Synth Bass: Just for keyboardists, or a bass player’s best friend?

[@philipconradmusic]

What’s your favorite synth?

[@ricardodubatti657]

I'm just starting to dig the synths, but I love the bass sound on "I Wish" by Stevie Wonder (the main riff; I think Nathan Watts plays the bridge)... Oh, and the Novation on "Climbing Up The Walls" by Radiohead. Yeah, I'm all over the place, haha.

[@bthalko]

I've got two - a Korg OpSix and an Arturia MicroFreak. Both very affordable, versatile options. The FM bass sounds in the OpSix especially are MASSIVE. Equal to my Jazz Bass, no question!

[@shaynedurbin2235]

Mini Moog

[@williammyers9209]

Arturia Microfreak is a super fun and inexpensive option for people learning synth - I highly recommend

[@RayyMusik]

For bass: Moog Subsequent 37 (most bottom end of my 14 synths). Sometimes, as a contrast, Behringer MS-1. The Prodigy, btw, was my first real synth in 1980. I was infected by synth bass decades ago by “Ain‘t Nobody“ (Rufus). And then there came “Sussudio“ … well, that was a bass guitar + synth filter, but one of the greatest bass lines ever.

[@shaynedurbin2235]

Couldn’t agree more, synths are super cool. Being from a small Midwest town, I found myself having to learn to play everything myself. It made me a more well rounded musician and also sparked my love for keys. Only downside is I’m definitely in the master of none category in every instrument.

[@elliottsmith8636]

Haha, I'm not from a midwest town, but I have nearly no musician friends. Master of none category for sure

[@shaynedurbin2235]

@@elliottsmith8636 Glad someone else out there feels my pain. I wish you many musicians friends in your near future. I have a 2 projects going right now but I’m always down for more.

[@philipconradmusic]

Master of none category is not a bad place to be! Having a wide perspective on music is awesome. And if you decide to dive deep on a specific instrument you will have a big advantage. Good luck with your projects! Glad you found some people to share music with.

[@shaynedurbin2235]

@@philipconradmusic Thanks Phil!

[@ragebait988]

Master what you write on.

[@musicmoonshine]

The resonance of the wood doesn't play a direct role in the pickups ability to hear the sound, it just resonates with the strings causing the STRINGS to vibrate a little longer, on an electric the pickup isn't supposed to pick up the wood, its an electric pickup, it picks up magnetism off of the vibrating strings directly, so its not a vibrational microphone as such, its more like an electrical induction pickup, very very important distinction, and also the reason why pixie sticks are real guitars. Next time you play electric hold the strings and knock on the wood, if its not a knockoff guitar, you shouldn't hear the knock, it should depend on the strings themselves.

[@thekon1298]

exactly lol it was great video otherwise though. You could theoretically have a floating bridge and nut hooked up to a pickup and it would still work. It's simply how the metal string's vibrations are picked up by the magnet, and then converted into a signal. As long as the string is vibrating at a certain frequency it's all that matters.

[@meadowlarke]

I got into synth bass because of this video. I play bass for a large church and a lot of modern CCM has synth bass tracks. In order to be authentic i needed to branch out into synth territory. One observation: for those that want to play a second instrument in addition to bass guitar, synth bass is a very logical next instrument and keeps you in bass territory. I ended up with a Moog Subsequent 25. Its smaller size makes it very easy to gig with.

[@philipconradmusic]

Well said! Thanks for sharing ⚡️

[@ArtLogins]

I use 90% SynthBass and 10% bass guitar.... love both, need both... SynthBass takes a bit of open-mindedness though....

[@philipconradmusic]

Agreed!

[@davidmhuey]

Suggestion to think about. There aren’t any courses or videos out there dedicated to teaching bass players on synth bass. I just bought this stuff, and it’s hard to get started with no keys background. Maybe a good opportunity for content for you that may meet a need.

[@faronmclurkin1103]

This should be a series for bass players. I promise it will succeed.

[@philipconradmusic]

Thanks for watching!

