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Behringer VB1: The missing bass pedal

When I first look at it in a catalogue, I mistaken i by my beloved VP-1. However, the Behringer VB-1 Vintage Bass has little in common with the VP-1, apart from the relatively large metallic case and the scarcity of controls. Like the VP-1, this is a relatively large (at least by today’s standards) grey metal box with one stomp switch, one knob and one small switch on the side. It is also a mono machine (but you probably won’t buy a second unit just to have it working in stereo).

So, what is the VB-1 Vintage Bass. Well, as the lettering on the front panel says: it is a Dual Dynamic Filter for bass guitars. However, there is no individual control for each filter… nor much documentation on their characteristics.

Continue reading “Behringer VB1: The missing bass pedal”

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Berlin School Experiment #8

This song started with me exploring the MicroKorg’s Arp in order to make some Bass & Strings sound for another project of mine. However, just playing some chords on this patch was inspiring enough to start planning another of mine Berlin School Experiments.

I have the Bass Arp and background strings on the Microkorg serving as a foundation on top of which an improvised melody is played live on the Volca Bass. The short film “Moral Decay” from the Internet archive (https://archive.org/details/MoralDecay) served as inspiration for the decaying melody in the key f G minor. It is also mangled and played over the footage of the live recording of this track. I wanted to give the impression of human anxiety in a world dominated by industrial machines, where the ever changing rhythm of the human heart tries to fit the rigid metronome of the machines (most likely inspired by my latest reading of Zamiatine’s “We”).




As always, I hope you enjoy this track as much as I did making it. :).

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Behringer Vintage Tube Monster VT999

This is a big one… a very very big one. Bigger than a Volca, almost as large as my MicroBrute, and weighting in at almost 1,5 kg. This pedal is a monster, not only in its name, but also in its size and sound.

The Vintage Tube Monster, Model VT999, from Behringer is a relatively old overdrive pedal, but it is still available from a number of dealers, such as amazon and amazon UK. Continue reading “Behringer Vintage Tube Monster VT999”

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Danelectro FAB Overdrive: Review and Impressions

The FAB overdrive is possibly the cheapest pedal I ever brought… indeed, I think it is the most inexpensive pedal I know of at the moment. Mine costed only £10 on amazon UK, but the price usually fluctuates between 10 and 25 euros (or equivalent). On the other hand, as you might guess by the mere 4-minute long demo I made, this is a rather limited unit.  This is not necessarily a bad thing: it is cheap, light and simple, and an overdrive pedal is always a nice addition to your bass synth sound.

Continue reading “Danelectro FAB Overdrive: Review and Impressions”

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Experimenting with Drones

Just a little experiment in Drone Music. The composition process is actually quite different than what I’m used to. I recorded 12 minutes of uninterrupted D in the Microkorg, using the Volca Bass as an auxiliary sound source. Then, the audio was cut into four 3 min segments and overlaid, resulting in a lush, thick drone sound. Finally I had to re-EQ the whole thing to remove some of the fundamental and first harmonic, since they here very high, as expected in this process.

The video is just the speed up footage of the 12 minute drone recording, and part of the cut and line up process.

I hope you enjoy it, for this Sunday evening chill out. Have a great week!

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Behringer FM600: A Happy Accident

Earlier this ear I was shopping on amazon for cheap distortion pedal and  a pitch shifter. However, I must have been drunk, or something, because I ended up with this purple pedal on my doorstop. But I’m happy as I could be with this purchase, as this pedal is capable of bringing a new array of sound to my pallette, for a very modes price (about 40 €).

So, what is the pedal I’m talking about? It is the Behringer Filter Machine FM600. It comes in the same plastic box format as the FM600 and the RV600, but with a purple lively, that somehow matches the one on my Streichfett.  Continue reading “Behringer FM600: A Happy Accident”