you hear the song. They do the same thing on several songs from that album, too.
Yes, absolutely, The Beatles used to add piano under guitar too. People don't do this so much anymore. They really should :-)
There’s a Van Halen song that is Clavinet or Rhodes piano run through a distorted guitar amp and everyone was always trying to figure out how they got that tone on their guitar and it wasn’t even guitar lol
It launched a thousand quests for "piano tone" on the bass! On vinyl and tape (and especially on AM radio) it was harder to spot than when CDs came along.
@@AnthonyAnthony-tk4ye I remember seeing that on "running with the devil" that whistle sound is one of those goofy party tube sliders you blow into. I can imagine Dave bringing that into the session and goofing around. also car horns on the opening
Yours is my new favorite UA-cam channel. I’ve already watched all the videos a couple times. Thank you. Please keep it up. I love the format. Don’t change a thing
Agreed.
Thank you so much!!!!
Likewise! This is definitely my new favorite channel!
Same
Absolutely brilliant! Couldn't be more thrilled to learn these techniques!
Thank you so much!
Much appreciated. Top quality advice. Loving this 80s synth bass series.
Officially there’s one more to come, but there are at least a couple of other videos that will come before it…
Anthony Marinelli's channel also gives great insight into creating the famous bass sounds for the many 80s hit he's worked on (e.g. MJ's Thriller). Both his and now this video has given me new recording approaches. Thx
Oh yes, Marinelli’s videos are excellent! He’s a first class sound designer. So many people don’t realise how much work went into the tiniest details on those records. I have had the opportunity to scrutinise the actual ‘Thriller’ multitracks and all the synth bass was bounced to a single track (although electric bass was kept on a separate track). So if it weren’t for Marinelli we would not know how those tracks were layered.
You are my new favourite channel. Brilliant content. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you so much!
You, sir, are an amazing musician - which I’ll praise you for several times in the future - but equally a brilliant storyteller. Thank you so much for continuing your channel, you’re my favorite creator these days.
I’ve probably said this before but thank you so much! I will try to increase the frequency of my output…
Thank you so much for talking about Nigel Gray! I haven't been able to find much information about him, so I'm really grateful for your insights. I absolutely agree with your preference about the sound of the first three Police albums. The bass sound you created is incredible, and the music you composed to showcase it is fantastic. Greetings from Argentina!
Thank you so much! That's really kind :-)
The most incredible synth layering album of all time may be “Oh No! it’s DEVO.” It was produced by Roy Thomas Baker, the same producer as Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody, who’s an incredible layering texture producer. If anybody hasn’t heard it, give a listen. Not to the songs, but to the synth sounds. Luscious and totally unique.
I love that entire album. The best DEVO by far.
DEVO-Excellent
Thanks for that note. Both Devo and Queen. And of course, love synths.
magicians in the studio. their performance in "Urgh: Amusic war" was top notch
In some sense, you just explained the "So" album. That was a good video. Thanks for making it. It was really helpful. You are a good instructor.
That’s very kind! The So album is a great example. Super modern (for the time) detailed production, but the songs remain emotional.
Very cool. That was a cool song at the end.
Thank you! Originally I did something that sounded more like The Police but abandoned it. The bass sound was huuuuuge in the room!
Awesome ideas and tricks! This is my new favourite channel, cheers!!
Thank you so much!
Great insight. I really learned a thing. Now I understand what the 90s synth from Roland each patch has multiple partials. So you can layer/blend sounds together to get different characteristics in one patch. Like blending Scottish whiskey.
Yes, that’s exactly right. This was the way a lot of synths developed in the 90s - sometimes they get called ‘romplers’ because there’s a sample element (in rom) as well as a synthesises element. We had a D-50 in the late 80s though nowadays I find the sound a bit cold. I still have a Korg M1 though which not only has some classic presets but also is incredible if you programme it (it has partials and a really interesting synthesis engine). But for me, blending not only different synths but also different styles of synths is where the sound really takes off :)
Awesome !! thanks for the learning.
