How a lot music are you able to create from a single instrument? On this video, Matt Lange takes an acoustic bass, performs it with a bow and transforms the recordings into an expansive soundscape of deep bass, evolving chords and atmospheric drones.
For those who’d prefer to study extra from Matt, try his programs at Professional Combine Academy:
• Producing Progressive Home with Matt Lange
• Producing Digital Music with Matt Lange
The complete experiment develops in actual time. Matt begins with a sound that pursuits him, explores what processing brings out of it and turns the outcomes into devices he can play. It’s a great demonstration of how recording your personal supply materials can lead you in direction of musical concepts you may by no means uncover whereas searching presets.
As Matt places it: “How can I take one thing peculiar and make it uncanny?”
Matt usually reaches for acoustic devices when he needs to create a brand new sound. Right here, his acoustic bass is tuned all the way down to C and linked on to his Avid Carbon interface. As an alternative of plucking the strings, he makes use of a bass bow, producing sustained notes with a uncooked, virtually cello-like character.
He experiments with totally different notes and taking part in positions, muting the decrease strings along with his fingertips when wanted. There isn’t a elaborate composition at this stage. He’s listening for attention-grabbing textures and amassing materials which may change into one thing else.
That willingness to discover is central to the method. The bow provides him a really totally different place to begin from a traditional bass efficiency, with motion and texture already current earlier than any results are added.
Matt sends the bass to an Eventide H9000 over ADAT, controlling the processor via Eventide’s Emote plug-in. His results chain regularly turns the bowed sound into one thing a lot bigger, whereas retaining the character of the unique efficiency.
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The primary stage is Polyphony, which he makes use of to pitch each processed voices down an octave. He blends this decrease layer with the unique sign, including depth and weight. He additionally compares the pitched and percussive processing modes, selecting the pitched setting for the sustained, legato high quality of the bowed bass.
Subsequent comes MicroPitch. With the combo at 50%, Matt detunes one facet up 13 cents and the opposite down 13 cents, with out including delay to both channel. Mixing these detuned voices with the unique creates a wealthy, chorus-like texture and provides the sound extra width.
Cosmic Internet takes the transformation additional. Matt makes use of the granular delay to shift the repeats up an octave, with a dotted-quarter-note delay on one facet and a straight quarter observe on the opposite. The totally different timings create motion throughout the stereo discipline.
He experiments with two-octave shifting, ahead grains and extra pitch-shifting suggestions earlier than returning to reversed grains and a single octave up. Listening to these alternate options is a part of the lesson: every adjustment suggests a special course, and Matt follows the sound that evokes him.
Cosmic Internet’s reverb provides house, then a remaining reverb stage utilizing Valley smooths the end result right into a broad, sustained wash. By this level, the acquainted acoustic bass has change into the supply of a completely totally different musical ambiance.
Recording the feel is simply the start. Matt retains each the dry bass and the processed sign, then hundreds them into separate situations of Native Devices Kontakt. Now he can play the recordings from a keyboard, turning a captured efficiency into the idea of latest components.
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He units loop factors so the devices can maintain past the size of the unique recordings. One helpful trick is to audition the pattern excessive on the keyboard, the place it performs again quicker and makes the loop repeat extra shortly. This helps him assess the transition with out ready via the entire pattern.
Crossfades soften the loop boundaries. The closely processed recording is especially forgiving as a result of its diffuse texture makes these transitions simpler to mix.
Matt’s precedence is to get the devices working whereas the concept remains to be contemporary. As he explains, the loop doesn’t should be good; it must be practical.
The dry recording turns into his bass instrument. He switches it to monophonic operation and allows legato and portamento, permitting overlapping notes to glide into each other. Separate notes behave otherwise, giving him management over the expression via his taking part in.
He additionally provides unison for additional width and detuning. Later, Eventide’s Omnipressor pushes the bass in direction of a rougher, extra aggressive character. Adjusting its threshold, assault and launch helps the sound break aside, whereas a small enhance within the instrument’s amplitude assault softens a click on firstly of every observe.
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The processed recording turns into a pad. Matt slows its assault so the chords fade in, then extends the discharge in order that they linger after he lifts his palms from the keyboard.
Newfangled Audio’s Recirculate provides additional movement, utilizing a quarter-note delay on the left and a dotted quarter on the correct, with suggestions timings following the respective delays. He provides a few of its reverb and refrain, then makes use of Eventide Blackhole Immersive for one more layer of house.
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With these sounds prepared, Matt data a chord development in G minor and provides the bass beneath. The textures start to operate as an ensemble, despite the fact that they share the identical acoustic supply.
To finish the concept, he duplicates the pad instrument and performs the next drone. EQ removes undesirable low-end rumble and shapes the higher frequencies, serving to the brand new layer sit with the prevailing components. He then experiments with the association, letting the drone set up an environment earlier than the chords enter.
The end result reveals how a lot selection can emerge from a small quantity of supply materials. Adjustments in register, envelopes, processing and musical position give every layer its personal objective whereas preserving a shared character.
Though Matt makes use of a formidable assortment of processors, his closing level is that the gear shouldn’t be a requirement for exploring this strategy. A sampler, pitch shifting, delay and reverb can present loads of scope for experimentation, together with the instruments equipped together with your DAW.
The invitation is to document one thing of your personal, pay attention intently and see the place it leads. A well-known instrument performed otherwise can change into a sound you’ve by no means heard earlier than. Flip that sound into one thing playable, and it would encourage a complete piece of music.
For those who’d prefer to study extra from Matt, try his programs at Professional Combine Academy:
• Producing Progressive Home with Matt Lange
• Producing Digital Music with Matt Lange
