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Conference napalm::commusic_v1

Title:* * Computer Music, MIDI, and Related Topics * *
Notice:Conference has been write-locked. Use new version.
Moderator:DYPSS1::SCHAFER
Created:Thu Feb 20 1986
Last Modified:Mon Aug 29 1994
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:2852
Total number of notes:33157

676.0. "Help With Sequencer Programming" by RDGE28::NORTON () Thu Jan 29 1987 07:08

    I was listening to some records last night and something puzzled
    me.
    
    How do people get that dug-a-duga-dug-a-duga.. type bass sound.
    and that Giorgio Moroder/Donner Summer type Daga-daga-daga backing
    chords.
    
    This sounds a bit of a silly question to me and perhaps I'm reading
    more complexity into it than there really is.
    
    The type of stuff I'm referring to is like New Order, Georgio Moroder,
    Donner Summer (I feel love etc..), a song a while back by Queen
    that sort of stopped just leaving a pulsing MODULATING bass synth
    line.... I'm sure you know what I mean ?
    
    Anyway I tried pumping a load of 1/16 notes into a sequencer etc
    but it was very lacking. Also a lot of tracks seem to vary the sound
    between notes in the pattern. It also sounds to me as if rather
    than sequencing, some of these songs sound almost like a continuous
    note that modulates volume on and off. Again my attemts at this
    have been pathetic.
    
    Anybody suggest what techniques might be being used here ??
    
    Thoughts that cross my mind are
    
    1) More flexible/expensive equipment than I have
    2) More precise programs envelope and filter wise than I tried
    3) Outboard effects - slapback, filtering etc
    4) Analogue type synths where you can vary things as it goes along
       (like filter sweeps etc)
    5) ??????????
    
    Any body got any ideas ??
    
    Andrew
    
    
    
        
    
T.RTitleUserPersonal
Name
DateLines
676.1Maybe...JAWS::COTEEverything but the bitchin' sync...Thu Jan 29 1987 08:194
    Possibly a 'gated bass', where the gate opens in time to some other
    rythmic device, like a bass drum or high hat....
    
    Edd
676.2chorus?BARNUM::RHODESThu Jan 29 1987 09:436
I think many of the bands you mentioned use chorusing on the bass, which
gives it a unique motion that can't be duplicated without an inboard or
outboard chorusing unit...

Todd.

676.3Use a quarterDYO780::SCHAFEROne of these days, Alice ...Thu Jan 29 1987 11:119
Re: .0

    A former band wanted me to get the same sound.  I worked on it for a
    while, then gave the bass player a quarter and a chorus pedal (hello,
    Edd!).  Used the quarter as a pick.

    I never did have to come up with a patch ....  (my $.02)

8^)
676.4JUNIOR::DREHERGet a 'Jones' in your bandThu Jan 29 1987 11:226
    I think you should be able to come up with something close if you
    have an analog synth with seperate envelopes (ASDR's or equivalent)
    for the VCF and VCA.  What kind of synth(s) are you trying to duplicate
    this patch on?
    
    Dave
676.5Modda modda moddaMINDER::KENTThu Jan 29 1987 11:317
    
    I'me pretty sure that what you are talking about is a heavily modulated
    synth patch. You can get the effect I think you mean by setting
    up a square wave vibrato effect on a cz101 patch and just putting it
    at the most extreme settings. 
    
    					Paul.
676.6RDGE28::NORTONThu Jan 29 1987 11:318
    I'm TRYING to do it on my ESQ1.
    
    The closest I got though was on an old monosynth with a short envelope
    and an echoed slapback. I just thought the "pro's" must have some
    'better' way of doing it. I've had no success with the ESQ1. I can't
    get along with those digital numbers and a single data slider !
    
    Andrew
676.7nah, use an adjustable delay unit16514::MOELLERThe future isn't what it used to be.Thu Jan 29 1987 11:427
    If you've got a regular eighth note bassline (or bass drum, for
    that matter) the effect you describe can be gotten using an echo/
    delay unit with adjustable repeat speed. Last nite I tried it, and
    got everything from magic triplet bass to regular 16th note to a
    dotted-eighth 'swing' feel.
    
    karl
676.8my opinionCOROT::CERTOThu Jan 29 1987 13:1422
    Donna Summer's "I feel love"  synth line that drives the 
    song, sometimes is a bass line and climbs up an octave or two
    during the solo and back down again, is what I assume you refer to.
    
    I think the patch is fairly simple: LFO driven envelope generator
    which modulates the filter, fast attack, a touch of decay: kind
    of like saying 'ou' as in 'ouch' very quickly.  The oscillator has
    both a waveform (don't know which) and a sub-octave (probably square
    wave) component as well.
    
    The trick is that the output of all the above is hard-panned 
    alternately left/right, by an LFO square wave with similar but not 
    the same frequency as the one above. 
                          
    I suggest you use my favorite trick of taping the record and playing
    it back at half speed, which is one octave down (half speed is half
    the frequency) and checking it out in stereo.
    
    I hope this is accurate, I figured this out back when the song came
    out.
                                                
    Fredric
676.9Yet Another Opinion GeneratedSKYLRK::MESSENGERThings fall apart-it's scientificFri Mar 27 1987 14:428
    Remember, when sequencing bass lines, to play the accent notes
    a little sooner than "exactly on the beat" (which is what the sequencer
    will do by default). Human bass players will do this by instinct
    and won't notice that they're doing it. 
    
    There was a fairly good article in "Electronic Musician" about this...
    (I think it was called "Adding Life to Your Sequencer")
    				- HBM