How do you go about your basslines?

I was listening to some DJP and I was focusing on the bassline and it got me thinking. What's everyones method for basslines? or bass sounds in general. What are some of your most creative ways of making a bass sound or bass line?

I usually use what I can, Fruity Loops, Reason, or EQ a bass out of a track and chop it into a sound and play it out on the MP, I'm still learning basslines in general and im not sure where to start or how to go about it and this all just sparked my interested and I wanted to get some feedback from you guys...

Is there any perticular VSTs(im new to the virtual instrument/plugin world) with dynamic parameters that you could recommend in conjunction with the MPC?

BTW I did search!

hhaha **** a bassline if there aint no bass in my sample i dont use one

damien907 wrote:hhaha **** a bassline if there aint no bass in my sample i dont use one

Wow. Keep it old school I guess.
I do a couple things...

1) Filter a bass line out low-end theory style
2) Filter out bass notes, and replay it
3) Use samples from other records of basses and pitch them
4) Use samples from synths I have taken and made patched with
5) Use a synth and create a whole new sound (and then usually make a patch with it and save it)
6) Actually play a real bass on the track.

There ya go. That's what I do.

Bass is the root of the composition. It must stand its own in order to accompliment the melody. I usually mess with a melodic passage (chords or melodic runs) then add the bass from there.

Then other times I'd start with a bass line then add the supporting melody.

Synth- When I am feeling lazy
Bass Guitar- when i just want to jam out with the beat.

Yeah, how are you playing these basslines...mpc only?

I have an axiom 25 but really the times when im working on beats I only have my MPC with me(the axiom is at a friends)

I appreciate all the info guys, i filtered out a sick bass sample the other night using a "singing machine" microphone in the input of my MPC and turning the gain up on the input and basically coning the mic with my hand and huming. I filtered it down and I came out with a DOPE bass tone...

Now heres another question for all of you MPC cats...

Do any of you.. create a scale using 16 levels and chaning the tune to each pad to match a piano(isntead of standard 16 levels)? is this a possibility and have you ever heard of anyone doing it? I'm not sure how good it would come out but I just spawned this idea and wanted to ask.

JayP wrote:Do any of you.. create a scale using 16 levels and chaning the tune to each pad to match a piano(isntead of standard 16 levels)? is this a possibility and have you ever heard of anyone doing it? I'm not sure how good it would come out but I just spawned this idea and wanted to ask.

Yes I do this. You can use the QLink slider too. Then I save the programs so I can recall them later and use them whenever. So I have patches that have full chromatic scales that are pitched. Sometimes if I am making a bass on the fly I get the sample, tune it with the QLink, and then change the info in the program, do this to however many notes you need and then play it. I usually tune them with the piano because tuning by just +1 or +2 or +3 doesn't keep it in pitch.... because the higher you go the further off pitch it gets so you have to tune the sample specifically.

Yeah, i usually sample different drop d chords from my guitar and assign to the pads.

The only thing I'm assuming would be an issue... when tuning in higher registers samples would "speed up" per se... if you where to timestretch the sample as well as tune it to a piano, would the upper registers have the same length of tone as all the others?

You say your tuning with the qlink, is this what your using to dial in the sound from "program" or are you manually assigning each different pad to the q link as "tune" and going thru the entire scale.

Not that I don't understand using the slider, I'm just wondering if theres a better workflow or shortcut to tuning then what im trying to describe.

JayP wrote:The only thing I'm assuming would be an issue... when tuning in higher registers samples would "speed up" per se... if you where to timestretch the sample as well as tune it to a piano, would the upper registers have the same length of tone as all the others?

You say your tuning with the qlink, is this what your using to dial in the sound from "program" or are you manually assigning each different pad to the q link as "tune" and going thru the entire scale.

Not that I don't understand using the slider, I'm just wondering if theres a better workflow or shortcut to tuning then what im trying to describe.

I don't think the length would be as long, but all you have to do is have an original long note. Even if it is sampled there are ways to lengthen a note... once you start pitching it won't matter, because most people play bass lines with "Note On" instead of a one shot. Yes you tune each one individually but you only have to do it once, because you save the programs and reuse them.

I use the QLink when I don't want to use my other bass programs. So if I have some samples from the song or something I tune them and take the number it translate it into the tune number in PROGRAM.