[@JM_2019]

I'm also a bass player playing synths on stage. The bass line of Michael Jackson's Man in The Mirror actually convinced me Synth Bass is an own valid instrument. I don't even think you need piano skills, since piano is rarely played monophonic and with dead notes. You just need to know where the notes are and develop your own style.

[@philipconradmusic]

Well said!

[@lucagarciaferrari]

Reason #5 is the most compelling to me, I think. I don’t get paid just to play bass but I’d like to, and the experience you had completely freaked me out. I want to be prepared if that happens to me

[@philipconradmusic]

Hi Luca! I hope it never does happen to you, but also if it does you will be ok! Best to be prepared. Thanks for your comment and for being here!

[@projectz975]

learning keys is a great way to fill out the sound of you band while also borrowing the spotlight from the guitar player for a little bit.

[@philipconradmusic]

🤘

[@johanneschristopherstahle3395]

While it's true that a cool sound might help to shine in the spotlight it's important to just accept that a spotlight is meant to focus the audience's attention to the one thing that is being illuminated. In my opinion arrangement is far more important to give every instrument it's time to shine in the spotlight instead of fighting each other. One thing that first annoyed me when I started playing synths was that I had way less control over the loudness of the individual notes. Depending on the specific synth you might not have velocity sensitivity at all or in other cases playing at a different volume will result in a different sound, because the filter might react to it. Then I discovered that I could just bring back all those nice accents by constantly adjusting the output volume while playing.

[@brandonmason388]

I’m fortunate in that my parents started me on piano as a kid and I picked up bass later. I love synth bass actually maybe more than bass guitar although I play bass guitar more. You make some solid points here. More bassists should get synths!

[@emilbrorson]

I broke my left wrist 3 years ago and I found myself a used minitaur. Played it with a small midi-keyboard and was able to continue rehearsing/gigging. Now I've got a sub phatty and I play a lot of pop-gigs now thanks to learning synth bass

[@philipconradmusic]

Hi Emil! Sounds like we have a lot in common. Way to adapt and improvise. Sounds like you made the best of a bad situation!

[@elsongs]

Thanks for this! I know a lot of bass guitar players who are anti-synth bass only because they fear "It's going to replace me!" Well guess what - if you can play BOTH bass guitar and synth bass, you can never be replaced. I play both keyboards (primary instrument) and bass guitar (secondary instrument) and play both on my band's recordings. But when we play live, I sing and play keyboards most of the time, so I'd need someone to cover both the bass parts. It's extremely difficult to find someone who can do both because most of the people who can it are busy playing the big-time high-profile gigs with major artists - proof that your value as a player will be much higher if you play both bass guitar and synth bass. I get gigs as both a keyboardist and a bassist.

[@ChuCazz]

thanks for the vid. I'm a total newbie, in an acoustic trio (1 guitar & 2 voices) where I only bring my voice to the table, while our other singer does the percussions. our sound is good, but lacking in something so a synth bass would be a huge step forward. This is the first video that I found that faces the how and why and is not just a simple review. Good Job Philip and thanks for the tips.

[@Shogotheband]

I relate to this vid a lot. After experiencing hand issues myself & going to short-scale i also explored synth bass. Ended up with a Sub 37 & played it in a band for a couple years. Really dug it & couldn’t recommend it enough. Nice to know i’m not the only bassist out there needing to think outside the box.

[@philipconradmusic]

Hi Mixo! Thanks for sharing. I think there are a lot of us out there maybe. Encouraging to hear I’m not the only one! Glad you are here and thanks for your comment! ⚡️

[@Itaketoomanypics]

I’m a bass player and went with the sub 25 as a addition And it’s been very awesome so far

[@dchauser4]

I started out on piano initially, so synth has an attraction for me. My brother in law is a synth player for Adoration Destroyed, so I've seen the fun he has with it. Have you seen Annie Clements' video about her "bass of the future?" It's a p-bass with a small synth attached to it so she can swap between the two of them on stage.

[@philipconradmusic]

Wow that’s cool I’ll have to check it out! Sounds like with your experience you already have a huge advantage!