🙏🙏🙏
Awesome video with great analysis of this bass sound!
Thank you!
And thanks Mr Gray. I loved those early Police albums.
We really should all thanks Mr Gray. He never really made the money he deserved. Which is why he retired from the industry at the age of 40 (in 1987). If only he’d been paid properly there might be a lot more amazing records…
Love your attention to detail and in-depth analysis.
Thank you! Very much appreciated :)
Brilliant. I learn a lot from your analysis and suggestions. The photos and microphone text themes are fun, and I’m always looking for them now. Thanks for sharing your craft.
Thanks for noticing the text on the microphone :) Really appreciate you watching and commenting… :)
Really enjoying your channel - loved how you tell the stories and then those moments of enlightenment. But also how you build a track and take us along for the ride - fabulous- can’t wait to see and hear more from you.
Thank you so much!
Thanks for sharing these techniques. I just tested them and the results are amazing.
Oh I am so pleased! It’s comments like this which are what the whole channel is for! It’s really not about recreating sounds from the past, it’s abouy learning forgotten techniques from the past and adding them to today’s bag of tricks :)
This is a fantastic video (as are your others), thank you for sharing your knowledge! I like to layer my SH-101 and Elektron Digitone for bass, but will now experiment with adding some thump too.
I have the Yamaha V50 and ever since I bought it in 1989 I found how bloody good fm bass is. I have mostly layered bass sounds and love creating phat bass sounds using different synth engines. However time pressures these days frustrate my efforts but your video is like a message in a bottle to return to my old ways haha. Cheers mate for that.
Oh fantastic! I was putting together some music in a hurry yesterday and playing and layering was *so much faster* than laboriously programming. It’s funny - what should take longer is sometimes actually simpler. Really appreciate you watching and taking the time to comment :)
Really good lesson! I will explore
Thank you! So glad you enjoyed it! Really appreciate you watching and taking the time to comment :)
Really great tutes. Im a big 80s fan and so your material really helps to make it all so much fun..After kin years of listening to sounds you explain it all effortlessly. Impressive. Thanks
So glad you like it! Really appreciate you watching and commenting! I need to get them out faster…
How good are these videos ?
Brilliant analysis !
You’re so kind! It’s 01:37 and I’m shattered from editing all day so this is such a nice comment to read 🙏
Just like the first part and your other videos that I watched so far this was FANTASTIC!!!
Absolutely love what you do. The kick drum sample as an additional layer - it makes so much sense and you can actually make it out once you know about it, but I would have never guessed that!
Thank you so much for sharing!
What has been so fantastic about these videos is that apparently some people are actually trying this stuff out for themselves. Although I also have a mission to make the videos as entertaining as possible for non-musicians. Thank you so much for all your comments Jan…
Just excellent content. Thank you.
🙏🙏🙏
Amazing information! Thank you!
🙏🙏🙏
Now you explain the construction of a good bass sound, I will look at my go-to sounds as more, building blocks. Keep up the great work.
It’s all a lot of fun :)
Had great fun applying these techniques to my modest set-up. Definitely something I'll be applying in future.
Fantastic! Modest setups are where music happens. Expensive setups are where creativity goes to die ;)
Thanks for this, really enjoyed it, particularly like you style of presentation, enjoyable and informative!
Thank you so much! That's very kind :)
Another absolute banger - many thanks
You’re too kind! And you’re very welcome! Thanks (as ever) for watching :)
Beautiful, just what I needed as I prepare to make the most of my studio while condensing my live set up. I'll be firing up the TX81Z, Bass Station 2 and Kawai K1 for layering up sounds before sampling to my Lo-Fi 12. Excellent video! Cheers.
Oh those sound like amazing layer choices! K1 for the thump?
