Old 11-12-2018, 03:05 PM   #1
RDBOIS
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Default Best FREE Realistic Bass VSTi ?

Greetings.

Today I tested out a few FREE bass VSTi plugins. I was looking for a bass sound that sounds realistic.

There are many good synth bass plugins out there, but much less 'realistic' sounding. Especially not free plugins. Right?

Criteria: Realistic = Sounds like a real bass, with all the quirks (buzzing, fret release and attack sounds, natural variations, etc.).

We must start with a good midi track; this means having the right velocity, timing, etc. ==> * with humanized variations. But, once we have these small variations in the MIDI track notes we need a VST plugin that will take it to the next level.

Note: I normally, always, play and record a real bass. But, I was curious if I could find a good plugin for times when I want to 'create' in the box when I'm on the road and don't have my instruments. Anyway, I thought this would be a BIG FAIL, but I was pleasantly surprised by --->

I found ABP Lite II v2.31 by AmpleSound to be remarkable. I made a short video to illustrate some of the great features. You can add fret sounds, strings buzzing, random elements, etc.

https://www.amplesound.net/en/download.asp

I'm not paid by anyone -- I'm sharing this info because I think AmpleSound made a really good FREE plugin for people who need a realistic sounding bass track when programing MIDI.

If you find something better for FREE please post the info and let us know.



Note: the song I'm working on is a cover song called Plainsong from The Cure. I programmed all the instruments myself. The lyrics will be in French and I added acoustic guitar. It will be released soonest.

Last edited by RDBOIS; 11-12-2018 at 05:17 PM.
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Old 11-13-2018, 04:22 AM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RDBOIS View Post
Greetings.

Today I tested out a few FREE bass VSTi plugins. I was looking for a bass sound that sounds realistic.

There are many good synth bass plugins out there, but much less 'realistic' sounding. Especially not free plugins. Right?

Criteria: Realistic = Sounds like a real bass, with all the quirks (buzzing, fret release and attack sounds, natural variations, etc.).

We must start with a good midi track; this means having the right velocity, timing, etc. ==> * with humanized variations. But, once we have these small variations in the MIDI track notes we need a VST plugin that will take it to the next level.

Note: I normally, always, play and record a real bass. But, I was curious if I could find a good plugin for times when I want to 'create' in the box when I'm on the road and don't have my instruments. Anyway, I thought this would be a BIG FAIL, but I was pleasantly surprised by --->

I found ABP Lite II v2.31 by AmpleSound to be remarkable. I made a short video to illustrate some of the great features. You can add fret sounds, strings buzzing, random elements, etc.

https://www.amplesound.net/en/download.asp

I'm not paid by anyone -- I'm sharing this info because I think AmpleSound made a really good FREE plugin for people who need a realistic sounding bass track when programing MIDI.

If you find something better for FREE please post the info and let us know.



Note: the song I'm working on is a cover song called Plainsong from The Cure. I programmed all the instruments myself. The lyrics will be in French and I added acoustic guitar. It will be released soonest.

sounds great.the gold standard for bass vsti is Trllian by Spectrasonics i think which is not free of course.

the percussion sounds interesting downloading it now
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Old 11-13-2018, 04:29 AM   #3
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I agree about the AmpleSound one but I think it does depend on what you want it to sound like, depending on your project.

This may not apply to your current project but you may find a few reasonable and tweakable ones with the free kontakt player which includes the 'Band' section in the basic free library.


Like your music a lot: If you don't mind me asking, what did you use in the vocals on The Land We Love (new version)for the octaved voices - or did you record vocals twice?
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Old 11-13-2018, 12:19 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RobertP View Post
I agree about the AmpleSound one but I think it does depend on what you want it to sound like, depending on your project.

This may not apply to your current project but you may find a few reasonable and tweakable ones with the free kontakt player which includes the 'Band' section in the basic free library.


Like your music a lot: If you don't mind me asking, what did you use in the vocals on The Land We Love (new version)for the octaved voices - or did you record vocals twice?
Thanks.

For this project I will dub the bass low end -- 1 synth + 1 normal bass = the deep boom attack layered with a sustained grainy modulated sound. It will fill up the low end (lush).

For The Land We Love I simply sang twice; the main vocal and back up. What I typically do with vocal backup is a massive high pass and low pass. Then a bit of reverb. The back vocal lives in the mid range (almost a telephone-like sound) - this means I don't need to use much for it to cut across the mix; just a gentle blending in - sounding a bit behind due to the reverb.

