Volca Bass Ambient w/ Looper (TC Electronic Ditto)

I bought a looper pedal: the TC Electronic Ditto Stereo. The first thing I tried was this ambient improvisation, where I use the looper to layer notes of the Volca Bass.
If you're unfamiliar with loopers: when the Ditto's LED is red it's recording, when it's green it's just playing. The first recording determines the length of the loop. After that, you can just keep recording and add layer after layer.
Korg Volca Bass
TC Electronic Ditto Stereo
GFI System Specular Reverb V2
Arturia Keystep
Miditech MIDI Thru/Filter
Behringer XENYX QX1002USB
Recorded with iPhone 7 and Behringer UCA202.

[@paulfabian7274]

That was spectacular! In less capable hands, layering all those loops could have rapidly become an unmanageable mess, but you clearly have the musical chops to know what sounds good. I've watched many of your videos now, and it's clear you are utilizing the instruments and equipment you have to their maximum potential, which is to say, you are making genuine ART. You're an inspiration to me in my music making too. Thanks!

[@SlenterendeBeer]

Paul Fabiniak : Wow Paul, thank you so much for your awesome comment! It really means a lot. :)

[@Origxn]

10/10 would use for my 1982 scifi movie

[@SlenterendeBeer]

J C : Thank you!! :)

[@christianscazzieri]

I can't even begin to say how tasteful this is. Thanks for posting, used it as a background OST to my working morning. Loved it!

[@SlenterendeBeer]

Christian Scazzieri : Thank you for the kind words!! :)

[@danf4236]

Congratulations for making a grown-ass man cry. This is beautiful, thank you so much for sharing.

[@rezzdy89]

Wow! 🤯This sound is so incredible like any movie theme! 🔊🔥🔥

[@improziv]

Fabulous musical work with integrity

[@henrymcintosh3]

I have to say that I have come back to this many many times because it is such an outstanding example of the breadth of emotion and motion you can get out of a looper and a synth. Make more!

[@Zer0Spinn]

This makes me feel at peace, thank you.

[@SlenterendeBeer]

Zer0Spinn : Thanks for listening. :)

[@drfdwf392]

Oh god, that was absolutely beautiful. I love this. One of the best and cleanest ambient arrangements I've heard. I swear once I get my first full-time job and salary, I'm gonna save up and set up my gears. Thank you for reminding me of my dreams, brother. Keep it up.

[@SlenterendeBeer]

Drifting Dwarf : Wow, thank you so much for your awesome comment, it means a lot!!

[@mattypuddingfingers6562]

Hey did you ever get a job and some gear? If so how are doing witha it.

[@BTB88]

We would like an update, please.

[@KNHSynths]

simple and well done as usual. thanks.

[@munkaaaa]

I keep coming back to this improv and always leave in awe of what i’ve just experienced. This surely is the sound of divine inspiration

[@mysteritmodk9572]

Absolutely brilliant!

[@BottleBass1977]

Great layering and love how you're able to get such an evocative, ambient pad sound out of the Volca Bass. Can see this working well with the Conductive Labs NDLR sequencer and arpeggiator

[@Maewenmusic]

beautiful landscapes

[@SlenterendeBeer]

Maewen : Thank you! :)

[@GodinChild]

Happy Holidays 2020 everyone. I know it's not close to normal this year. Thank you for posting this. I listen to it regularly. Steve

[@DariaMotorina]

This is ambient heaven, thank you for this video!!

[@valdiskrebs566]

Nice minimalist soundscape ... just the right reverb and number of notes!

[@SlenterendeBeer]

Valdis Krebs : Thank you!! :)

[@712Jefferson]

This was exquisite and inspiring. Bravo.

[@MrParkinthedark]

That sounds Reaaally nice!

[@ivandee4011]

This is by far, one of the best examples of ‘synthProv’ I’ve ever seen! I’m especially impressed with the small amount of gear used. We’ll done, and very inspiring! Thank you!!

[@SlenterendeBeer]

Ivan Dee : Thank you so much, that means a lot!! :)

[@telantas]

Very beautiful!

[@DopamineOverload]

Wow. That is seriously awesome.

[@WildernessMusic_GentleSerene]

From simplicity of tactile items surfaces the complexity of the composer/arranger....in genius musical form.

