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very simple zebra Bass patch for those wanna getting started ;)
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-=Mandari=-
Mandari
Started Topics :
28
Posts :
655
Posted : Feb 25, 2010 13:44:40
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hey folks,
so i got this pm from one of our fellows i read in the morning and thought maybe to share the basic stuff contained. we had some discussion about how to achieve good sounding bass on zebra. as this bass thingy appears still quite a lot, i thought maybe to share some basic idea on how to achieve a simple bass to start off with....
so, here we go. everything just to get started with and for those of you who want to know about the simple basics of baseline and the possibilities offered to get it sounding right. for sure it all depends on what you´re looking for, the sound you do, the bpm you work with, notes, scales etc. blahblah... so this is really only a simple basspatch and you have to figure out yourself how you get the results you need. but maybe this becomes some more easy to one or the other after reading.
so, for bass i start from scratch as for everything else, i know zebra has some killing presets, anyways, got my own stuff in mind not contained in the preset library 
so first you go for the "init" patch and ensure that really everything is init, so with the fx section, settings of level, global level etc. if you press a key on your keyboard you should hear just one damn boring and maybe not that loud saw wave.
after this i go for the timing settings in the amp envelope section. just push all the knobs to zero settings, adsr, just everything to zero. after i give it some attack and decay until i like it and it works well with the kick. just for when the sound to play, for how long and on what level. give it some slight release, zebra doesnt like zero release, causing in a clipping signal or artefacted signal. so slowest release possible should work fine.
ah, sure therefor the midinotes should be fine, i use to adjust them first around some less than 16th notes, adjusting the envelope after and go back to midinotes if needed to get it really tight.
now as you got the basic settings i go for the filter. put a vcf right after the osc module, give it some resonance and play around with the cutoff knob to hear if the sweep of the resonance is ok for the bass or if you like it at least. adjust until it´s ok for you and put the cutoff down to a point where the bass is sounding quite good, but without movement so far. now you click on the empty modulation space, right to the resonance knob. choose another envelope (2) and adjust it.
this envelope will be about the filtermovement, so best is to have a clear idea of what your bass should sound like. deep and wobbly, fast and tight, slow with lots of filtermovement, whatever. the only thing about good bass is to find the right envelope settings for both, filter and amp, and setting the midinotes right with right velocity levels.
however, again same like with the amp envelope, everything to zero, twist the attack knob first to get afast and good attack, decay after and sustain to taste, less release possible. usually i dont have to change the envelope to play faster, they´re already fast and i write my tracks 160+usually....
this above you do with only one osc, poly to single. tune it down to taste. usually it´s easier to me working on a higher bassline, i can hear the stuff better, and adjust tune down after setting stuff, maybe some slight corrections on lower note after. easiest way to get bass imo, just to give you something to start with. think about how to improve the sound into the direction you got in mind.
check it with this patch i uploaded for you.
http://www.sendspace.com/file/4wsqwo
i did it like the way i told you above  as im lazy sometimes i tuned it down and so i didnt have to scroll for lower notes in the piano roll:D so i used the f3 key. anyways, should be easy to understand. use f1 and put tune to zero, should result in the same sound
so you can see what i was talking about and maybe it gives you some idea how to go on. just tweak the knobs and have some fun. very simple patch, try maybe to change the filter to a xmf filter module, maybe poly to double, add another osc with sine or stuff, some detune, maybe go to "more osc 1" and play around with the wavform, maybe switch to geoblend section there and draw your own, play around with velocity or notelength, feel free to try whatever comes to your mind
zebra is endless possibility, love it
to processing, i try to get the bass as near to what i want to achieve, usually i have to keep more attention on the kickdrum to give it the punch working good with the bass. but this is fast music i do, it always depends on what sound you do and what notes,scale you´re working on and what you want to achieve.
anyways, there are few things i do after. i try to avoid the use of eq, but if i use, i use very decent settings, no notches or corrections, just some slight up and down here and there. what i put down on bass i.e. i raise on the kick and vice versa. but if i do it´s usually some corrections (downs) on the bass around 120-150hz where the mud lies and the "hums" we dont like. i give it some raise sometimes around 500hz where the bass begins to "live". usually i dont have any trouble with not enough punch, but could raise around 93hz-100hz for sure, there is the punch. but usually I DONT. ah and sometimes i cut below 30hz, but this depends on the bass, same here, try to avoid the need of a cut, digital basses often are not that muddy like analog ones few years ago. with few right synth you dont need to cut cause sure one wants to feel the bass too. and if you wanna get some really deep bass shaking through your whole body, then pls dont cut the shit out of it. anyways, what you prefer and what sounds good to you is the only thing matters. at least this is only my opinion and only to give you something to think about. sometimes it´s needed and sometimes you dont need. you will find out yourself during some while...
the problem often is not to get it sounding "good", it´s to get it sounding together.
so i tend to glue them together, because the 100hz section is the body of both and both need that punch. and sure we´re all looking for that tight and glitchy stuff.
