HW: Yule Ritual - bass guitar - Yikes!

[Doug Pearson]

On Mon, 18 Feb 2002 19:52:24 -0000, Mark Edmonds <mmje at MMJE.DEMON.CO.UK>
wrote:
>Just listening to Yule Ritual for the first time. Seems like a pretty good
>gig so far

Agreed!

> ... but what is that new instrument I am hearing? Is it some prototype
>infra-sonic bass guitar? I certainly didn't know my headphones could
>deal with negative Hz!  I am just wondering if this nuclear bass guitar
>sound is accurate or a studio enhancement? How do audience tapes sound in
>comparison? (I expect the molecular structure of most conventional magnetic
>mediums would be shattered by this noise!).

I haven't heard audience tapes from the show, so I can't be 100% certain.
To me, it sounds like a product of the mastering (computer "bass-enhance"
plug-ins?), and it bugs me for its' prominent un-realisticness (I've
mentioned its irksomeness in a couple messages to the list).  It *does*
sound more like a synth than a real bass guitar to me (or IS Ali using a
bass synth?).  But if you look back over the history of Hawkwind's albums,
there are a lot of instrument recordings that sound prominently unrealistic
(at least for their time), and, today, dated, but *still* form part of the
development of the overall Hawkwind/blanga sound we love.  So I've come to
decide that I can live with it.  Even if I wouldn't be caught DEAD letting
any of my recordings sounds like that (and would still LOVE to hear any
other mastering job on the Yule Ritual tapes).  :^)

    -Doug
     jasret at mindspring.com