# how to get a big rubber-y bass sound



## trifidmaster (Nov 18, 2006)

Example: Yello/Stella (remastered), track 4, at 00:10.
The bass is like one would play on a long thick rubber kind of string.
But some other records have this kind of bass, too.
Q: how to get this kind of sound?


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

Rubbery, Thats a funny way to describe it :T My understanding is that this is achieved by using a 6 or even an 8 string bass so that you can tune that really fat string so it is able to play really loose and low and has some serious movement, Abraham Laborial is a great example of someone who can really play a bass and give you some very deep and "rubbery" sounding bass.
I should also add they they even make10, 12 and 15 string bass guitars however these use two or even 3 strings for each note to also give you a bigger bass sound.


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## trifidmaster (Nov 18, 2006)

I have the Bass Legends sample CD, and I loaded some of the Abraham Laborial patches - and I love them. Yes, indeed they are deep, and the strings are resonating nicely, but I miss the punch from it.
Maybe the bass what I am looking for is a layer of real bass and synth bass?

Another example: 
still the same CD= Yello, Stella, track 8 (Sometimes), at the very beginning of the track 
is perhaps a better example:
http://www.cduniverse.com/search/xx/music/pid/6946346/a/Stella.htm


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

trifidmaster said:


> Maybe the bass what I am looking for is a layer of real bass and synth bass?


very possible or it could be some sort of digital enhancement.



> Another example:
> still the same CD= Yello, Stella, track 8, at the very beginning of the track
> is perhaps a better example.


I dont have that CD so I cant really comment.


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## trifidmaster (Nov 18, 2006)

Thanks.

I have edited/added the link in my previous comment:
http://www.cduniverse.com/search/xx/music/pid/6946346/a/Stella.htm
track 8 = Sometimes, and I am talking about the "running" bass arpeggio running very "rubbery"...


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## chonc (Jun 9, 2009)

well, in track 4 and track 8 all I hear is a synth bass (no electric bass at all). Any moog or decent analog emulator synth using a saw wave will do the trick. If you want to sound more deep you can double it with a mellow electric bass (fretless do sound awesome), or programming your synth so you have a sine wave fundamental tone one octave lower.
Hope this helps


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## PepAX7 (Mar 11, 2008)

We used to do this back in the day w/MIDI. We would trigger an Ensoniq EPS keyboard (awesome Phat synth 12bit A/D) with the bass player w/hex pickup. Set the patch decay so it sounds like a natural string decay for the style of music. There's not a bass made that can touch it! If anybody could tho... Laboriel could!

You can also do this in DAW too.

Pep


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

PepAX7 said:


> There's not a bass made that can touch it! If anybody could tho... Laboriel could!
> 
> Pep


So true, I've been a big fan of his since his days of Friendship and Koinonia. He has a new recording here with some of his friends.
Its hard to believe that he has been featured on over 4000 recordings.


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## fractile (Mar 15, 2009)

This all reminds me of Bootsy (Collins') Rubber Band and Funkadelics; the whole slap-bass thing.


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