[@SlenterendeBeer]

Wilderness Music : Thank you so much!!

[@Philipplus]

Great sounding work, with such a simple (others would say limited) setup. Nicely done!

[@SlenterendeBeer]

Philip+ : Thank you!! :)

[@jamieferguson4380]

Wow! This is genuinely great! Superb use of layering and expertly-built arrangement, with the effects perfectly complementing rather than dominating the sound, as is unfortunately often the case with so many other KZbin synth videos. Thank you.

[@thesilentspace]

Beautiful!

[@BoathausMusic]

This is beautiful! The perfect way to end my day. Thank you :)

[@SlenterendeBeer]

Thanks for listening!! :)

[@kimgaugemusic]

this is the best channel for exploring ambient music!

[@SlenterendeBeer]

Kim Gauge : Thank you!!! :) It’s very cool to see you explore our music.

[@gruker]

dam dude, brought tears to my eye. sad but beautiful.

[@matsewunderlich]

pure magic! Great work!👍

[@SlenterendeBeer]

matse wunderlich : Thanks for listening! :)

[@triplebacon1]

captivating !

[@otraperspectiva]

Master ! great work

[@MottiWolkenbruch]

This started so small and turned into a whole galaxy. Respect! Just found you on Bandcamp.

[@RicardoGordo]

Beautiful.

[@deerounet]

this is brilliant

[@nokeechia]

The ditto is brilliant!! As are you :D

[@mr.billhillerich]

Loved it.

[@stefanhansen5882]

Beauty on a budget. GREAT!

[@huertacerroblancoemilio]

It is almost like listening to Arvo Pärt improvising with electronics. Superb!

[@SlenterendeBeer]

Emilio Huerta : I was unfamiliar with that name, but after listening to a few compositions, I think I agree! Thank you! :)

[@Noa669]

Awesome !! I can only tell you the exact same thing that Paul already did 1 Year ago man!! Thank you for doing this & please keep going with this kind of sound you could help A LOT of people with Depression Anxiety Mental disorders, and many others you should really consider to do music therapy !!!

[@SlenterendeBeer]

Thank you for the kind words!! You make a good point - for me making music like this *is* a form of therapy.

[@thomasch18]

Beautiful!! Love your Videos!

[@SlenterendeBeer]

Tom Ko : Thanks, Tom!

[@yulianinoriega8598]

great job! really emjoyed this

[@SlenterendeBeer]

Yuliani Noriega : Thank you :)

[@opticaltrace4382]

Nice work

[@honestlyit]

This is glorious!

[@SlenterendeBeer]

Laydown Studios : Thank you!! :)

[@robbenning7046]

Goed bezig, Slenterende Beren! Keep up the good work!

[@SlenterendeBeer]

ToCeaseToExist : Dank je!! :)

[@jjax5974]

this is fantastic

[@SlenterendeBeer]

J Jax : Thank you!! :)

[@martingardner2582]

So relaxing. Can't wait to get a few Volcas in my set up. The Modular I ordered will be here next week.

[@SlenterendeBeer]

Martin Gardner : That’s something cool to look forward to! The sound of the Modular doesn’t really attract me that much, but I think it will be a lot of fun to play with. :)

[@martingardner2582]

@@SlenterendeBeer I'm a bit new to using analogue/modular. Figured it would be a good place to start before playing in the big league.

[@looprovisation1235]

Beautiful performance :)

[@SlenterendeBeer]

Looprovisation : Thanks, Rob!! :)

[@johnmadere]

Gorgeous. Have an opportunity to pick up a Volca Bass in a trade and this may have me convinced. Amazing work.

[@SlenterendeBeer]

Thank you!! The Bass has a lovely sound. It will take some practice to get the sound you're looking for, but the practice itself is a lot of fun.

[@margotmuller2893]

thank you for this!!!

[@tetrasequence1927]

Великолепное,очень воздушное звучание!Реально интересно задействован потенциал Volca Bass!

[@SlenterendeBeer]

Tetra Sequence : Thank you! Yes, the Volca Bass has a lovely sound :)

[@simplygroove]

Amazing great music just magical i love that congratulation !!