Incredibly important video for me! I'm such a huge fan of Sting's playing on Regatta de Blanc. I waited years to see this video it was a real moment for me. Thank You!!
Oh that’s such a kind comment! I’m so pleased you like the video! Thank you :)
Thanks a bunch! I'm doing an 80s style song this weekend. Your ideas are exactly what I'm looking for on this track.
Oh that’s so great to hear!
Awesome, thanks again
Thanks for watching :)
Brilliant. Thank you for the great information. Subscribed!
Thank you! Really appreciate you watching, and the comment :)
New to the channel, i loved this video. Look forward to more.
That’s so great! Thank you!
Your videos are so well produced, such a pleasure to watch. Thanks for being an inspiring source of knowledge!
Very kind words :)
That track was GROOVING! Thank you for the breakdown
I’m so pleased you liked it! I’ve considered dropping the performances because I wasn’t sure if people cared about those bits of the videos, and it’s quite a lot of pressure to write something new and interesting and good every video. But I’m definitely keeping them for now!
That smile (and laugh) of yours', when you strike gold, in the world of "Synth Punch". 😂 Great Channel and Video!
Thank you! It was SO LOUD in the room 😂
When you said in the video, it was loud', my first thought was, "The neighbors down the street got to enjoy it with you...perhaps, without the laughter". 🤣 @DistortThePreamp
😂
Great video!! Thanks so much for the info on getting a killer bass sound. Also really interesting stuff about Nigel Gray - ALL those tracks you mention are MASTERPIECES!! 🔥🔥🔥
Thank you so much David! Really appreciate you watching, and the really nice comment :)
More and more impressed with PSB from your videos. Adding a kick over the bass?? Genius. Thank you for bringing this valuable information to light.
My pleasure! Although I suspect it was Stephen Hague the producer… after all it was actually the second time they recorded (and released) ‘West End Girls’ and they definitely didn’t put a kick under the bass with Bobby Orlando’s version 😂
Thank you, this was just extraordinarily good. Absolutely loved everything about this video.
Thank you so much! Really appreciate your comment, and you watching!
My new favourite music channel!! Loving the content and the amount I’m learning. Cheers.
Thank you so much! This is amazing!
Great video thanks for this. That bass guitar amp splitting technique is still used today to great effect by Mike Kerr from Royal Blood. He also uses all sorts of other effects such as octave shifters and different lead guitar pedals but its really interesting to hear it started with the prog guys.
It was really Chris Squire from Yes who’s famous for this. His Rickenbacker bass had two outs (one for each pickup) and he routed one into a guitar amp. Amazing sound. But a lot of the prog guys do similar nowadays - Geddy Lee for example (from Rush) uses a very similar setup. Mike Kerr’s rig is a little different but very interesting. He’s a bit coy about it but it’s basically almost like a reverse of Jack White’s setup. Kerr is splitting his bass signal, shifting an octave up and then treating that like a guitar. What really makes a difference to a setup like this is to route it into an entirely different amp. If you try and blend the signal back into a single amp it doesn’t sound nearly as good. Thanks so much for the kind words about the video :) Bey much appreciated :)
Fabulous! Thanks man!❤👍🏼
🙏🙏
I now know which bass player you were talking about 😁
Great content, great examples, and as usual, you deliver it so well. I’m truly a fan!
Thank you so much for this ;)
that's gold. Thanks !
So glad you like it!
I simply love this channel 😀
Thank you so much!
Great content, and you Sir are a master storyteller!
Thank you so much!
Your videos are interesting to watch even just for fun, you are a nice person and present the content in a special, smooth way ❤
Thank you so much! One of my goals is to make videos that work on a purely entertainment level and can be enjoyed by non musicians. So I really appreciate your kind comment…
WOW! Just suggested this channel thanks to the UA-cam algorithm! Amazing content. Channels like these are truely the best of UA-cam!
Thank you so much Andrew! Really appreciate the kind words :)
Masterclass!!! Congrats and thank you for the channel man!!! 🎩
Thank you so much for the kind words!
