1st recording on M2 / SWAM Walking Bass v BeatHawk Jazz Double Bass

LinearLineman

What do you think? (Play BeatHawk a bit louder.

Not my greatest bassline but you’ll get the idea. The M2 is beautiful, btw. My Pro2 was stuck on iOS15 for some reason. The M2 is quite a bit faster (understatement). It also is smaller, sleeker and blacker. Very pleased with it despite the cable/hub mess.

dokwok2

Nice playing, LL. To my ears, the BeatHawk bass has more character (and probably occupies a wider band in the frequency spectrum). Maybe it’s because I know what it is, but the Pianoteq bass seemed to have less complexity.

Dav

Nice, Both of them. I prefer the beathawk walking bass sound..

Majestic looking dogg pic. Royal pose.

pbelgium

Nice @LinearLineman! Congrats on the new M2. I also prefer the Beathawk bass, sounds more natural, but the Pianoteq has a fuller rounded tone. I wonder if a blend of the two would work - often engineers mix DI & mic together.

LinearLineman

Thanks @Dav @Paulieworld @pbelgium.
I, too, prefer BeatHawk as it has more character/ idiosyncrasies than the modeled Pianoteq. BeatHawk has its share of rattles and buzzes, which we’ve become accustomed to (note that a piano that buzzed and rattled would, usually, be unacceptable.

However, I fooled with the bowed SWAM bass today, and I think the real value is not in the walking bass (indeed, it seems like an afterthought) but in the bowed sound.

I’ve been working on a track featuring that, today. BeatHawk doesn’t really have any single instrument bowed like that. I bought it for the jazz but left with the classical.

@Dav that’s my two yr old whippet, Bodhi. He is a noble beast and silly at the same time.

hes

@LinearLineman said:
I, too, prefer BeatHawk as it has more character/ idiosyncrasies than the modeled Pianoteq. BeatHawk has its share of rattles and buzzes, which we’ve become accustomed to (note that a piano that buzzed and rattled would, usually, be unacceptable.

However, I fooled with the bowed Pianoteq bass today, and I think the real value is not in the walking bass (indeed, it seems like an afterthought) but in the bowed sound.

What exactly is the "bowed Pianoteq bass"? There isn't any actual string bass instrument, is there? Are you using the 'Nylon Guitar' instrument, just in lower range?

LinearLineman

@hes, sorry, my mistake. Meant SWAM Double Bass. I’ll edit that. Will post a track with it tomorrow. Quite good, I think. Just a touch of sourness on long notes I could do without. But, hey, it ain’t real now, is it?

bluegroove

@LinearLineman said:
Thanks @Dav @Paulieworld @pbelgium.
I, too, prefer BeatHawk as it has more character/ idiosyncrasies than the modeled Pianoteq. BeatHawk has its share of rattles and buzzes, which we’ve become accustomed to (note that a piano that buzzed and rattled would, usually, be unacceptable.

However, I fooled with the bowed SWAM bass today, and I think the real value is not in the walking bass (indeed, it seems like an afterthought) but in the bowed sound.

I’ve been working on a track featuring that, today. BeatHawk doesn’t really have any single instrument bowed like that. I bought it for the jazz but left with the classical.

@Dav that’s my two yr old whippet, Bodhi. He is a noble beast and silly at the same time.

Nice. I was just going to ask if you had tried SWAM yet till I scrolled down to this post.

Edward_Alexander

Nice! Love this piece. Incredible playing @LinearLineman

I think I like the Beathawk bass better myself. Is it because I know it’s sampled versus the other being modeled? Maybe.

Gavinski

Wow, the Beathawk one is so much better sounding than the Swam one here, no doubt about it.

LinearLineman

@bluegroove lol, I put Pianoteq in the title instead of SWAM. You know, like some other people, I’m starting to see some cognitive changes around this 76 yr old brain. Fortunately, I haven’t mistaken my wife for a hat yet.