[@parkersherman1707]

Grabbed a Moog Grandmother a few weeks ago! I’ve never played keyboard or piano before but have been playing bass guitar for around 10 years. Excited to start learning this new instrument!

[@joeheffer]

I'm dipping toes into synth bass by using a MIDI controller (Arturia Minilab MkII) into a laptop running a DAW with Surge synthesizer. This is a very cheap option as the MIDI controller was only £30 ($40)

[@philipconradmusic]

Excellent! Thanks for sharing ⚡️

[@Robert_Charles]

I have been putting off buying a midi keyboard and tip three has me scrolling through used ads

[@philipconradmusic]

Awesome! A great cheap way to get started. Good luck!

[@bassplayinben]

I was thinking of using a launchpad to play notes in the pattern of a bass fretboard but now after watching this I'm thinking I should buckle down and learn piano!

[@alanredversangel]

It doesnt have to be expensive either. Small midi controller, otg adapter, fm synth on your phone, aux in to your bass rig.

[@philipconradmusic]

Yes! Well said

[@paulnicolosi4792]

Back in the 80s, I used a Yamaha dx 100 along with my Fender bass, while out on the road. It was perfect for that 80s synth bass craze.

[@BenStolz]

Your videos are so great - I came for learning bass but I’m being inspired by your musicianship. Thank you 🙏

[@philipconradmusic]

Thanks for the kind words Ben! So glad to have you here.

[@conorlarkin1111]

Oh man, I LOVE how synth bass sounds. Those huge thick lines on a lot of the Bruno stuff off 24K Magic are so cool. The points you made about having the right sound for a wedding band is true, and I hadn’t really thought about that. I’ve really been thinking about picking it up, but I’ve been putting it off. Now’s as good a time as ever!

[@philipconradmusic]

It’s super fun, and no time like the present. Good luck!

[@nancyvanrijn9732]

What an incredibly cool Moog 🤩

[@philipconradmusic]

Thanks Nancy! I love it⚡️

[@dougmartin893]

What a great vid! So interesting and engaging, and I'm not even a bass player. Thank you.

[@philipconradmusic]

Thanks Doug! Glad you enjoyed it.

[@selfactualizer2099]

You can get that noise with a bass, synth pedals have gotten a lot better My eyes are set on a c4 synth pedal right now, Its a four voice anaolg synth in a pedal, with community tone setups at your disposal I still want to use a synth on the side, im thinking of starting with the korg volca keys, for ambient loop effects

[@kamilbass]

C4 synth Is great, i had one , but you can never get that subbass sounds with bass guitar, my opinion , strings are strings , oscillators are oscillators

[@chuckybastard]

After watching this video I went on and bought a Subsequent 25… you’ve opened a whole new world of possibilities for me, thanks for the inspiration! Would you now kindly share your patch settings for that awesome bass sound you’re getting from the Prodigy?

[@philipconradmusic]

I don’t remember 😂 Just try a bunch of sounds and have fun! Try and emulate some classic records and you will learn a lot. Good luck!

[@johanneschristopherstahle3395]

My first hardware synth was a panda midi Future Impact. It's being triggered by the input of a bass guitar and is a complete VA synth in a compact pedal. If you want to program it, you have to hook it up to a computer however. It's great that you can play the synth with your bass guitar, so you can really play with dynamics + it tracks slides and bends really well. You can play the synth with so much expression and easily mix in the direct sound as well. Gives the pedal a really unique and fat sound.

[@Turtlpwr]

More show less tell! You’ve got the synth right there!

[@luquann]

Very insightful video!

[@philipconradmusic]

Thank you! 🙏🏻

[@enricoandrini4453]

really interesting video, personally i dont see a lot of videos with the musician talks about the advantages of buying an instrument in that practical level, which is often the most important suggestion. it is what you chat with your friend of conservatory or gig's friends, in this case what brings you to pay a quite huge amount of money (not obv for everyone) for moving into something which maybe its not your day by day tasks or skills. thank you

[@GrisBarreiroMedia]

Hi! Excelent and unique video, congratulations. I have a question: where do you connect the synth? to a bass amp? this provides a good sound? or you connect it directly to PA system?

