Neotone
Joined: 04/22/02
Posts: 70
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Question -- How do you make resonant bass?
Monday, July 14, 2008 at 3:51 PM
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How do you make a real deep, resonant sounding bass like the one that comes in at about 5:11 on Wintermute's The Light of You, or like the bass on BBC World News?
I don't know if it's different or not, but also, how do you create the similar resonant sound on this track? It almost sounds like the bass is amplitude-modulating the melody--but there are places where you can't hear the bass, and the sound is still resonant. Perhaps it has something to do with a ring modulator?
Anyway, I haven't been able to duplicate the sound with either FM or subtractive synthesis.
This life is a joke, and nobody's laughing.
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just john
Joined: 09/27/01
Location: Poughkeepsie
Posts: 110
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RE: Question -- How do you make resonant bass?
Monday, July 14, 2008 at 3:59 PM
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On the SOKOLOVSKY track, it sounds like the bass part is replicated, a couple octaves up. So you have two instruments going, with an occasional tweak to one or the other, to keep things interesting.
Maybe this is obvious, and I've missed what you're talking about.
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Danny K
Joined: 08/15/01
Posts: 226
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RE: Question -- How do you make resonant bass?
Wednesday, July 16, 2008 at 3:26 PM
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I tend to use a sine wave - heavily compress it and then stick it through a distortion filter and change those settings as necessary.
I've met the bloke who wrote the BBC news theme - he's called David Lowe. He makes a smooth £1000 a day in performance royalties on it.
Next time the news theme is up for review I think I might submit something!! 
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~ Absurdist Lover ~
Joined: 09/04/01
Posts: 223
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RE: Question -- How do you make resonant bass?
Thursday, July 17, 2008 at 7:07 AM
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I've found triangle waves to be a good replacement for sines, you can add a bit of resonant filter and get a lovely hollow ringing tone.
I will teach you the significance of insignificance
http://www.artistserver.com/Sendy
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Sonic Wallpaper
Joined: 05/22/01
Location: San Diego, CA
Posts: 1266
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RE: Question -- How do you make resonant bass?
Thursday, July 17, 2008 at 8:35 AM
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Neotone - let's take a step back and consider what you are using to make your Res Bass sound. Some soft/hard synths will make this much easier than others. For example, this one Moog soft synth I have creates amazing bass sounds. The filter itself is a key factor too - some just sound warmer than others.
What we could do is work this out where several of us do a bass line test - we would need a single midi file with the bass line maybe just 4 bars. Then each of us would produce that bass line - adding nothing more than effects and filters to get the idea Res Bass. Then we'll post them and include what synth, effects, etc. were used.
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A Bit Crusher
Joined: 01/26/02
Location: Tilburg
Posts: 1794
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RE: Question -- How do you make resonant bass?
Friday, July 18, 2008 at 8:35 AM
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There must be a preset of a cool Rezzo Bass somewhere....I'll have a look, but chances are you don't have the same software... 
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Neotone
Joined: 04/22/02
Posts: 70
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RE: Question -- How do you make resonant bass?
Friday, July 18, 2008 at 9:10 PM
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I talked to Wintermute about this, and he said he used three different bass parts, using at least two different synthesizers -- SimSynth and Novation Bass Station emu. I think that the Bass Station is what is making that resonant sound. It could well be that the BBC track uses the same thing (although probably the real hardware version). Maybe that particular synthesizer just synthesizes square waves in a different way than the ones I'm used to.
Part of my problem was that I was simply too attached to saw waves, and didn't consider using square waves for most things. I tweaked SimSynth a bit and ended up with a sound that was more compatible with my concept, although still not perfect.
Just John:
Yeah, that's probably all it is on that track -- replicated an octave plus a major third. But the wave itself sounds similar to the wave of the bass in both the BBC track and the Wintermute track. It's almost like that sound at night when you're in a gas station or parking garage where the roof is parallel with the concrete, and you slap your foot on the ground, the reverberation making an interesting waveform. For some reason it reminds me of that. This is what makes me wonder if these three musicians are using the same synth.
