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Cheap bass guitar vs plugins played with midi guitar
Does anyone have any thoughts on this? I’m pretty decent playing bass lines on guitar now and I realised messing around Im not sure I’ll get that type of playability via apps keyboard maybe velocity kb.
In terms of laying down a bass line in a recording, for those that can play, what do you think? If I buy a bass it will only be an inexpensive one. Is it going to sound better or worse than bass apps… and how does midi guitar triggering bass app sounds fare? The latter would probably be ideal I’m just not sure how that works if you get it cutting out or doing weird things, do nuances on the guitar and slides and bends work?
Comments
You could always buy one and upgrade it as you are able to. As long as it has been set up adequately a good set of pickups can turn a cheap bass into something pretty decent.
You can play bass parts with a keyboard, but it’s not easy to get the same feel as a bass guitar.
For me, nothing has come close to the feel of a bass guitar. Midi guitar is okay for it but not satisfying at all.
Ibassist sounds great... Nothing beats playing live, but for the money it's really fantastic sounding. The app can generate some very good jams just like all the lumbeat apps. The sounds are really convincing. And the bassline editor is a breeze to use, combined with a progression editor.
C
Played real bass for a long time, then seeking the most expressive equivalent I found is the Linnstrument and Swam Bass through amp emulation, of course not cheap. But so fun! While incredibly enjoyable though I started craving real strings again. Linnstrument retrained me musically still sitting at the center of my setup and this all made me invest in a real, real nice Fender that I will be paying on for a while. No regrets as it’s the Bass should’ve gone with long ago. I finally play with my fingers like I’ve always wanted to. That connection and expression is like nothing else.
Hands down the cheap bass, as long as you can play, will sound way more real because it is real.
I bought a cheap squire jazz bass and put some nice pickups in it. Zero regrets I could never make swam bass sound like I’m playing a real bass.
Geo Tony could probably play convincingly good bass on geoshred
Bass would be my choice. It’s such a fun instrument. Much more rewarding than fingering a piece of glass.
Thanks. Are you both referring to swam double bass? Sorry I’m just confused as I don’t think they make a bass guitar do they? That’s what im looking for.
I agree about playing with your fingers. I don’t actually enjoy playing bass guitar at all, I’m a guitarist, but I love playing bass lines on guitar so was wondering if anyone had any experience perhaps using one through midi guitar and a bass app on iOS.
Owning a bass is not something I want ideally.
I don’t really crave the playing experience because I’m playing guitar anyway and I’m not a bass player so don’t enjoy that instruments feel. I also own 15 guitars and a piano keyboard etc soooo… I literally have no space.
I definitely wouldn’t want ideally to be getting a good bass. I spent a lot on my guitars haha. So I was wondering does a cheap bass sound any good compared to midi guitar through bass apps. Or is it more a terrible bass sound but with more authentic playing. I thought perhaps midi guitar might be the best of both worlds rather than a kb, capturing the playing as well as better quality bass sound
It’s more about how real can you get it sounding with all the little nuances pauses and stuff I get playing guitar bass lines, say with velocity kb or something compared. I don’t have a real bass as point of comparison.
My ideal would be playing guitar through midi guitar or whatever and playing teh best sounding iOS bass with it. But I don’t know if any of them sound good like that, if midi guitar is any good or skips nuances and things, slides bends, vibrato, volume changes that aren’t obvious or are transitory
@wingwizard said:
if midi guitar is any good or skips nuances and things, slides bends, vibrato, volume changes that aren’t obvious or are transitor
I suspect you want authentic bass sound, but if you ever want to play a synthbass-sound with your guitar, yonac roxsyn picks up nuances nicely.
yup I meant swam double bass, I definitely got some good sounds with that through Nembrini bass driver. iBassist is another solid option, great lines there too(wish it had more chord choices for progressions though)
The apps are gonna be cheaper than the cheapest bass and I think they are worth having even though I stick to real strings currently.
If I’m feeling super lazy I can pick up iPad and Bass on!
Ifretless bass from Mani is usually good enough when I want to be lazy and not hook up plus it has the screen layout dedicated to a fretboard and doesn’t need mpe. I will say when I use that and pure acid as a sequencer, I get a good amount of articulation and whatnot cos the sequence will send slides and accent
ifretless will sound a lot better than a guitar-to-midi setup. If you have Thumbjam, it has an audio-to-midi converter you could try.
Another solution is playing bass on a guitar through an octave pedal or app.
These days price is not an issue when it comes to musical instruments and it’s true to bass guitars.
In the uk you can buy a decent sounding precision style bass for £120 new or cheaper 2nd hand if you’re prepared for a bit of a hunt.
Squiers are generally ok but many fender knock offs are good too. One brand that consistently delivers in the bass area is Ibanez.
Many thanks @Jmd8928 for the vote of confidence although I find playing realistic bass lines harder than guitar on GeoShred.
My go to bass sounds are SWAM Double Bass (also GeoPizzBases), Roli Noise Melody (unfortunately abandonware now), iBassist (Sound module switched On) and BeatHawk Total Bass.
I can only get note bending to work (which I think is important) on SWAM and Roli.
If anybody knows how to do it on iBassist or BeatHawk please let me know 🙏
Get a used bass on FB Marketplace. There are some nice Squier offerings for cheap. Ibanez and Yamaha used can be really reasonable and quality, too.
I went down the rabbit hole a few years back with this and although EHX Bass9 pedal is pretty good with an electric guitar, I ended up getting the best lines down with a Squier Jaguar I picked up for $200.
Playing bass lines on guitar with an octave or pitch shifter effect can be fun.
I do miss playing a good quality bass guitar though - a Japanese Geddy Lee in my case. Something about the wider string spacing and thicker strings just feels right for bass playing. I preferred fingerstyle playing on bass, btw - never got on with using a pick on bass.
A used precision bass of some kind.
You have 15 guitars? Get rid of one and buy a decent bass or even a Fender VI.
PS. Playing bass makes you a much better guitar player.
If you're not enjoying playing the bass, it most likely means you're not fully hearing those low notes. It takes some practice to get used to that low range. But once you own them in your mind, in tune, then the pleasure follows.
No I just don’t like the bass guitar as an instrument. lol. In fact I particularly don’t like the lowest notes. I love guitar and feel the loss of its playing qualities. I’m sure it’s the same for others the other way. I’m not a huge bass fan sound wise but I want to have it sit in the mix nicely
No thanks. No, playing bass definitely doesn’t make you a better guitar player. Playing guitar does.