# Live metal band with bass from laptop



## MajkSFD (Sep 19, 2022)

Hi, I didn't expect finding a bass player in my country to be so complicated. What do you think about playing live with a bass track from a laptop? It makes sense?


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## technomancer (Sep 19, 2022)

Hasn't Periphery been doing this since Nolly decided he didn't want to tour?


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## MajkSFD (Sep 19, 2022)

Oh, I didn't know! : D
In Poland, a lot of people are critical of the use of "can" instruments.


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## TedEH (Sep 19, 2022)

Some purists will be critical of it, for sure, but it's up to you whether or not you care about that. It can be done in a way that sounds fine. I saw Leprous a while back, and their bassist wasn't available for that stop, so they played back a recording of his last show instead and it worked fine. I still would have preferred to see a real performance, but it was much better than nothing. I'd rather hear missing elements sequenced though a laptop than have significant parts of the experience missing.


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## Crungy (Sep 19, 2022)

As long as the laptop is on stage where the bassist would be, its okay.


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## GunpointMetal (Sep 19, 2022)

I say it's 100% better to get out there and play with whatever you need to get the job done than do nothing waiting around to complete the lineup. I'd say none of the people that are going to be overly critical of it are people you need to think about anyone. They most likely dislike everything including fun and wouldn't support your band anyways.


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## budda (Sep 19, 2022)

Doesnt in flames run bassless too? And dark tranquillity when i saw them iirc.


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## Crungy (Sep 19, 2022)

I know Peter was out of IF a while ago, I thought they had a replacement? That guy is gone too?


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## wheresthefbomb (Sep 19, 2022)

Personally I'm more a fan of the Russian Circles approach - loop bass live, switch instruments, play noodles on top.

But as long as it sounds good, do what works.


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## CanserDYI (Sep 19, 2022)

I literally do not give a fuck if the entire show is just recorded anymore. I'm just craving human interaction Ill go to a damn wiggles show, okay?


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## gabito (Sep 19, 2022)

I've done it with my band, it will work.

As a result, after a few gigs a bassist in the crowd offered his services and has been playing with us for 2 years.

Do it, regardless of whether you get a bassist or not after doing it.


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## bostjan (Sep 19, 2022)

Meh, just the bassist - probably no one will even notice.  JK

5 or 6 years ago, I would have said metalheads would be suspicious. Nowadays, though, I think it's totally normal.


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## fr4nci2c0 (Sep 20, 2022)

My local scene is Bassless. Almost every band I see has bass on a backing track. It's completely fine however without a stage monitor blasting out bass the groups don't sound as full. If you can get a monitor facing the crowd that's on stage pumping out bass it will greatly enhance the sound. When the bass is solely in the PA people in the front don't get the same experience.


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## TedEH (Sep 20, 2022)

If you really want to go the full distance, you could sequence just the bass DIs, and play them back through an on-stage bass rig - so it's like you have a real bassist. Is it more hassle than it's worth? Probably. Would it be cool on some level? Also probably.


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## budda (Sep 20, 2022)

My last band went long stints without a bassist. So we hauled an svt classic, 810 cab and a boss octave pedal to fill the gap. Works, not my favourite


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## MaxOfMetal (Sep 20, 2022)

Only if you put googly eyes on the laptop.


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## TedEH (Sep 20, 2022)

Ok ok ok ok -
Laptop on a segway. Video of virtual bassist making stank faces at how dank their own bass lines are. DIs and full bass rig on stage.
I'd pay to see that.


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## GunpointMetal (Sep 20, 2022)

TedEH said:


> If you really want to go the full distance, you could sequence just the bass DIs, and play them back through an on-stage bass rig - so it's like you have a real bassist. Is it more hassle than it's worth? Probably. Would it be cool on some level? Also probably.


That's how we do it when our bassist can make shows. We run his DI track into his rig from one of the extra aux-outs on our mixer and then the soundguy DI's off his actual rack into FOH. Works just like he's there except the computer drinks less of the profits and doesn't engage the crowd.


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## Bloody_Inferno (Sep 21, 2022)

MaxOfMetal said:


> Only if you put googly eyes on the laptop.
> 
> View attachment 114618



Attach the laptop to a Robot Waiter for maximum stage presence. They're worth 10k though.


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## Exposed (Sep 21, 2022)

Pretty sure ADTR are now playing without a live bass player since he stepped down. For the bigger stages it looks a bit weird with less of you on there but I guess its quicker to setup and get the set tight as its one less person involved. But yeah if you want that visual aesthetic thing with a live performance you probably would want an actual person playing bass on stage.


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## Boofchuck (Sep 24, 2022)

It's definitely better to have bass in tracks than no bass at all.


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## buriedoutback (Sep 30, 2022)

phone with bass track > di > mixer \m/ \m/


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## CanserDYI (Oct 1, 2022)

Please just remember if you have the bass on a track to do it right and invest in IEMs or a monitoring system at least for your drummer. Ive seen some budget bands try this stuff without a decent monitoring and seem to think they'll all just play to the bass track, but then play to each other and that bass track got lost.


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## warhead (Oct 19, 2022)

Is there really such a huge shortage of bassists going on around, even in the pro circles? Are there no failed guitar players to cover?


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## GunpointMetal (Oct 24, 2022)

warhead said:


> Is there really such a huge shortage of bassists going on around, even in the pro circles? Are there no failed guitar players to cover?


There's lots of people who "play bass". People who can commit to anything and show up on the other hand..


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## D-Nasty (Oct 24, 2022)

You should take some lessons from this guy.


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## warhead (Oct 26, 2022)

> GunpointMetal said:
> 
> 
> > There's lots of people who "play bass". People who can commit to anything and show up on the other hand..
> ...


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## GunpointMetal (Oct 26, 2022)

Some of it is scheduling, and some of it I'm sure is bands getting paid not feeling the need to add another cut. Along with fewer people involved making the work easier.


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## wheresthefbomb (Oct 26, 2022)

GunpointMetal said:


> Some of it is scheduling, and some of it I'm sure is bands getting paid not feeling the need to add another cut. Along with fewer people involved making the work easier.



This is a big part of why I do so much solo. $300 for a 2-hour set is half my rent. Split between 4,5, or more people it's not even a tank of gas. I personally don't program stuff though, I use a lot of looping but everything is built from scratch live every time.


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## warhead (Oct 26, 2022)

GunpointMetal said:


> Some of it is scheduling, and some of it I'm sure is bands getting paid not feeling the need to add another cut. Along with fewer people involved making the work easier.


Off course......4 people make more than 5, 3 more than 4, 2 more than 3........that is a very simple math.
But there was a band as big as In Flames mentioned touring without a bassist. I simply can not accept someone of their stature just didn't want to share the cut with someone.
I'm just a boomer though, and living in the past........


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## ElRay (Oct 27, 2022)

MaxOfMetal said:


> Only if you put googly eyes on the laptop.
> 
> View attachment 114618


Remember, it's bass, so they have to be big Googly Eyes.


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## MFB (Oct 28, 2022)

I'm with Bloody Inferno, throw a Soundgear 4 string on one of those Stop N' Shop robits and let it go to town on stage with some googly eyes


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