Rock Bass Samples... BEEN DONE???

[Slate]

As a mixer I know the need for quality drum samples and after years of trying out samples, I was quick to be dissapointed, hence Steven Slate Drums.

As I spend hours each day perfecting Version 2 of the drums, I wonder what if any need you guys think there would be for a kick ass sounding bass sample library (not bass grooves or loops) that would have tons of options like pick, finger, slap, hammer ons, and slides... but most important, with KILLER tones.

Would this be a useful product to you?

Do you think this product already exists? (there are plenty of bass libraries but are they GOOD) Who makes it?

I have seen quite a few bass libraries but haven't heard them. I'm curious what you guys think. I can get some pretty killer bass tones, I have a huge rig consisting of three SVTs and tons of basses and cabs. Before I go into preproduction, I'd like to hear what the market would be for something like this. Lemme know guys, and this weekend was great with the drum sample sale...

 

[whitedamp]

I would never use a bass sampler on a rock/metal song, also I think that would be very difficult to sample so many dynamic things like slides, hammer ons, etc and make them to sound natural... even more difficult it would be to design an easy-to-use interface to apply all these samples.

I think that bass samplers are good only to electronic stuff like industrial, techno, trance. Maybe a very low sampler would be useful on those rock ballads that have only one note for each compass, just following the chords.
Jocke Scog (Clawfinger´s producer and keyboard player) once made a very heavy and distorted bass sampler for Propellerhead´s Reason. It sounded really cool on his track, but I found that it only worked on a very specific type of song... they are not very useful.

ps: SVTs are my favourites!

 

[AudioPhile777]

I would never use a bass sampler on a rock/metal song, also I think that would be very difficult to sample so many dynamic things like slides, hammer ons, etc and make them to sound natural... even more difficult it would be to make an easy interface to apply all these samples.

I think that bass samplers are good only to electronic stuff like industrial, techno, trance. Maybe a very low sampler would be useful on those rock ballads that have one note for compass, just following the chords.

+1

I agree... unless you are planning on doing something with an actual plugin like DFHS that has a TON of options and is pretty much plug and play...

 

[everybody's x]

You may have to lead by example with this steve. maybe demo some shit, make it fucking BANG and then pimp it out.
sort of a "build it and see if they come" type of thing.
I cant see a scenario that it would be useful to me, but maybe I'm missing the big picture.

now a reamping service with that killer SVT rig via FTP, with your spin on it, you could sell that fo sho

 

[gumplunger]

I've been meaning to try Yellow Tools's Majestic bass library, as seen here: http://www.yellowtools.us/cp21/cms/index.php?id=331

But yeah, I'm definitely in need of good bass samples.

 

[NickL]

Here's my trick...

I am personally becoming very afraid of the impending horrors of being able to replace everything from the drums to guitar and bass and maybe one day even vocals I understand why some people would want this but with the ability to record direct and reamp I can't see myself buying into samples of bass or guitar for rock or metal music

 

[Deus.exe]

Spectrasonics Trilogy is quite decent but as stated above I don't think that Bass samplers would be that useful in Metal.

 

[JeffTD]

There are some things that a computer just cannot replace, including drums.

 

[smy1]

I've recorded tons of demos with Spectrasonics Trilogy (especially when the bass player was not good enough), and in EVERY instance the comments were "whoa, this sounds fat" (on the final mix).

As Diblan says: all the fine thingies get completely lost the way the bass is usually mixed in metal (as opposed to i.e. jazz) and if you don't like the way Trilogy sounds: send it to an overdrive or to Ampeg SVX or your own bass amp - after all, that's all that people do in real life to make their bass sound "rock/metal". The only time I am always unhappy with Trilogy is when there are "bass-only" parts that require medium-speed to fast picking. Then it will always sound fake. Other than that, I doubt anyone will be able to spot the difference between my Trilogy mixes or my real bass mixes (with the exception that the Trilogy playing is more consistent, haha!) ...

Steven: I would really like to see another good bass library, but you'd need a dedicated plugin like Trilogy has, to make it easy and convenient. Also the idea of "true upstroke", that Trilogy uses, is good, but very limited in Trilogy (the hits are too short), so I never use it. If there'd be a possibility to alternate a number of hits at the same velocity like in DFHS, then it'd be great.

Oh, and 4-5 completely different bass sounds would be a must. I always find myself using different sounds to fit the song/guitar/drums.

 

[Slate]

Very good info guys. From what I'm thinking, maybe we can sample a kick ass 5 string Warwick going through one of my SVTs and my Neve/LA-2/dbx160 combo and just do picking, no slides and hammers, keep the price low, and aim for the market of guys who are trying to quickly jot down ideas and don't have a bassist (or a 5,000 dollar bass chain) handy. Now we getting somewhere?

 

[whitedamp]

HOW many of you REALLY use all these technics in er basstracks?

I use it all the time, specially that long slide right before the drums/crash and heavy guitar power chord kicks in
But anyway, one thing that a sampler should capture is the damp of a note being muted. I guess that 90% of the notes that I play are damped before it fades out or being trampled by another note on the same string. This is even more important when you are slapping, it gives that nice groove that sounds like ghost notes.

and, yeah, if you make an amazing bass sampler like this, besides becoming a millionaire you should watch your back ´cause there will be plenty of pissed drummers AND bassists coming after you!

 

[smy1]

Yea, Steven, you definitely need slides. Hammer-Ons are not that important I think ...

 

[sparkyness]

now I'm starting to see what drummers must feel like.....I think I'll go quietly pick up my J-Bass when I get home

 

[smy1]

now I'm starting to see what drummers must feel like.....I think I'll go quietly pick up my J-Bass when I get home

Hehe, I think the rise of all the samples only serves to weed out the crap musicians. If you are a good bassist, a good drummer or a good (insert instrument), then you will be in demand all the time - especially when playing live.

And I don't remember the last time any regular musician thought studiowork was fun, so even if your demo/cd is all samples, who cares as long as you can still play it live?!

 

[sparkyness]

Agreed....don't think there's much chance of me feeling too intimidated by bass samplers in all honesty. After 20 years of playing I should be able to dial in a decent tone and play my arse off. Same goes for drummers....either adapt, get good or get replaced.

 

[Slate]

The sample stuff is also great when you wake up at 4AM on a tuesday with a song idea in your head and you don't have to call up musicians or crank an amp or mic up anything... just pull out the keyboard and some phones and start making music... I'll have to check about the "legato" stuff in some of these samplers.. with the legato I might be able to trigger the slides and hammer ons. I have a fucking killer bassist that you all know and love that is willing to play the samples... We'll see, I'm still considering things. But I did fire up my bass rig with a few different basses and got some pretty sick tones, I'll post them this week. If we did the sample disc though, I'd efinitely get back the Studio tape machine.. bass guitar + tape = happiness.

What I really want to make sure of, is that there already does not exist a killer bass sample library (no loops).

 

[AudioPhile777]

I agree that you would probably see more return on offering a bass reamping service...

I know I'd use it... at least once or twice... or until I could afford $5k bass chain...

 

[zaurus]

Anybody tried Ministry of Rock?

 

[TheDude]

Is it going to be with old strings, sloppy technique and bad intonation... I'm in!!

 

[schismatic]

i'd check it out definitely, i know for one thing that my bass tone isn't the best usually. could be interesting to blend samples in the right place with a real recorded bass to accent certain stuff.