[@SalvoInzerilli]

Very very nice!!!

[@SlenterendeBeer]

Salvo Inzerilli : Thank you very much!! :)

[@stuartcoles4918]

Nice!

[@AdriaanStoopid]

So nice

Very nice, well done

[@SlenterendeBeer]

Élvyn Dale : Thank you :)

[@josephwright5921]

This one has shades of Vangelis as it is both subtle and epic at the same time!

[@SlenterendeBeer]

Joseph Wright : Thanks, that’s a great compliment! :)

[@Tomtom13861]

Love it !!! Thank you !

[@SlenterendeBeer]

Thomas D. : Thanks for listening!! :)

[@Almanacs]

Made my day

[@jorgeparedesaponte4045]

Amazing!!

[@SlenterendeBeer]

Thanks, Jorge!! :)

[@seanmahoney7722]

Beautiful. Subscribed. X

[@alexmusselwhite8150]

Reminds me of the hyper light drifter soundtrack Good job👍😉

[@SlenterendeBeer]

Alex Musselwhite : Thanks!! That’s a very good soundtrack. :)

[@7billionand1]

Surprisingly versatile little thing that KVBass.

[@SlenterendeBeer]

7billionand1 : Yes!! :)

[@AgustinDavidF]

lovely !!!!!

[@SlenterendeBeer]

Agustin David Forner : Thank you!! :)

[@LoVeAmBiEnT]

Gfi reverb is one of the most organic, immersive reverbs out there.... Great choice of notes

[@StainlessSteelclone]

I try to take this inspiration, you`ve put into my hands, to create some deep sounds in my next set. Greetings from germoney. ;)

[@SlenterendeBeer]

Always great to hear we can inspire people! Thanks for listening :)

[@milanrolie7719]

Klinkt lekker, goede aankoop!

[@SlenterendeBeer]

Milan rolie : Ja heel blij mee, hier kan ik weer zooooveel nieuwe dingen mee uitproberen! :)

[@pandahurts5723]

tu es un génie mec!

[@rayderrich]

Ik hoop op een terugkeer van de slenterende beren, I really love this type of jamming and wish you guys were still active!

[@PhilNourse92]

Very mellow... Love it... I've got a mininova and volca beats.. Great fun 🎶 🎹 😁

[@cyborgmetropolis7652]

Here is an example of how good use of a reverb makes an instrument of its own.

[@bonsaibloom]

I know i'm late to the party, but damn. Nice job dude!

[@SlenterendeBeer]

silverio salazar : Thank you!! :)

[@morten1]

Turning the volca bass into a cello synth, very nice

[@tonepoet]

The beauty of this is indescribable. I've been making ambient for a number of years and this is really inspiring me right now. You have a finesse for amalgamating a deep textural atmosphere of space without a single wasted or forgotten color.

[@SlenterendeBeer]

Thank you so much for your lovely comment!! It's a big compliment to hear we inspire you. :)

[@loupeit]

You are a genius

[@SlenterendeBeer]

Thanks for listening!! :)

[@VANVASSS]

Youre feel good ...that feeling ...is like a you are at the fucking island that eveeybody wants visit.

[@DJMikeron]

You can’t beat the sound of the specular Reverb

[@steftiaan]

WOOW!

[@crookedhorizon]

Nice 👍🏻

[@RoccoSaviano]

cool!

[@spacedrifter1961]

Beautiful trails and beautiful music throughout!

[@SlenterendeBeer]

spacedrifter1961 : Thank you!! :)

[@chrisliddiard725]

Loved this . I can see something like this being orchestrated for 'real instruments and voices'. Much of the sounds used here have their real world equivalent, so much so, i wonder what they would sound like with this same air of ambience. [An idea for a KZbin channel?]

[@Stadsjaap]

Uitstekend!

[@JamesBDavis-mf2qe]

Didn't realize the Volca Bass could make these kinds of sounds. This is making reconsider whether I should get a Bass or a Keys.

[@SlenterendeBeer]

James B. Davis : The Keys can do very similar sounds. The only exception is the square wave on the Bass - the Keys only does square in its ring modulation modes. I personally prefer the Bass’ filter, but if you wanna do chords you gotta go for the Keys! :)

[@JamesBDavis-mf2qe]

Slenterende Beer Damn. I love me some square waves but I gotta be able to do chords. Looks like the Bass will have to wait.