[@philipconradmusic]

You could do both! Subs really help.

[@alejandroruvalcaba1653]

Super great video!! I'm ready to take the next step, been wanting to learn keys for years, this is very informative and easy to understand, Just love thoise fat basslines Thank you

[@philipconradmusic]

Awesome! You won’t regret it ⚡️

[@TheBolt3366]

Could you please tell us when playing live, and switching between the bass and synth, did you use your bass amp for both instruments (with a switcher pedal)? Or, just di the synth to the pa?

[@philipconradmusic]

I have done both! My favorite is two separate dis to FOH for synth and electric, but have both into my amp for stage volume. My amp has two inputs, but in the past I’ve used a smaller mixer.

[@JM_2019]

Agree - using the stage amp is important to get the same monitoring on stage you usually have from the electric bass.

[@johanneschristopherstahle3395]

I have a bass pre with a line level input at the back. This way I can balance the volume of bass guitar and synth + use all my effects for the synth as well.

[@kofiassor2164]

so i have heard in productions, the best thing to do is play a bass guitar and play a synth bass an octave below the bass guitar's sound. Is this rule cut in stone or can i for instance play the same bass, say bass guitar, octaves apart, to get the thickness i want?

[@johanneschristopherstahle3395]

Do whatever pleases you. In art there should never be any rules set in stone.

[@mal4m]

Awesome video! I was too afraid to tour with my Moog Sub37 for just 2 or 3 songs a night, especially when van space and stage space is limited. The Novation Bass Station was a great option and can sit on a laptop stand. The Roland SE-02 is also an amazing Minimoog-like option, despite having smaller controls.

[@philipconradmusic]

Great recommendations! Thanks for watching ⚡️

[@dziulicious]

Great video 👏 I already have a synth, what do you recommend to practice on start? :)

[@philipconradmusic]

Get your major and minor pentatonics down in each key to start 🤘

[@dziulicious]

@@philipconradmusic Thanks man 🙏

[@uiliumpowell4684]

What if you plugged a bass into a modular synth?

[@jamesburke2311]

More plz. Can we get a vid about your synth and walk through a few patches?

[@thesundreamers8423]

Super helpful! Thank you.

[@philipconradmusic]

Thanks for watching!

[@MrKeeganisname]

hey phil this vid inspired me to get a sub phatty!! just wondering what amp/speaker do you recommend for synthbass?

[@philipconradmusic]

I usually just send a di to FOH, or use an AB switch into my bass amp if no PA. Hope this helps! ⚡️

[@DJPenguino51]

I'm definitely a fan of a bass synth. Try the Moog Taurus (or its modern incarnation the minitaur -- or Behringer Toro once it comes out) for some room rattling bass. Also check out the Cherry Audio Lowdown bass synth (modeled after the Moog Taurus 1).

[@jamesburke2311]

MORE synth content plz!

[@cannadineboxill-harris2983]

Hi There Again my name is Mr Cannadine T. Boxill-Harris, how have you been Keeping up to Lately, I was wondering if you need to do the other way round Lyrics in you’re own word Lyrics but sing it differently in the original Extended background Versions of those Particular song’s By Andrew Gold and The Korgis, Never Let her Slip Away and Everybody got to learn Sometime, why don’t they just Replace the Synthesizer Strings Sound to a Two Musette Accordion’s sounds and make those two Musette sounds for those Two Accordion’s 4 to 7 and a half times more Deeper then the Original Synthesizer Strings Sound that they have used for this Particular song called Everybody’s got to Learn sometime and also Replace the Xylophone Sound to a 23 Times More Deeper Chime Bells and Even a 26 Times More Deeper Still Drums Sound, Because it is Still one of my Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Very Favorite Song’s Ever Since I was about 10 Years of Age Thank You and I Like 👍 you’re Remixing and Remake them 3 and a half times more Deeper Pretty Please X X X

[@davidmarantz9419]

Playing synth bass also re-enforces that my role is to lay down that low fundamental or groove. The mechanism is secondary to the outcome. Just wish I was better at the tools……less youtube more playing.

