I’m the bassist/arranger/MD/production manager/sound designer/babysitter for the touring Zappa project, The Furious Bongos. We’ve been using GP for a couple of years now as the host for all the mallet sounds in our percussion rig.
As far as design goes, it’s pretty simple: a 4-octave MalletKAT is the controller, split to Pianoteq (95% of the gig) and the Spitfire BBC sample set for some orchestral percussion. The Spitfire sounds are all remapped to the lowest octave on the KAT, so on the couple of patches where we use it, the percussionist still has their mallet sound of choice on the upper octaves.
Processing is pretty simple too. There’s a Waves S1 on the Spitfire samples to make their native panning line up better with what the FOH mix needs, and there’s an Amek 9099 channel strip and Fabfilter comp on the global layer.
The one extra thing I did since I’m the bass player AND the guy who has to troubleshoot any problems during the show (our percussionists have been, shall we say, “hesistant” to learn the tech), is to insert metering at every point in the chain.
Beyond that, it’s a simple rig. Marimba, vibes, xylophone, glock, bells, and extraneous orchestral noise makers.
50+ shows on this set up, and no problems that weren’t directly caused by the player themself…lol
Talented group! I thoroughly enjoyed both videos. I’m also a bassist and bopped along to your basslines. Excellent live mix. Easy to pick out each instrument. Sub’d your YT channel. Gotta watch all 49 videos.
I just checked your website and noticed that you mentioned coming to France, the Netherlands and Germany in the fall. I live on the Atlantic coast of France in Arcachon, about 45 minutes west-southwest of Bordeaux. It would be way cool if you played a date in Bordeaux. I could make that one.
J’adorerais jouer là aussi! We’re still working on those EU dates, though - it’s tough bringing a 9-piece band over there, but our goal is at least one run in the EU each year.
Hey Conrad, Zappa alumni Robert Martin here, a GP fan, user and beta tester for a couple of years now. Great to see you using this top notch technology to make Zappa music too. I especially enjoyed the re-harmonizations sprinkled through your Black Page video. Great to see you joining forces with Chad too.
I’ll be on tour this summer with Banned From Utopia, including a show in Cincinnati on July 14. I believe you guys are based there, correct? If you’re around and want to see the show, I’d be happy to guest list you. Give me a holler.
Hey Robert! Sorry it took me so long to respond…I’ve been in prep mode for our tour that starts next week. FWIW, we’ve met a few times at this point - we’ve got more than a few IRL friends in common
Thank you very much for the kind words. Yeah, the reharmonizations and some of the counterpoint started with discussions Tink and I had about the arrangement he’d done for the UNT shows back in 2015. I took that idea and ran with it, so between that extra harmonic meat and having a true “stunt bassist” in the project, it makes for an unusual arrangement.
Thank you also for inviting me to the shows, but I’m in the DC area, not Cincy.
The Furious Bongos are even more spread out than BFU: we’ve got folks in Stockholm, NYC, LA, Philly (one of our singers just finished her master’s program at Curtis, btw), Chicago, Madison WI, and Baltimore.
We rehearse at my studio/production facility outside DC, which is why our main stomping ground has been the Mid-Atlantic/Northeast/Midwest. We’ll be out west next year, though, so let me know if you’d like to connect while we’re out there…
Thanks for the Baltimore links, looks good, sounds good.
I’ll attach a schedule of our summer tour so you can let your folks know when we’re in their neck of the woods. I’d be happy to guest list any Bongos who’d like to come out to a show.
7/4 Lyndhurst, NJ - Town Hall Park Bandshell
7/5 Hudson Falls, NY - The Strand Theatre
7/6 Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom
7/10 St. Louis, MO - City Winery St. Louis
7/11 Milwaukee, WI - Shank Hall
7/12 Chicago, IL - Martyrs’
7/13 Ft. Wayne, IN - Sweetwater HQ
7/14 Cincinnati, OH - Ludlow Garage
7/16 Pittsburgh, PA - City Winery Pittsburgh
7/17 Asheville, NC - The Grey Eagle
7/19 Nashville, TN – City Winery Nashville
7/20 Charlotte, NC - Visulite Theatre
7/21 Atlanta, GA - City Winery Atlanta
7/23 Lansing, WV - Burrito Bar at Breeze Hill
7/25 Rutherford, NJ - Williams Center for the Arts
7/26 New Haven, CT - Toad’s Place
7/27 Pawtucket, RI - The Met
7/28 Pawling, NY - Daryl’s House
7/30 Montgomery, NY - City Winery Hudson Valley
8/1 Westport, CT - The Westport Library
8/2 Boston, MA - City Winery Boston
8/3 Brattleboro, VT - Stone Church
8/4 Ardmore, PA - Ardmore Music Hall