Thanks Mr. Preamp, enjoyed that!
@@markf.3617 I am so please! I was a bit worried that the entire viewer base would go ‘What? Real electric bass? Who cares!’ and leave en masse. Thankfully this does not appear to be the case…
The most greatest video about bass. Thank you so much.
That’s a very kind comment indeed! Thank you so much!
My mind is blown... Amazing!
Fantastic! So pleased! Thank you so much for watching, and taking the time to comment :)
What a fantastic channel!!! Being a sound design freak, I love your deep drive into classic sounds. Bass sounds are hard to sort how they were made. I'm still trying to decipher Andy Connel's bass line on Swing out Sisters Break Out. Beautiful channel, thank you sir.
Thank you so much!
Great informative content. Keep up the good work sir 👍
Thank you so much!
Another banger of a video! 😎🎶
Thank you!!!!
One of the best mixing tutorials I’ve come across in a long time. 🙏
Thanks Tim! That’s so kind!
@@DistortThePreamp It’s so valuable to really understand a mix philosophy and how that can translate across all genres. I was also a huge Police/Sting fan and they/he inspired me to learn the bass. Great learnings, great channel!
Wonderful video
Thank you so much! That’s so kind! :)
Best video I’ve seen all year! You rule!!! 😺🤘🏻
@@EchobatMogwa thank you so much! That’s such an awesome thing to say!
@@DistortThePreamp ❤️❤️❤️❤️👌🏻
@@EchobatMogwa 🙏🙏🙏
Thanks for the tips! Sting one one of my favorites. I admit that image is what got me to watch the video.
I’m so pleased to hear this! Somebody asked me who the person in the thumbnail was, and I was wondering if I had failed to choose a sufficiently iconic image ;)
Absolutely enjoyed this..your explanation’s where on layman’s term’s,kudos to you sir for taking the time to share your experience & helping other musician,s make better music,tip my hat to you sir 👏🏻👏🏻😎
That’s so kind! That you very much indeed! Really appreciate you watching the video and taking the time to comment :)
That was AMAZINGLY interesting, I really had no idea that this was such a widespread technique. I am fairly new to recording music and I actually ended up doing this intuitively on one of my own tracks, I had two bass sounds that I really liked and accidentally played them together and realised that they were way better combined. Now I know that this is an official studio technique that can be exploited for effect. The examples you gave of The Pet Shop Boys and Siouxie and the Banshees were really intruiging as well. I have learned a lot today
Oh I’m so pleased you liked it! This kind of technique can really make a difference. Don’t treat it as a compulsory rule though - as my old producer mentor is fond of saying, ‘There are no rules!’ Thank you so much for watching, and for your comment…
Great vids. You deserve many more subs. The west end bass line has fascinated me for over 40 years!
That’s a very kind thing to say!
excellent stuff as always, very interesting to hear the kick sample in the bass sound, reminded me that when writing Killer, Adamski had accidentally put a drum machine on the same midi channel and it trigered different drum sounds for each note of the bass line, but it adds a lot of character to it. love the demo tune too, sounded like PSB working with Orbital (particularly The Box).
Is that true, about Adamski? That makes perfect sense! That bass line totally slaps! Now I’m gonna look this up…
Thanks for sharing some tricks of the trade.
You are very welcome - thank you for watching :)
One of the best if not the best production tips video here all over the net !
That’s extremely kind Panos! Really appreciate you watching, and taking the time to make a comment :)
@@DistortThePreamp I think that you absolutely deserve that cause in my career as a composer and a producer i was engaged to quite many genres from Italo Disco which i still love , House and even classical music, so layering various sounds that serve other frequencies to the listener is a known tip for me but you explain that so simple so this knowledge which is essential for a great production is accessible to anybody from a new composer to a pro one, keep up the great work i always enjoy your content and i am glad that you still use my beloved roland r8 too !