[@philipconradmusic]

Well said! Thanks for sharing David ⚡️

[@ZRobertson91]

*sigh* Now I want to find my old M-Audio keyboard and make some funky sounds

[@philipconradmusic]

Do it! ⚡️

[@bassistplayer826]

Is there’s battery power synths available?

[@chrislee633]

Look at Yamaha reface series.great travel keys too

[@Itsjustwilson]

Great vid man!🙏🏻 Personally im mixed abt synth bass… i love the sound and uniqueness of it and not opposed to learning it… but plucking the string with a huge amp is just THE sound imo, any recommendations on a beginner synth ?

[@philipconradmusic]

Hi Wilson! I agree; love that sound too. But the first time I played through a giant system with a synth, that’s a pretty awesome feeling too! Yes, check out the Novation Bass Station, The Sub Phatty, and also the Korg stuff. Good luck dude!

[@thomp9054]

There are some pretty good synthy pedals around now days

[@thahoustonbassrunnaz4389]

Great video!

[@philipconradmusic]

Thank you!!

[@tropicalwhiskers3922]

Is that keyboard stand model short for sitting? I cant fit synths of that keybed size on stands at a comfortable sitting height. Or are you just tall

[@asdfjkl227]

That's Trent reznor 's first synth he got when he was a kid.

[@alexanderednie1205]

Favorite synth is the Virus. Favorite synth baseline. Sussudio.

[@philipconradmusic]

Excellent ⚡️

[@faronmclurkin1103]

Do you play with only your left hand?

[@faronmclurkin1103]

Asking because I just started and am doing it with my left hand to leave space for the right but it's so much easier to play with the right or to play with both hands. Wondering if I'm wasting my time and being overly ambitious and she just focus on the baseline or just play with the left hand and leave room for growth has a more traditional player. Thanks!

[@johanneschristopherstahle3395]

His left hand was injured, so he had to play with the right hand. If you want to start playing keyboard with your right hand while playing the bass line with your left hand, it's great if you learn to play bass with your left hand. If you want to stick to bass, you will have an easier time playing with your right hand, so you can use the left hand to adjust the pitch and mod wheel. But maybe it's more important to get to the filter cut off... Do whatever works for you and have fun.

[@valjperez]

hello. what's your next recommendation if not moog sub phatty as it's not available on stock (Sweetwater retailer)? thanks.

[@bencobass56]

Hello Philip... I am not used to the world of synths but another great video... I really like the synth solo in All my love by Led Zeppelin... Tell me what you think about it... Good evening!!!

[@philipconradmusic]

Hi Benjamin! That’s a great synth sound. Thanks for the kind words and I’m glad you enjoyed the video!

[@kimberlygarrison5046]

synth bass?

[@kimberlygarrison5046]

-operator -freakazoid -thriller -everything she wants -king tut -flashback

[@vladv5126]

Synth bass.

[@jazzzman1000]

No Behringer Model D?!

[@philipconradmusic]

I’ve heard good things but I haven’t personally played it so didn’t want to mention it. Thanks for bringing it up!⚡️

[@DrSoucMusic]

❤️

[@ricardoros1162]

Tala muchhh

[@tee-botheewok716]

Lakeside's Fantastic voyage. Synthbass+electric bass together. Can you recreate that bassline on the moog+electric-bass?

[@user-rr3fe8bu6b]

Wood has nothing to do with the tone of an electric guitar or bass.

[@firdauszainudin7118]

You can't slap synth bass,so...

[@philipconradmusic]

True! Although all the Seinfeld “slap bass” music was done with a synthesizer… 🤔

[@Mr10Winger]

Korg M1

[@paulhopkins686]

Do you plug in to a bass amplifier?

[@philipconradmusic]

In the past I had both my electric bass and my synth routed into my bass amp. Live I just use a DI.

[@paulhopkins686]

@@philipconradmusic that makes sense. Thank you.