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Making the bassline LAST!????!?!??!?!?? *GASP*
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loki
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
49
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429
Posted : Feb 11, 2011 02:18:54
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So when I started making psytrance, I would spend way, way, way, way too long tweaking the KBBB whenever I started a new tune. After many, many sessions of this, I could finally make a decent KBBB in a few minutes. But of course, if I go smoke a phattie in the living room and come back, the first thing I do is start tweaking it again - even if it's fine.
Now, when I started writing dubstep, the problem got WAY worse than it ever was with psy. I can tweak dubstep bass for days and days on end making utterly no headway on the music.
Finally, I said fuckit and decided to write a song with only a sine-wave sub bass, basically nothing at all in the 100-250hz range, and plenty of room in the 250-1000hz range... but a coherent piece of music nonetheless.
...And I'm just throwing the finishing touches on it now: a bassline! Total time: 2 days. I've only finished one track that quickly before.
I was astounded at how quickly a track came together when I wasn't worried about the bass constantly... And how quickly a bassline sounded exactly like I wanted it when the groove was already built around it.
Anyone else tried writing a tune without a bassline (or a shitty one) and making the bassline as the final closing step? Damn I should do this more often!
  Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room. ~Kurt Vonnegut
www.soundcloud.com/mixyott |
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Freeflow
IsraTrance Full Member
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Posted : Feb 11, 2011 03:57
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I thought about this just some days ago! A good insight.
But its like a deep routed pattern in the mind..
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Chemogen
IsraTrance Full Member
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166
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Posted : Feb 11, 2011 10:14
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For the last few months the only work I've done on a track is literally write 8 bars of kick and bass and sit there for half an hour at a time trying to find the sweet spot for the bass. Driving me insane and totally sapping me of any creativity. Kick and bass sound tight together but as soon as I add anything else the bass either sounds too soft or loud making me go back and tweak. Dunno where this obsessiveness came from but it's driving me insane.  |
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Freeflow
IsraTrance Full Member
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Posted : Feb 11, 2011 10:37
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I used to sit with bass and kick like a maniac for several years. But has became easier and easier to tweak it, and considering facts as tuning the kickdrum and mixing levels better, and adding the right effects and making good EQ curves.. and if chorus is needed or delay..
But its not more daunting than tweaking any other element to oblivion, its just that its all very much focus on the bass and kick, still it wont make a wicked track for you, its just a part of the track.
But to learn to make all elements sound good, one has to tweak the shit out of them to learn what works and what dosent work, and in which scenario it works.
I will spend my time more on making the percussion tracks follow the flow, instead of just letting a beat going on and on. I think making everything speak as a whole unit is one of the big challenges
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The Bap
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
12
Posts :
363
Posted : Feb 11, 2011 11:44
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I used to smoke a joint and tweak the snare and hats for hours (and it all sounded good to me). Next day it still sounded shit.
Stopped smoking rockets and...hey presto, tunes done....then smoked one in celebration 
moral of the story:leave yer bass alone when your eyes feel painted on! https://soundcloud.com/craic-addict |
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Mike A
Subra
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185
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3954
Posted : Feb 11, 2011 11:47
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The bassline only sounds like you want when the rest of the track is built around it. No point in working on it when it's the only thing you got.
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Freeflow
IsraTrance Full Member
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Posted : Feb 11, 2011 12:56
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Quote:
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On 2011-02-11 11:47, Mike A wrote:
The bassline only sounds like you want when the rest of the track is built around it. No point in working on it when it's the only thing you got.
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haha yeah, but that took me a long time to understand, still the bass and kick should in best cases sound good on its own also
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Pagan
Started Topics :
5
Posts :
98
Posted : Feb 11, 2011 13:53
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I generally leave the bassline for later on.
My general workflow these days is find a kick, then set up the sidechaining and fx chains to almost how they will be, then put in something generic.
I often find that I'll spend an hour or so messing around doing fine tweaks then later when it comes time to start adding the main elements, the bassline needs to be changed anyway.
www.soundcloud.com/za-pagan
Its beer appreciation month.
Send me beer...I'll appreciate it. |
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dreadieg
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
49
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478
Posted : Feb 11, 2011 22:55
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i'll be damned. i know what i'm tryin tonight.
ya'll are smart-y pants. |
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Mike A
Subra
Started Topics :
185
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3954
Posted : Feb 12, 2011 00:22
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Quote:
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On 2011-02-11 12:56, Freeflow wrote:
haha yeah, but that took me a long time to understand, still the bass and kick should in best cases sound good on its own also
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But it's a bad idea to do this when this is the only thing in your track. It has no context and you end up with a severe case of loopitis 
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Ascension
IsraTrance Full Member
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170
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3642
Posted : Feb 12, 2011 00:34
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Quote:
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On 2011-02-11 11:47, Mike A wrote:
The bassline only sounds like you want when the rest of the track is built around it. No point in working on it when it's the only thing you got.
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But kick and bass should be the best sounding parts of a track. It doesn't make much sense to me to leave your most consistent sound out of a track until the very end (unless you're lowpassing all sounds at 250Hz, which I don't know why you would).
I'd say at the very least make some bass presets that are close to what you like for the style you're working on and use those for a starting point. http://soundcloud.com/ascensionsound
www.chilluminati.org - Midwest based psytrance group |
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vipal
IsraTrance Full Member
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123
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1397
Posted : Feb 13, 2011 06:59
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In this case: Mike A is right, with both posts. |
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Nomad Moon
IsraTrance Full Member
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134
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1516
Posted : Feb 16, 2011 11:54
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Funny that i've been thinking of that also, one thing that made me really improve the bass combo thing is working on headphones, people generally tell u its wrong but it's working for me. |
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untilthereislight
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
31
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240
Posted : Feb 16, 2011 12:38
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I normally set up a half decent sounding bassline pattern and then keep tweaking it along with the rest of the melodies as they come together. I find a good bassline pattern the most important step as a starting point for me.
StarLab - Label DJ/Artist for Digital Om Productions
http://soundcloud.com/starlab-sounds |
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Insomniscene
Started Topics :
9
Posts :
57
Posted : Feb 16, 2011 13:02
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I had the same problem, not just with the bass, with everything! I'd spend so long tweaking it that in the end, I'd lost the inspiration I had to actually make music at that moment.
Nowadays I try not to spend too long on it, I prefer to get a decent sound that I can work with, then either tweak as I go along, or when the track is finished.
It works well also, if I get to a point where I'm lacking inspiration, hit a brick wall or whatever, as I can use this time to do things such as get the bass sounding nice, or get the hi hats sounding crisp.
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