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Mutiny on the Low C's In the last couple of columns we've concentrated on beefing up a generic-sounding drum loop — first by using the Pro Tools signal generator plug-in to add low-end wallop and top-end slice, and then by slicing and dicing the file to yield something a bit less prefab. This month we'll try some similar tricks with bass parts. Download the practice files PC | Mac, and open the session entitled "boom.bass.pts." The first track, "chopdrums," is what I came up with while applying last month's techniques (using the tab-to-transients function to carve the beat into individual slices, and then processing the shards via Audiosuite's Reverse and Time Compression/Expansion plug-ins.) Your results, as they say in legal disclaimers, may vary. My modified loop isn't as whacked-out as it might have been. I elected to keep it on the straight side in preparation for composing and processing additional parts, knowing that I can always impose wilder mutations later. But I do like the off-kilter groove provided by the reversed slices and those fast hi-hat flurries. Bass OD Let's talk about how I got these sounds, how you can get better ones, and how you can inject interest with some of the techniques we've covered in recent months. Each of these parts, um, seemed like a good idea at the time. The "JoeBass" track is a live electric bass line. I settled on the motoric part because the slight swampiness in the "chopdrums" pattern suggested a rolling, eighth-note feel and a trashy, cheap tone, as opposed to something tight with a lot of faux-funky sixteenth-note syncopation. Then I doubled the first line with synth bass, just to see which sound I preferred. I also tried it with a virtual acoustic bass sound generated by Spectrasonics' Trilogy plug-in. It's an awesome upright sample, but the part sounded too busy on that full-bodied instrument, so I devised a simpler alternative. Finally, I simplified that part even further for the ultra-low SubBass part, also created with Trilogy. Roll Your Own
Don't freak out over the complexity of this particular plug-in, which replicates ancient Moogs in all their patch-cable complexity. Just dial through some of the presets, which you can access via the bank/sub-bank/preset folders in the upper-right-hand corner of the plug-in. I guarantee you'll soon find some fierce synth basses. In fact, the default sound you hear when you first open the plug-in isn't bad. A word about plug-in compatibility for Mac OS X users: If you've switched over to the new operating system, as we have for this year's columns, you've realized that some of your OS 9 faves may not yet be available. But hang in there — the situation is improving week by week, and when Pro Tools introduces ReWire support in the coming months, your virtual instrument options will explode.
Once you have satisfactory melodies and tones, try adjusting the global MIDI velocity and duration settings for each MIDI part. Type Command + 0 (that's a zero, not an o) to open the MIDI quantize dialog. Click/hold on the quantize tab to access all MIDI editing functions. One good way to experiment with alternate settings is via the "scale by" setting. Try lowering it to, say, 66%, or raising it to 150%. Depending on your synth patch, even tiny adjustments can have a massive impact on your sound. You may also want to inject a modest percentage of randomization to add subliminal detail to an overly quantized track. A Bounce of Prevention
Choose the appropriate settings (these practice files are 16-bit; select 24-bit only if you're working at the higher resolution). Set your usual file type (these are .wav files, for maximum Mac/PC compatibility). Decide whether you want a mono or stereo track. For example, even though there's a stereo return on the Moog Modular instrument, there's not usually much stereo action on sounds of this ilk, so I'd opt for the "mono (summed)" setting. Check the "import after bounce" option. Click "bounce," which opens up a dialog that asks where you want to save the file. Usually you'll go with the default location: the audio files folder of the current session. Name the track and go. You'll hear the bounce playing back in realtime, and it will appear in the right-hand region list. Create a new mono or stereo audio track (Command/Ctrl + Shift + N), and drag the bounced file onto the new track. Make sure to mute the original MIDI tracks, or you'll hear the MIDI original and bounced audio at the same time — inevitably a crappy sound. Once you've completed your bounces, you can hide the MIDI and instrument tracks by un-highlighting them in the left-hand show/hide list. Don't simply delete these tracks unless you're certain you won't want to return to them. But do deactivate the instrument plug-in by Control/Start + Command/Ctrl clicking on its insert slot. (This is not the same as muting the effect, which provides no processor relief.) If you want to revisit the virtual instrument track, just hit Control/Start + Command/Ctrl and click on the slot once more to reanimate it, complete with all your original settings. Back to the Bass
Let's start with my favorite of the bass ideas, the live electric. Ginzu it into single-note slices by repeatedly pressing Tab and B (separate region).
I also experimented with the "Time Compression/Expansion" and "Pitch Shift" Audiosuite functions, but all my ideas sucked. Maybe yours won't.
Next I introduced the "SubBass" track, which is simple and deep enough to slip right in without competing with the electric bass. Finally, I tried the acoustic bass, which largely doubles the sub bass, save for the fill in bar two.
Not a groove for the ages, perhaps, but one with at least a few distinctive touches. Instant Gratification
You might also apply a little digital ambience to the panned-out bass fills. For example, I felt that a touch of nonlinear D-Verb reverb on the Moog bass track made the part sit in the track a little more comfortably. (But I went with a mono plug-in rather than a mono-to-stereo one, so as not to compromise the panned-bass effect.)
Finally, I added some instant mix polish with McDSP's MC2000 MC 4 multiband compression plug-in on the master fader (download a demo at www.mcdsp.com). The "blackface 1" preset was the one that grabbed my ear. Adjust the output level as necessary. Keep experimenting. With any luck, these procedures will apply a strong kick to the bottom end of your Pro Tools arrangements.
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