That Cure-ish sound, which I'm hearing in Cocteau Twins' "Iceblink Luck", is that a guitar or a bass or what?

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Look, I don't have the technical knowledge to describe this properly, but you know that sound which the Cure often uses (notable examples: Pictures of You, Letter to Elise)? To me, it sounds like a guitar with some kind of echo effect, but I'm not sure.

I hear it in other songs (eg. Cocteau Twins, as mentioned, the Ponys, etc). What is that sound? Is it some kind of melodic similarity? Is it the effect? The instrument? The production style?

― Jack L., Monday, 26 September 2005 03:42 (eighteen years ago) link

If you're talking about what I think you may be, it's a bass played on the upper frets, so it sounds trebly but too low to be a guitar.

If, on the other hand, that's not what you meant, I'm sorry for having wasted your time.

― owen moorhead (i heart daniel miller), Monday, 26 September 2005 03:46 (eighteen years ago) link

Yeah, that's what I'm talking about. I thought it might be a bass played high. That sounds right.

Is that it, though? Surely other bands play their basses high and don't sound like the Cure? Is there an additional effect?

― Jack L., Monday, 26 September 2005 03:48 (eighteen years ago) link

Reverb. Maybe a slight delay. Possibly the addition of other slight effects as well.

― Cup of Coffee, Monday, 26 September 2005 04:00 (eighteen years ago) link

Could be a chorus pedal, and obviously heaps of reverb.

― owen moorhead (i heart daniel miller), Monday, 26 September 2005 04:00 (eighteen years ago) link

also reverb

― jimmy glass (electricsound), Monday, 26 September 2005 04:02 (eighteen years ago) link

don't forget the reverb!

I was also going to mention Chorus, but opted for "possibly the addition of other slight effects as well" for some reason, when really chorus was the only other effect I was thinking of.

― Cup of Coffee, Monday, 26 September 2005 04:11 (eighteen years ago) link

Ooohh... what about "echo"? That near obsolete cousin of Reverb?

― Cup of Coffee, Monday, 26 September 2005 04:12 (eighteen years ago) link

also phasing.

there was an article on the bella union site about robin's effects etc etc but it looks like someone forgot to pay their domain registration bill

― jimmy glass (electricsound), Monday, 26 September 2005 04:18 (eighteen years ago) link

6-string bass, yo.

Definitely with chorus and reverb.

― Kent Burt (lingereffect), Tuesday, 27 September 2005 02:22 (eighteen years ago) link

Yeah, Cure did six-string bass with chorus. Simon Raymonde plays regular four-string bass with chorus (and often some flange), but he spends a lot of time up in an equivalent high range. Other thing that bulks up that chorus effect: playing "chords" on bass (or in these bands cases usually one string ringing open while fretting high on the next one).

― nabiscothingy, Tuesday, 27 September 2005 03:05 (eighteen years ago) link

Thanks.

― Jack L., Tuesday, 27 September 2005 18:06 (eighteen years ago) link

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