Bass sequencing

[jay clarke]

Hello

I am a guitarist and I wish to program or sequence a bass acompaniment to various stuff ive written. I have programmed the drums perfectly using acoustica beatcraft and they sound fab.

And i was wondering is there anyway of sequencing convincing rock bass?

I have cubase but don't have or want to use a midi keyboard, is there a way i can program bass that sounds good for rock music in a method other then midi?

and if not are there any midi sequencers that are ideal for the job of programming bass?

what sequencer should i use with cubase to program bass tracks?

I dont have a bass or bass amp cos im a guitarist, but once again any ideas anyone has about replicating bass as I have done with drums to go as backing for recorded guitar will be very welcome!

Cheers

Jay

[altitude909]

Please dont cross post (post the same thing in two forums), bad things will happen...

[Halion]

Hi. Answers are withing the quote.

Originally Posted by jay clarke

Hello

I am a guitarist and I wish to program or sequence a bass acompaniment to various stuff ive written. I have programmed the drums perfectly using acoustica beatcraft and they sound fab.

And i was wondering is there anyway of sequencing convincing rock bass?
- Yes it's possible. But rock does not lend itself for "easy" programmed basslines like for instance, dance does.

I have cubase but don't have or want to use a midi keyboard, is there a way i can program bass that sounds good for rock music in a method other then midi?
- No. Sequencing is midi. However, that does not mean that you need an input device like a midi keyboard. You can input the midi information using the sequencer, but it's a LOT more work. More on that later.

and if not are there any midi sequencers that are ideal for the job of programming bass?
- I don't think there are any sequencers made especially for programming bass.

what sequencer should i use with cubase to program bass tracks?
- Cubase is a sequencer. Your question is a bit like "which tool should I use with this hammer to nail this door shut? Cubase is the tool itself.

I dont have a bass or bass amp cos im a guitarist, but once again any ideas anyone has about replicating bass as I have done with drums to go as backing for recorded guitar will be very welcome!
- You can go a couple of routes:
1) Find a bassplayer and recording audio from the bass.
2) Buy a midi keyboard / other midi controller and play the bassline on that.
3) Program the bass using the Key Editor in Cubase. However, how to do that is a worth a book on itself. Start with simply drawing the notes you want, and changing the velocity to get some dynamics in your bassline. Note that thing like articulation and timing are VERY important in basslines (any lines, but perhaps especially in basslines), and take a lot of work to do right. Then you have to have a virtual bassguitar instrument, like Steinberg's Virtual Bassist, or Spectrasonic's Trilogy.

Cheers

Jay

[Fishybob]

Dude.

I've been trying to do that for years (with a keyboard). I too am a guitarist and have tried SO MANY THINGS. The most convincing sound I got was from Spectrasonics Trilogy (still use it for double bass). But without an imense amount of time programming it still sounds stale.

I bought a cheapish bass and just play in the darn bass lines and it sounds WORLDS better!

If you're talking synth pop then yes... for Rock, definately NO (IMO).

Let us know how you get on.