Sorry for the late reply! (So many comments, they all get lost). Fantastic that you’re an R8 fan. I absolutely *love* mine. I had the WaveRex sampling card but didn’t get on with it. When I loaded samples they didn’t sound the same because it turns out the R8 preamps are very coloured. I guess this is why the (insanely overpriced) R8 Cards sound so good - because Roland would have spend ages tuning the samples so they sounded as good as possible out of an R8. And also glad you like Italian Disco. I had planned to make a video showing how Moroder made the bass to ‘I Feel Love’ (the point being that it’s 8th notes with a 16th delay, and the delay is louder so the offbeat is accented, and late so it’s swung, and there’s a second repeat so it flams, etc) but I became convinced that nobody would care. And it might already have been done. And now, if it hasn’t been done, I’ve just given the game away 😂
Fascinating to hear about Nigel Gray, a mysterious figure who should get more recognition. Zenyatta has become, over the years, my favourite Police album. It disappointed me at the time of release, but now I think of it as the epitome of the Police sound. Nice channel, I'll be tuning in.
I agree. I sort of bounce between Zenyatta and Regatta, and Regatta has some great songs, but I think was Zenyatta is The Police at the height of their powers. And Zenyatta captures that so well. Tracks like ‘Voices Inside My Head’, ‘When The World Is Running Down’, and ‘Driven To Tears’ are stupendous just in terms of the groove. IMO Padgham never managed to capture that ‘groove’ like Gray did.
@@DistortThePreamp Absolutely, Regatta has more “heft” - the Big Songs - but Zenyatta is more all of a piece. I love the soundscape of “Voices”, basically Sting screeching, which Nigel turned into a jungle backdrop. My only gripe is that it should have been called “Zenyatta Mondatta”, as a callback to the previous title track.
Did you know the original title was gonna be ‘Trimondo Blondimina’?
@@DistortThePreamp It rings a bell. I guess that will have to be the title of your mythical sixth album.
Excellent stuff as always! Thsnks so much!
🙏🙏🙏
I really love your videos. They are the best on UA-cam, for real! ❤(at least for me)
That’s a fantastic compliment! Thank you so much!
excellent thanks!!!
Thank you!!!
Amazing video! Thank you!!!!
That’s a very kind comment. Thank you :)
Thanks a lot for this advice. You gave me an idea how to use 4 layers of my JD-08 boutique to make this kind of bass! I guess linear arithmetic synthesis was made to make this kind of patches anyway :D
Absolutely! I've been thinking about getting a JX-08. I really like them. I wish they had proper sized jack outputs, but you can't have everything. And they certainly sound great.
Another great vid. Going to the lab in the morning to make a signature layered bass sound.
Absolutely fantastic!
Excellent!
@@christiand8243 🙏
Hi friend! I found your channel 3 days ago and I really love the content! Subscribed :)
Thank you so much! Really appreciate you watching and taking the time to comment :)
Great channel, subbed.
Thanks Michael! So glad you like the videos :)
Very informative! I always loved that bass sound in West End Girls
It’s such a great sound. And that layered kick really helps!
@@DistortThePreamp I remember it even sounded good on my 80s high school art class cheap stereo
@@paul6925 This is the key. A song should sound amazing coming out of an overturned stereo on a beach with the speaker facing the sand. If it doesn’t, you’ve got a problem.
@@DistortThePreamp 😂👍
I can’t imagine overdubbing/layering bass guitars and not creating all kinds of phase cancellation in the low end.
Good point. But I think it’s more a case of guitars played an octave up or a db (short decay) against an eb (long decay) so not a like against like situation. Stacking sounds should be constructive rather than destructive etc.
I’ve tracked bass with a dirty amp feed against a DI and cut a lot of the low off the amp channel as you’re really after the fast transient and the fizz. So it doesn’t really interfere.
