{"id":13046,"date":"2014-11-21T18:32:08","date_gmt":"2014-11-22T02:32:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rolandus.com\/blog\/?p=13046"},"modified":"2015-05-27T13:22:57","modified_gmt":"2015-05-27T20:22:57","slug":"synth-bass-player-part-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rolandus.com\/blog\/2014\/11\/21\/synth-bass-player-part-1\/","title":{"rendered":"Synth Bass for Bass Players, Part 1"},"content":{"rendered":"

Increase Your Versatility and Get More Gigs<\/h2>\n
\"Bassist

Bassist Robert “Bubby” Lewis with the Roland GAIA SH-01<\/a> synth.<\/p><\/div>\n

In today\u2019s music world, the vast influence of EDM and other electronic styles has crept into the fabric of nearly every popular genre. The core of EDM is a driving rhythm groove, with the low end held down by synthesizer bass. To cover this essential sound, traditional bass players are now called upon more and more to double on keyboard both live and in the studio. If you\u2019re a bassist who\u2019s looking to increase your musical versatility and gigging opportunities, read on to find out the things you should know when getting into synth bass.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The Right Musician for the Job<\/h2>\n

\"Bassist_Small\"Even if your keyboard chops aren\u2019t fully developed yet, your experience as a bassist already gives you an edge over most keyboard players. As bassist Robert \u201cBubby\u201d Lewis<\/a> (Snoop Dog, Dr. Dre) relates, \u201cBass players are often hired to play key bass because the MD or producer knows that the bass player will understand how to play lines and voicings. Someone who only knows keyboards may not know how to play lines and voicings like a bass player.\u201d<\/p>\n

Additionally, with so much synth bass in modern music, the need for a bass player to cover keyboard bass live has now become a necessity to play certain styles accurately. In fact, many touring bass players we\u2019ve talked with say that getting bass sounds that are very close to the original recordings is often a requirement for a gig.<\/p>\n

Of course, bass players have been doing double duty on keyboards for decades. Going back to the \u201870s and \u201880s, players in bands such as Genesis, Yes, Led Zeppelin, Rush, the Police, and the B-52s used either analog synth bass pedals or analog keyboards to enhance their live sound. However, these instruments lacked the modern features we enjoy today, such as easy patch backup, onboard multi-effects, and USB connectivity.<\/p>\n

Roland\u2019s extensive lineup<\/a> offers a wide and unique selection for today\u2019s bass players, with the stability, durability, and essential functions needed to keep up with the\u00a0contemporary music scene. Most importantly, Roland sounds are essential to EDM itself, having played an important role in defining the genre\u2019s sound from the beginning.<\/p>\n

Playing Synth Bass: Knowing the Important Sounds<\/h2>\n

In putting together this post, we talked with a number of top bass players and asked them to share the most requested synth bass sounds they\u2019re asked to play. It\u2019s no surprise that the number one sound called for is a super-low bass with lots of subharmonic content. Often, this sound serves as a pedal tone, or is used to double other bass sounds to provide that extra wall-shaking low end.<\/p>\n

\"Three<\/a>

Three classic analog\u00a0Roland synthesizers noted\u00a0for their bass sounds: the SH-101, SH-2, and JUNO-106.<\/p><\/div>\n

Other frequently requested sounds are analog-style synth basses using sawtooth or square waveforms, and \u201cwobble\u201d basses which feature movement created by a synthesizer\u2019s LFO section. Some of the most popular signature synth bass sounds come from classic Roland analog synths such as the SH-2, SH-101, JUNO-106, and Alpha JUNO\u00a01 and 2.\u00a0These sounds and many others can be recreated with most modern Roland synths.<\/p>\n

Finding and Adjusting Sounds Quickly<\/h2>\n

Another thing to consider is the ability to get to different sounds fast. This is important not just for stage playing, but also in rehearsal, when it\u2019s critical to be able to audition different sounds to discover which works best with the rest of the band. After you find the sound, being able to adjust it in real time is another factor. When choosing a synth, look for dedicated knobs that allow you to adjust basic synth parameters like cutoff, resonance, attack and release\u2014these are very important for shaping the sound so it sits right in the mix.<\/p>\n

\"FA-06<\/a>

Controls like these\u00a0in the Sound Modify section of the Roland FA-06 synth provide real-time access to essential synth\u00a0parameters.<\/p><\/div>\n

How Many Keys Do You Need?<\/h2>\n

The number of physical keys needed to play synth bass parts depends on the genre of music. For most styles, 25 or 37 notes should be adequate. Sometimes, even a 13-note keyboard will work fine. A larger keyboard provides more range, and makes it easier to play chords with two hands. But this may not be needed, since most synth bass parts are single-note and often use monophonic sounds.<\/p>\n

\"Play<\/a>

A three-octave keyboard like that found on the Roland GAIA SH-01 provides more than enough keys to play synth bass parts on stage.<\/p><\/div>\n

Also note that a larger keyboard is heavier and takes up more floor space when gigging; weighted-action (piano style) keyboards are the heaviest and usually have the largest footprint. For touring, the added size\/weight of a large keyboard can increase travel costs, and add time to set up and tear down. And don\u2019t forget the expense and additional weight of a heavy-duty flight case. Since you\u2019re probably going to be carrying your regular bass gear too, you may want to go with a smaller keyboard if it covers your needs.<\/p>\n

Look out for Synth Bass for Bass Players, Part 2<\/a>, where we take a look at\u00a0the top Roland\u00a0keyboards<\/a>\u00a0for bassists doubling on synth bass.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Increase Your Versatility and Get More Gigs In today\u2019s music world, the vast influence of EDM and other electronic styles has crept into the fabric of nearly every popular genre. The core of EDM is a driving rhythm groove, with the low end held down by synthesizer bass. To cover this essential sound, traditional bass […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":[]},"categories":[42],"tags":[239,43,718,848,16,243,44,846,230],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\nSynth Bass for Bass Players, Part 1 - Roland U.S. Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn how bass players can increase their musical versatility and gigging opportunities by doubling on synth bass.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rolandus.com\/blog\/2014\/11\/21\/synth-bass-player-part-1\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Synth Bass for Bass Players, Part 1 - 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