Where have all the synth bass lines gone?

[UltraJv]

Heres another few - Numan + Bill Sharpe :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pu-mbcwKds8

Imagination - illusion

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21VbKgOM0gg

[dusted william]

for that 80's bass sound, but here are some more classics.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SH5a-deHquc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLYC7ltxOrk

[No_Use]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95gP3m-uBHA

[dusted william]

Oh yeah, allways loved that bass line. Sounds more angry than funky.

[Passing Bye]

I don't think synth bass lines went anywhere/disappeared or people shifted their attention from them, they are going strong all the time, just changing genres a little and that ain't pop, but I see this is aimed as some retro thread, more than actually seeking where they are these days.

[JoeCat]

I don't think synth bass lines went anywhere/disappeared or people shifted their attention from them, they are going strong all the time, just changing genres a little and that ain't pop, but I see this is aimed as some retro thread, more than actually seeking where they are these days.

Acknowledged.

So to tie it together a little, here's what I think: The character of the bass has changed - in pop especially, it's gone more from being melodic/harmonic in it's own right, and is utilized more just as a bottom, or an effect (this effect typically only being wub-wub ). This probably has a lot to do not only with changes in audio equipment but the influence of edm - what's happening in the subs is more important, and most importantly, the bass is no longer contributing to the mids.

One way to really hear this is to listen to modern vs. 80s pop on a laptop or phone speaker. Listening to "Happy" or "Shake it Off", for example, you'd be hard pressed to even hear the bass, so it hardly influences the character of the song.

"Billy Jean" however....

I'll use my Madonna / Borderline example again ('cause I'm having a little love-fest with it right now): That song was written by Reggie Lucas, who played jazz guitar with Miles Davis and wrote / produced R&B. The pre-chorus and chorus bass line is masterful - it glides away from the root chord on many occasions, even going as far as to play the third (!). Listen to it on the chorus (1:21) - it's brilliant, and you can clearly hear it on virtually any equipment at mid-low volume since it's got punch and content in the mids. It contributes greatly to the harmonic and even melodic content of the song.

That "Borderline" bass was played by Anthony Jackson by the way - a consummate session player, and the line doubled (brilliantly) on synth bass. It's a modified ARP 2600 - the dude actually posted about the session in an old forum:

http://forums.musicplayer.com/ubbthread ... You_Really

***********

"...I liked them both. My first synth was an Arp Odyssey. I have had several Mini Moogs and also a Memory Moog. I owned a 2600 and through some serious modifications found a way to have both.

I had the Moog filters added to the 2600 and a switch installed that allowed me to use the Arp filters when switched to the left and the Moog filters when switched to the right.

The best example of this synth is the bassline I played on Madonna's first record. On "Lucky Star", I used the Moog filter side of the 2600 and on "Borderline" I used the Arp side. "Borderline", however was a doubled bass line played live together in the studio, with myself and Anthony Jackson. (one of the most fun sessions I have ever done)."

**********

So you've got an experienced R&B / jazz musician-producer writing/producing, brilliant session bass player, and guy who knows his synths contributing. Now listen to "Shake it Off" again. Swift is talented, but that bass is lazy.

[fluffy_little_something]

I guess one difference is also that decades ago a lot of bass lines were still played manually, not by sequencer, thus they were much more melodic and human, playful even. I like the bass on this tune for instance, where there there are lots of little deviations and exceptions from the stubborn bass line:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L44TOrHyBcU

[Passing Bye]

I guess it left pop, but it continued in other genres and it's same Moog-Juno ground, I left already some examples in this thread, it's heavily inspired by 80s and it's even better driving, there are countless examples around, I just left what I remembered in that moment, bare in mind that's like low budget production compared to mainstream pop classics that are posted here, but still it sounds great nonetheless and can't even imagine with that budget at stake, studio and people behind how some of this tracks would sound, guess huuugeeee.

[fluffy_little_something]

In terms of genres, I am mostly speaking of music one hears on general radio programs, i.e. pop music. There seems to have been quite some change...

[Passing Bye]

Ohhh, my bad, for sure, that's like what's new this month kind of thing with today's music, groovy synth bass lines aren't it, don't really like what's out there for quite some time, still have hope everything will go full circle.

[JoeCat]

I guess it left pop, but it continued in other genres and it's same Moog-Juno ground, I left already some examples in this thread, it's heavily inspired by 80s and it's even better driving, there are countless examples around, I just left what I remembered in that moment, bare in mind that's like low budget production compared to mainstream pop classics that are posted here, but still it sounds great nonetheless and can't even imagine with that budget at stake, studio and people behind how some of this tracks would sound, guess huuugeeee.

That "Hugs 'n Kisses" track would have fit right in any 80s club.

[Passing Bye]

For sure, I think many of that guys are 80s nostalgic too and quite obvious influenced, hope newer generations will find some newborn love for that times.

[Buka]

they'r here: http://johncarpenter.sacredbonesrecords.com/



cheers!

[Aloysius]

My humble opinion. Sounds were much thinner and lighter in the 80s. Therefore, the beats ''bounced'' well. There was a real sense of movement in the rhythm section. If you used todays ultra-phat sounds to create ''80's style music'', the ingredients would be different. It just wouldn't work on the same level.

[fluffy_little_something]

The famous DX7 bass sound was also light somehow. It did have punch, but it also had lots of higher frequencies so that one heard it even on cheap stereos with small speakers.