Danny K:
Just a single sine wave through a compressor (at least in my experience with Fruityloops) won't make any change in sound... are you using some esoteric hardware? In theory compressors only change volume.
Wow, that guy makes some serious money!
Gideon:
I'd love to sample some synths! Particularly I want to hear the Novation Bass Station -- I've just downloaded the demo. But yeah, give me a second to come up with a groovy line, and everyone can use their favorite presets. It would be awesome if people took screenshots of their presets too... although I could probably figure it out, so no worries. But keep in mind I am not in the market for any hardware... so don't sample that (unless you just want to show off  )
This life is a joke, and nobody's laughing.
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Neotone
Joined: 04/22/02
Posts: 70
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RE: Question -- How do you make resonant bass?
Friday, July 18, 2008 at 9:15 PM
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A Bit Crusher:
Nope, we probably don't have the same software. But if you use VSTs, I may get that software later.
PS: You just reminded me, I really ought to find a bit crusher. (GarageBand has one... but then I'm stuck with GarageBand instruments!)
This life is a joke, and nobody's laughing.
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Neotone
Joined: 04/22/02
Posts: 70
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RE: Question -- How do you make resonant bass?
Friday, July 18, 2008 at 10:08 PM
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Okay here's the Midi:
http://www.artistserver.com/m1/1456/955/media/25646.mid
Since I may use this in a song later, I'm going to copyright it: This midi file is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License. Copyright 2008 Nathan Foster, some rights reserved. (You can share the work without attribution only on this thread if you want.)
Also, I downloaded the Novation Bass Station demo. Check out these waveforms:
There is a HUGE difference in waveform. The top is the Bass Station, the bottom is SimSynth. Both have all oscillators set to square wave, at the same frequency. The filters of both are set to low pass, with no resonance, and at the highest frequency. I'd bet that the difference I'm hearing involves the acoustic signal of the Bass Station. (Which is enough reason to buy it, IMO)
This life is a joke, and nobody's laughing.
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A Bit Crusher
Joined: 01/26/02
Location: Tilburg
Posts: 1794
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RE: Question -- How do you make resonant bass?
Saturday, July 19, 2008 at 11:19 AM
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Neotone wrote:A Bit Crusher:
Nope, we probably don't have the same software. But if you use VSTs, I may get that software later.
PS: You just reminded me, I really ought to find a bit crusher. (GarageBand has one... but then I'm stuck with GarageBand instruments!)
Hi Neotone...I use Logic, and the VST's used in it aren't sold seperately...
Well, they were sold seperately in older versions....
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Wintermute
Joined: 08/29/01
Location: Austin Texas
Posts: 35
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RE: Question -- How do you make resonant bass?
Saturday, July 19, 2008 at 10:56 PM
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First off, great discussion  I really should read the forums more often ;)
Neo if it would help, I can post a bar or two sample of each of the 3 bass tracks at 5:11. I do agree that the Novation is doing a bit here, but I also have a feeling it is the interaction between the the two offset 4/4 bass lines (one is 1, 3, the other is 2,4--think "oom pah") that is adding to the effect
WM
Wintermute  |
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Neotone
Joined: 04/22/02
Posts: 70
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RE: Question -- How do you make resonant bass?
Sunday, July 20, 2008 at 9:14 AM
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Yes, WM, that would help -- it does seem to sound like one bass. Thanks!
This life is a joke, and nobody's laughing.
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Sonic Wallpaper
Joined: 05/22/01
Location: San Diego, CA
Posts: 1266
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RE: Question -- How do you make resonant bass?
Sunday, July 20, 2008 at 6:12 PM
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here are 10 samples - most are bass - a few others for drops or mixing in somehow. I didn't eq anything the levels were just set kinda high and i rendered them down to mono. Samples were generated with Absynth 3 and a Mini Moog virtual synth. http://www.artistserver.com/m1/8/9/media/25665.zip enjoy! 
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