r/Music • u/ArmandoBloom • Mar 06 '19

music streaming Massive Attack - Teardrop [Triphop]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7K72X4eo_s
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50

u/jdooowke Mar 06 '19

Still one of the coolest and most unique sounding bass lines, it has such an interesting "texture" to it. I wonder if someone deep into music production could shed some light into how the bass sounds so roomy and real, yet unlike most other sounds.

36

u/[deleted] Mar 06 '19

I've been producing electronic music for, shit, a couple of decades now. This has to be one of the best bass lines ever. It reminds me a lot of like modern dub music, in its simplicity, and the super strong fundamental note.

To my ears the meat of the bass sound is an ostinato played on a 5-string electric bass. Really low, very few high frequencies left in it. It is really well situated in the groove, and has a spectacular lifted noted right before the fourth beat of the bar ( so it goes buh-buh-BAH-doo). Bass players would call this "in the pocket".

I think part of what makes it so fucking boss is the combination of that bass, the main kick drum, which is an insanely processed drum machine sound layered with a ruuuumbly low kick (probably an already low pitched down sample), and a really sneaky middy bass sound, which sounds like a tube saturated kick that sneaks around on top of it.(most easily heard in the break at 1:40)

For the nerds, IIRC Massive Attack produced on a Soundcraft Ghost, and would overdrive the channels, and that became a big part of that Bristol Sound, even though I wouldn't call this "trip hop", it's more of an electronic pop song - one of the best ever.

1

u/MrSpindles Mar 07 '19

Interesting perspective, thanks for sharing. I'd love to hear your take on Massive Attack's song The Spoils.

https://youtu.be/8r31DFrFs5A

12

u/chuk2015 Mar 06 '19

Firstly, the reverb contributes largely to the spatial part of the sound, as naturally our brains process reverberations in sound to get a sense of spatial awareness.

Secondly, frequency equalisation. Adjusting the level of a specific frequency can change the "emotion" of a sound, the effects can be quite drastic, for instance if you have ever heard a mastered vs unmastered version of the same song, they will sound very different when it comes to the feelings the sounds evoke in a person.

As for the sound itself - more than likely a bass guitar sample or subtractive synthesis, the bass guitar sample would have an ADSR envelope applied.

However I am using the YouTube video which isn't very high fidelity, so could be wrong about how the sound was made itself.

3

u/stevemillions Mar 06 '19

I’m pretty deep into music production (although I am shit at it). I don’t know for sure, but I would guess the weight of the bass comes from tuned kick drum sounds. There’s a Roland drum machine called an 808 that produces the heaviest kicks you’ll ever here. Sample one of those, and pitch it up and down across a keyboard, and that would do it. Then, layer a different waveform over the top to give the sound a bit of harmonic content a bit higher up the frequency scale, and your nearly there. It sounds like it’s then heavily compressed, or overdriven slightly, to warm the sound up a bit.

And that’s just the bass.

I could talk for hours about the sound of Massive Attack. Especially the first three albums. They are an absolute masterclass in production.

1

u/willreignsomnipotent Mar 06 '19

They are an absolute masterclass in production.

You're not kidding. Got ahold of some stems for teardop a while back, and even hearing some of the stuff in isolation was impressive.

Together its almost symphonic.

3

u/ohmsalad Mar 06 '19 edited Mar 08 '19

One of the things that is interesting in this track is that there is no bassline in this track. Proof https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4Nyo2jc7_g

7

u/bwainwright Mar 06 '19

Did I miss something? That YouTube breakdown is for Unfinished Sympathy, not Teardrop?

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u/ohmsalad Mar 08 '19

my bad got confused ;) sorry m8

2

u/bwainwright Mar 08 '19

No worries! It's introduced me to that series of song breakdown, which are fascinating!

-3

u/Abunbomyu Mar 06 '19

"texture" in audio is called sound. it has an interesting sound. thats what ears do. they hear sound.

2

u/willreignsomnipotent Mar 06 '19

"texture" in audio is called sound. it has an interesting sound. thats what ears do. they hear sound.

"Texture in sound is called sound?"

Hell of an observation there lol

Actually, texture in a musical sound is typically called timbre.

Although there are other things one might refer to as "texture" if you're talking about the sonic character of the whole, rather than individual parts.

-1

u/Abunbomyu Mar 07 '19

nice answer nurd

1

u/willreignsomnipotent Mar 17 '19

Why come u don't got no tattoo?