@Edward_Alexander whatks up, dude? Are you hiding your sunshine under a bushel basket or are you not making music these days? I prefer BeatHawk, too, for the character and I think it has a lot to do with the modeling, but also, maybe, because I played it straight off the keyboard with no wheels or pedals.
Maybe @gavinski will weigh in on that.

Edward_Alexander

@LinearLineman said:
@bluegroove lol, I put Pianoteq in the title instead of SWAM. You know, like some other people, I’m starting to see some cognitive changes around this 76 yr old brain. Fortunately, I haven’t mistaken my wife for a hat yet.

@Edward_Alexander whatks up, dude? Are you hiding your sunshine under a bushel basket or are you not making music these days? I prefer BeatHawk, too, for the character and I think it has a lot to do with the modeling, but also, maybe, because I played it straight off the keyboard with no wheels or pedals.
Maybe @gavinski will weigh in on that.

Oh yeah, I’m still making music pretty much every day, though I’ve still been taking a break from uploading things, due to me not having any decent internet connection at home right now. I’ve been relying on my mobile internet for everything and only have a small amount of data each month. This is all due to everything having gone up, except for my paycheck. So I’ve had to cut some corners.

I’ll get back around to it, hopefully soon.

In the meantime, I always have you guys to keep me inspired 🙏❤️

LinearLineman

Glad to hear you’re still in the game @Edward_Alexander. Sorry about life’s difficulties. I hope things will improve soon and that you’re still off cigarettes, which, I imagine, you are.

ecou

Nice playing! I prefer the Beathawk bass.

I am happy your are getting along with you M2. I made the exact same transition 2017 pro to M2 pro. A bit if adaptation but the extra power is great at the expense of the battery.

sigma79

Is it ok to post bass findings for discussion?

Firstly.

At end of vid it goes through FAC smash settings. 1st is about 50%, then 20 or so. Then 0%.

So I use at 0% to get rid of all after string reverb ( probably amplified by smash anyway )

With maybe not affecting the general sound of the bass body. It probably does but not really noticable and in a mix. Easier to tame, without additional string reverb.

Then theres playing.

First. Its just keyboard mode and kinda like the swam violin demo ( but without mapped parameters ) So theirs sounds good but feel if they kept playing longer. Would sound samey because of no bow action.

Although the bow action is kinda seminprovided in keyboard mode ?

That said.

I think it does reflect different styles of real playing.

The swam demo is all snappy. Like as if the player is just quick on/off bow action

Which is highlighted when I play ( but in bow mode )

Its just not quite the same ( bow strength wise as the swam vid via key )

but in bow mode.

You do get to slow bow and use a keyboard but you have to time your overall bow length as it returns etc.

So the bow mode is seemingly more versitle but harder and maybe not as good ( as the swam demo, with keyboard and parameters )

Do you think in keyboard mode. It does incorpertate a semi bow mode enough?

and/or will it just give you a certain play sound vs bow mode with a different sound ?

Anyway.

Fac smash can compress/amplify your bow. Get rid of amplied after string, whilst not really noticably affecting bow dynamics.

sigma79

Made another vid.

All through smash with the settings that remove the after string resonance.

1 is Pizzicato mode ( Good )

Next is regular keyboard mode.

Then its generally bow mode.

Bow can reproduce keyboard mode ( although iv got a habit of changing key after every reverse and forward bow instead of multi notes on a slow bow '

and dosent sound as good as swam demo.

It can replicate key mode for me.

but does offer actual bow sounds and an additional style of play.

Not sure whats best.

Find how swam are mapping and playing via keyboard ( I dont have after touch ) So maybe thats why theirs sounds good ?

Or just play via bow mode, like finger fiddle.

See what im saying.

If I cant make a swam keyboard version using a hammer action keyboard.

Im stuck with all screen action and in bow mode. At 4.30 onwards. You do gain additional style vs just regular keys.