@@SharkpussI guess that makes more sense. It just seemed like he’s claiming so many old recordings would “double” the bass parts with guitar(?) Like, i understand it in theory, but I have literally never heard any mention of that for it to be supposedly commonplace for old recordings. So did the bassist pick up a guitar after playing it on a bass? If so, news to me.
EQing the layers to create more separation between them can help as well. Music is a hobby for me but I’m a professional sound effects designer, and we do this all the time when making composite sounds out of layers.
If e.g. A1 is 55Hz, is phase cancellation gradually reducing with each semitone up or down from A1? Tried to decipher this with ears + oscilloscope but still in dark 🤨
It’s actually fine. Maybe the best example would be one of the tracks on ‘Thriller’ which has four synth basses stacked and a real bass. The only phase checking would have been simple in/out on the desk, and there is *nothing* wrong with those bass parts. I see a lot of people getting obsessed with low end phase nowadays and doing phase rotation. In my experience phase is important, but I’ve never had a deal breaking problem. When you listen to a recording of a classical orchestra with lots of cellos, nobody did anything to the phase of each instrument coming into the mic ;)
i'm just getting into the synth bass process and now i'm hooked. i am a bassist. it didn't take me long to realize a lot of music consists of electronic/synth bass. music is very dynamic beast. it changes constantly and if you can't change with it - either willingly or unwillingly, it's too easy to get left behind.
another thing is, as a musician, you got to pay attention to the details. there is no way around it. whatever i listen to there is so much going on in the background. michael jackson and stevie wonder are masters of this. and that's just scratching the surface. and yea, as you point out, it goes back to the 80's pop.
i started implementing synth bass with a behringer neutron and i couldn't believe the sounds i could get out of it. i soon realized the synth bass on most recordings was a mixture of several tracks or "layered" - consisting of several different sounds and instruments. i'm currently building a euro-rack based synth to expand on it. for me, it's really fascinating.
That’s exactly right! Attention to detail is critical. A lot of modern artists get this wrong - not because they don’t believe in detail, but because they leave it too late and then can’t solve the problems. The trick is to spend time getting really good sounds and then commit them. That’s one of the wonderful thing about working with real instruments versus software instruments - you’re forced into that workflow. Meanwhile, you should *definitley* be doubling *all* of your synth bass with real bass! Just tuck it under the synth bass so you can just hear it. Thank you so much for watching!
@@DistortThePreamp I agree about commitment. In my experience, many "mix" problems are arrangement problems that could have been fixed before hitting Record.
@rushmanphotos I love my Neutron!
@@unclemick-synths Me too! Two reasons for me: (1) it’s straight up a fantastic synth, but also (2) it was how I prevented myself from falling down a Eurorack hole which was endless and which I would never have been able to afford 😂
@@unclemick-synths so do i. it's amazing. and for the price you can't beat it.
Nice to know I wasn't a million miles away. I often used an ESQ-1 layered with a DX11 (keyboard version of the TX81Z). The DX added the spike cut and the ESQ the fatness and filter warbling. I like the idea of the bass drum sample adding a subtle bit of thump to the bass sound. Thanks again for another secrets revealed video.
Honestly I think that’s spot on. It’s really not about the exact sound, just the layering trick. The DX11 is fantastic - one day I will have the space to have synths which aren’t all in racks 😂
This is superb work. To crib from Red Letter Media: you don't know the kick drum is there, but your brain does.
That’s very well put. I had it mixed super loud to ‘make the point’ but even at lower volumes it does exactly what you say - adds thump that your brain recognises. Really appreciate you watching and making the awesome comment :)
Another cracking video, and I knew it, I bloody knew it! A kick drum in the West End Girls bassline! I just put it down to some patch they'd made but that never sat right with me. There was always something niggling, and that was it. Thank you!
It’s so awesome right! And even when I confirmed it there is nothing like feeling it under your fingers! It just feels so amazing to play a bass line with a layer of tuned kick sample!