[@SlenterendeBeer]

James B. Davis : I say that’s a good decision - I love my Keys, it’s definitely the Volca I play with most when I jam on my own. :)

[@JamesBDavis-mf2qe]

Slenterende Beer I don't really plan on playing mine to much. Just using it as a sequencer/arpegiattor. At the moment I just use a Volca Beat and MICROkorg which is mostly enough for recording but not really for performance.

[@daxhays9177]

Clouds of ambient goodness... Ahhh...

[@zaphyd]

Vet!

[@SlenterendeBeer]

Zaphyd : Dank je! :)

[@thomasgehle3319]

Ich liebe es.......Danke.

[@SlenterendeBeer]

Thomas Gehle : Thanks for listening!! :)

[@cemegonuts]

Now I want a GFI System Specular Reverb V2... hehehe

[@SlenterendeBeer]

Thanks! If you do get a Specular Reverb, get the V3! :)

[@alvenar]

muito bom

[@AllenSmithe]

My Volca bass sounds nothing like this! Must be broken... yeah, that's it...

[@SlenterendeBeer]

Haha, it's the reverb, it makes all the difference :)

[@peterjones4732]

I keep coming back to this one ... There is a resonance of Thomas Tallis’ 16th century 40 voice motet: Spem In Alium ... beautiful. Everything old made new again ...

[@SlenterendeBeer]

Peter Jones : Thank you, Peter!! I understand why it reminds you of Tallis’ piece, it has a similar type of repetition in the voices. :)

[@sissamuyudakayennayer1016]

Almost dreamt

[@sebastianotrovesi2650]

🙏❤

[@fabiomorra33]

I love the special sound you play on volca bass, like trumpet, witch kind of setting, how many oscillatori you use in this case? beautiful.

[@SlenterendeBeer]

fabio morra : Thank you so much!! It’s one saw oscillator, with peak at 50%. :)

[@subfoz]

Please put this on Spotify. It’s really great.

[@Ralph_Sandwich]

Instead of the Speculate Reverb can I use my Zoom MS-70cdr with this setup? Ideally I plan on using my keystep to control my Volca Keys with effects coming from the Zoom MS-70cdr and using the ditto looper. I'm still new so I'm wondering what else I should add to the mix for a clean professional sound besides a mixer which I already have. What would you recommend I add if anything to my beginners set up? Thanks for creating these videos. I have been consuming hours and hours of videos much like your own however you are one of the few that seems to actually be musically inclined. You are making art out of these machines while others just want to make noise. Thanks!

[@SlenterendeBeer]

Ralph Sandwich : Thank you for the kind words!! Yes, you can use the MS-70CDR, but its reverb algorithms don’t sound as good as the ones on the Specular. So definitely try the Zoom first, you can always upgrade later. No other tips for now, besides: keep it simple, do a deep dive of an instrument / effect before you add a new one. :)

[@JustMe0815]

Greetings from the neighborhood! :) I love your content! Hi quality for the soul! Keep going and thank you for sharing with us. Questions to the specialist: 1. As most of the volcas are mono it should be working connecting 2 of them through the reverb and the Ditto, right? From there switching to stereo out to get the same signal on both "ears"? 2. Am I missing something with the Trough in this setup? What is it for as there is just the Bass with its synch speed. Is the Keystep not getting the speed via the midi wire? Thanks for your help!

[@wearetemporary]

That’s so beautiful. I’m rarely impressed by looping soundscapes, but you have such a tender and complex sensibility guiding your musical choices. On a side note, I was quite surprised by how well the Ditto handled your line levels. I’ll be sure to move mine from my pedal board to my synth rack for a few weeks :).

[@pato1421]

Amazing!! It's a Blade Runner soundtrack.

[@SlenterendeBeer]

pato1421 : Thank you!! Blade Runner is one of my favorite movies. :)

[@EvanFarinholt]

Fantastic video!! Question: what’s that adapter you have coming out of the Volca headphone output? I’m trying to plug my volca bass directly into my ditto x2 and it’s not working. Is that what I’m missing?