I've found a balance between live and canned. When ever I get the chance, I play the bass, but there are some patterns that need more of my attention, or more parts than I can do. That's when I resort to the auto guys.

The idea behing playing your own bass lines is so simple - it allows you to have the band "kick" together whenever YOU feel like it. A little rhythmic line that features a bass line attached to a chord progression is a very effective tool. I especially like to play manual bass when the setting is more intimate. It sounds more like a real band, with real emotion and dynamics to me. If it's a loud dance .... then anything goes - all they need is noise and a beat.

My favorite setup from days ago was the Fender Rhodes Suitcase with a Moog on top for bass lines. I also had the synth du jour
(I had the best sound when I used the Alessis SR16 drum machine and the D70 synth(Roland) on a third tier running through 2 Peavey KB300's and a third amp just for bass)(Peavey TNT130). Talk about heavy, and bulky !
This was the setup I had in the 80's and I never moved it more than once a month ... usually once every THREE or FOUR months.