@@DistortThePreamp Some real subtleties can be achieved with how much the tuned kick cuts through. Love it.
My first keyboard was a crappy PSS170 and all of the non-instrument presets were (let's be charitable) tuned, a bit. Something I noticed at the time. So this made so much sense.
Very good.
Thank you!
yet more excellent content. I've been listening to the police a lot lately, kind of an obsession. they and their production team were doing everything right back then. They were a little too clean by the end, but still fantastic. Hugh Padgham's treatment was also excellent. A track like Spirits in the Material World is stunning. Anyway, yeah, Reggatta is the best. Just want to say that Stewart Copeland's timing and the sound of his kit blow my mind every time I hear it.
I agree. I do like a lot of the Hugh Padgham stuff, and he really captured a vibe on, say, ‘Tea in the Sahara’ but on balance I think Regatta and Zenyatta are probably better. I’m actually a huge fan of Zenyatta. It’s so live sounding. Probably because it was recorded in about two weeks.
I never even considered that the bass might be layered - especially the +1 octave guitar. I just assumed they'd come up with some amazingly fat bass patches for the synths. Listening back and concentrating on the bass line, there it is! And now I know how to do it, too. Thanks for spilling the beans.
It’s surprising, right! But once you’ve heard it you’ll never unhear it :)
I absolutely love your videos.
Thank you so much! This is especially nice to hear on a release day :)
Hi fella... Just randomly discovered your channel, the Rio video about its arpeggio. Anyway, I'm a bit busy playing around with my brand new guitar that I got today, but I've had a quick flick through and you look like you have a great channel and you present really well, and yep, I'm old enough to have been around listening to all that great music in the 80s. There was a period in the 80s when I wouldn't listen to bands that had real instruments, it had to be all electronic... silly, I know, but when you're a teenager you do silly things, I soon grew out of it. One of my all-time favourite arpeggios is the one that runs through the Yazoo track Don't Go. One of the remixes on the 12 inch really brings that part out, I think it's the one called the Re-Remix.
I'll definitely be back to have a proper look... In the meantime, new subscriber here! 👍😊🎸🎹
Amazing! What’s the guitar?
Ah man, you hit me right in the sweet spot! Those albums/years were formative for me. Plus, a couple of years back I did an MA In Professional Media Composition, and part of that was all about getting unique sounds. As an aside, I’d be interested to know how you would EQ your phat bass to sit nicely in a mix (or even horribly 😂). Love this channel. Makes me want to get some gear back on my desk and start recording stuff again.
Ah, EQ is such a big topic. But generally speaking I start by designing the bass inside the track. Either the bass comes first and the otter sounds are selected and designed to fit around, or vice versa. I don’t track until I’ve got the whole thing built, and then everything is committed. In this way EQ because like polish, rather than a fundamental tool. This is my main recommendation - try to get the sounds right so you don’t have to EQ then to get them to sound right. Then at mix down I might apply some filtering, but if I’d got a huge equalisation problem then something has probably gone wrong. I generally I use fader rides to control dynamics and glueing. Very old school. And very simple :)
sick this the best vid i ever found
Amazing! That’s such an awesome thing to say! 🙏
Just a little correction, Sting's upright bass wasn't made by him chopping up his favorite acoustic upright. It's a Z-bass, made by Dutch luthier Henk Van Zalinge.
I love your channel.
Ah, actually the Z came later, and Copeland got one too. Brian was the precursor…
Who knew ha! Thanks for the secret trick. Love your videos
Thank you so much! I’m shattered - it took far longer than I thought. So I’m now going to bed :)
your videos are awsome.
Thank you!
another banger of an eppsode, thanks so much for make this lad, hidden gems of wisdom. from dublin ireland
You are very welcome! Thanks for the continued support :)
@@DistortThePreamp :)
Bestt channel ever and I'm born in the 70's.
Oh fantastic!!! So pleased you like the videos :)