usually my kickdrum needs more of that punch, so i like to raise that section with a mastering eq (like stilwell 1973 or flux eq for that job), giving it some more punch and character around 100hz until the kick "meets" the bass. and usually i give it some more body than the bass, around 60hz maybe some raisealways depending on the source for sure. everything just slightly and with lots of care. get it sounding good is always only about the right settings in any process. and mastering eq i.e. colours the bass and your ear gets very fast used to it!! so keep attention on using it wise or in best case avoid the need. it´s possible doin everything only in zebra and glue kick/bass together on a send with a compressor on it if you desire.
my last step, sending both (kick/bass) to a return channel and putting some slight compression on it. it´s not to make it louder, just glue them together. so,... hard to say. it´s not that i can hear what i´m doing, i just feel the result, it maybe sounds some more together and not that departed. i use fast attack settings with pretty usual release around 200-250ms, threshold to taste. depending on the track and the need i decide sending through return to master or mix both signals to master.
but also here i try to avoid this. possible to avoid the need. but often the results just sound better this way and clean up the mix.
anyway i try to avoid compression and eqing all the time. if i do, then only if it´s sounding better or absolutely needed to get the result i got in mind. if i can do that on the source this is my preferation. keep in mind you´re always dealing with lack of quality and loosing dynamics with any process you do
this is my way to go for things. just to give you something to get started with hope this kinda helps. lot of information here maybe for some of you, if you think about after reading you will find heaps of new possibilities i guess.
and my last tip, try to avoid hearing kick and bass for longer than few minutes. rather stop playing while you do some settings and have some breaks between. because your hearing changes very fast and with fast music you got really weired psychoacustic FX let you believe you´re on a absolutely wrong way (caused by the hypnotic repetation of the baseline your brain imagines own changes in it just not being there for real) and maybe already got it i know lot of ppl working on baseline just for too long. i try to focus on details later. fact is that the only importance is how the baseline works with your song. when i got all material and maybe all stuff already arrangened i go for details and working on the sounds, cleaning up everything, doin prior mix and stuff (usually another day, to have a clear and neutral hearing). so my advice, focus on some basics, i really start like the way i told you. cause it´s simple and i can work on details later but already got a decent bass to work with. also the steps about processing i do later on, not while i´m for kick/bass. because later on the track i can decide if it´s needed or not.
at least this gives me the ability to focus on finishing the track as fast as possible. i work like this because otherwise i would loose my ideas and sounds and all things left behind for the track in my mind.
hope you dont mind the novel,
have a nice day, enjoy: stephan
  FUCK GENRES, LOVE MUSIC!!!!
http://soundcloud.com/mandarimedia
http://banyan-records.com |
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the fool
Started Topics :
4
Posts :
31
Posted : Feb 25, 2010 14:23
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Thanks for the advice!
I also want to try using less EQing on my kick/bass combo as I often find when EQing that though it may sounds better together it doesn't sound as I originally intended it to anymore...
Guess I have to work on my synthesis skill and just build better sounds from the start. |
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fractal fields
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
55
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161
Posted : Feb 25, 2010 14:39
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Great advice... ..mush appreciated
gonna play around with the patch, thx 
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Adharaguy
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
37
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138
Posted : Feb 25, 2010 23:12
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thanks alot
Main Fusion aka Dj Adhara |
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lantiocho
IsraTrance Junior Member
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21
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114
Posted : Mar 3, 2010 19:23
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aciduss
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
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Posted : Mar 3, 2010 20:40
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[/quote]and my last tip, try to avoid hearing kick and bass for longer than few minutes. rather stop playing while you do some settings and have some breaks between. because your hearing changes very fast and with fast music you got really weired psychoacustic FX let you believe you´re on a absolutely wrong way (caused by the hypnotic repetation of the baseline your brain imagines own changes in it just not being there for real) and maybe already got it i know lot of ppl working on baseline just for too long. [quote]
Best advice ever hit that space bar.
sometimes i create a quick ramp, fake build up just to test bass drop 'impact'
cheers |
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Bipolar
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
78
Posts :
490
Posted : Mar 4, 2010 02:48
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wow, thanks alot man for taking up the time. It has been real usefull.
Thanks again.. |
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-=Mandari=-
Mandari
Started Topics :
28
Posts :
655
Posted : Mar 5, 2010 10:58
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TimeTraveller
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
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Posted : Mar 5, 2010 14:22
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Hola
As always very informative helpful description from you - very cool.
I have a question : did I understand it right ? Are you using compresion on sends(to glue kick & bass together)? Never did compression on sends so it is new to me..Thanks for the good vibes.
https://soundcloud.com/shivagarden |
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-=Mandari=-
Mandari
Started Topics :
28
Posts :
655
Posted : Mar 5, 2010 21:31
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hey you´re welcome mate, any time
yes got that right, i check what sounds best to me in each situation. so i choose usually between compressing on bus; sending both signals to a send and putting compression on it while mixing the return signal with the original signal (kind of parallel compression thingy), or just send both signals only to sends and use only the compressed return signal on the master.
my few cents, just trying around, many ways to rome but actually like the way it sounds....
FUCK GENRES, LOVE MUSIC!!!!
http://soundcloud.com/mandarimedia
http://banyan-records.com |
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