A controversial proposition indeed. But maybe one worth considering if you are performing regularly or a touring band that has to transport a lot of heavy equipment including bass amps. The flexibility of the synthesiser has many advantages over the one bass guitar. Although discounting the bass guitar as an instrument here is not the intention, a synth can be a very useful and more convenient element in a band or live music set.
We first started to hear synthesisers in popular chart music in the UK in the 1970's. Famous bands such as Roxy Music and Pink Floyd relied heavily on synth sounds. Brian Eno, the synth player in Roxy Music came to become a pioneer in electronic synthesised music and the father of the genre of ambient music. And the 1980's a lot of pop and rock music further increased the role of the synth from mega hit makers Abba to new romantic fashion band Duran Duran. And so it may seem that pop music was changed and enhanced forever, with bass lines now a lot more varied and perhaps sounding not like a bass guitar at all.
Electronic music and dance music has further reinforced the role of the synthesiser as the bass line provider. Killer dance floor anthems require heavy and well sculpted bass lines, especially for drum and bass and dubstep genres. And synthesisers can now be software instruments, which means you can carry a number of them around merely in a laptop. Synths are extremely versatile and creative. They work on a principle of oscillators, manipulating waveforms and frequency filters. You can effectively control the attack, decay, sustain and release time of each note you create and play. There are a number of different waveforms shapes that affect the sound you produce.
The early synthesisers were analogue modules which means they worked with analogue circuitry and were quite complex machines to fathom. Many synths available now are digitally programmed and controlled though the classic analogue models have become popular collectors items. Some models are now a mix of analogue and digital circuitry, combining the best of both worlds to give you a more organic and programmable sound palette. Korg and Nord Wave are examples of these, and the Nord Wave also includes a sampling facility so it can act as a sampler and a synth.
So we are not necessarily suggesting you throw away your bass guitar or unplug your heavy bass amp. Of course the bass guitar is an iconic instrument that is played by musicians that would not want to compare or substitute it with a keyboard.
Bass amps and guitar pedals can offer further manipulation and creativity with the characteristic sound of your bass guitar. And some music genres require a bass guitar without question. But practicality of performance spaces and depending on the music you want to perform, it is always worth considering the choices available to you.