I'm not sure it is always an octave - I tend to change it up with 5th and 3rds in some places.
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Old 11-16-2018, 12:07 AM   #5
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The thing about AmpleSound Bass is that it doesn't sound perfectly tuned.
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Old 11-18-2018, 03:25 AM   #6
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(blush) as a working bass player, that probably adds to it`s authenticity!

Used it on a couple of quick slapped-together
tracks & it actually works quite well.
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Old 11-18-2018, 08:59 AM   #7
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What I find most bass romplers are missing is an authentic note off sound, they always go for clankly but a good player mutes with both hands or at least the left for a quiet thump before the string can bounce on the fret.
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Old 11-18-2018, 04:53 PM   #8
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I can't wait to buy a cheap real bass. Samples sound so weak.
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Old 01-15-2019, 03:06 AM   #9
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This is very cool, Thanks!
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Old 02-17-2019, 07:56 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RDBOIS View Post

For The Land We Love I simply sang twice; the main vocal and back up. What I typically do with vocal backup is a massive high pass and low pass. Then a bit of reverb. The back vocal lives in the mid range (almost a telephone-like sound) - this means I don't need to use much for it to cut across the mix; just a gentle blending in - sounding a bit behind due to the reverb.

I'm not sure it is always an octave - I tend to change it up with 5th and 3rds in some places.
I had a listen to this and liked it too. and then I started thinking if you had ever listened to this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFcSMsOyKyg
When I checked they both seem to be in the same key (?) but more importantly share something too in the arrangement and vocal delivery that characterised the last years of the band. If you haven't of heard them be prepared for a trip down a very strange rabbit hole indeed... but my guess is you are already aware of them!
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Old 02-17-2019, 09:05 AM   #11
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What I find most bass romplers are missing is an authentic note off sound, they always go for clankly but a good player mutes with both hands or at least the left for a quiet thump before the string can bounce on the fret.
Applause! Only just noticed this post and a Gold star plus house points galore for pointing this out, Fergler.

So much of what a competent bass player actually does goes completely over the heads of most players (cof guitarists cof) that they all assume playing bass is dead easy. It ain`t if you want to do it well/properly.

Jeff Berlin is a classic example of this. A deceptively simple player, even when he is showing his professional ass for the benefit of some tutorial site, but what he plays consistently works.
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Old 02-18-2019, 10:11 AM   #12
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So much of what a competent bass player actually does goes completely over the heads of most players (cof guitarists cof) that they all assume playing bass is dead easy. It ain`t if you want to do it well/properly.
I played around with some bass plugins, just more knobs, buttons, and switches to mess around with. Ended up buying a 300 dollar Yamaha bass, and I couldn't be happier with the results.

To the points made about thinking playing a bass is easy, I couldn't agree more. For me it's been a bit easier than my midi keyboard, but I've still got a long way to go from being a guy who has a bass, to being a guy who knows how to play a bass.
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Old 02-18-2019, 11:12 AM   #13
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My favorite bass joke.

Kid wants to learn to play bass so his parents buy him a bass and set him up with lessons. After the first couple of lessons, kid comes home after about an hour, says everything was good, learned a few notes.

After the third lesson, kid doesn't come home until after midnight, parents ask what took so long, kid said "I had a gig."

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Old 02-18-2019, 01:22 PM   #14
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wow that sounds great ! thanks !
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Old 02-22-2019, 12:51 PM   #15
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Originally Posted by toleolu View Post
My favorite bass joke.

Kid wants to learn to play bass so his parents buy him a bass and set him up with lessons. After the first couple of lessons, kid comes home after about an hour, says everything was good, learned a few notes.

After the third lesson, kid doesn't come home until after midnight, parents ask what took so long, kid said "I had a gig."


That aint that funny. I went to a rehearsal of a band at the age of ten, having spent about three months worth of bashing around aimlessly on an acoustic guitar. Came home as the banjo player of the band with my first gig in 2 weeks time! I was too young and dumb to be scared or have stage fright. Oh and the 15 year old clarinet player lent me a banjo AND taught me "all the chords"....
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Old 03-29-2019, 04:49 AM   #16
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For the original inquiry:

Kontakt Player and Mikro Prism Synth are both free. Mikro Prism is a modal synth and delivers oddly authentic acoustic sounds which you can push into galactic craziness with the turn of a knob. No note-off sounds and the like, but a very unique sound which does not remind you of classical analog synth sounds at all
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Old 05-03-2020, 01:17 PM   #17
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Default free bass

Hows it going the best free bass amp vst is without a doubt audified's gallian kruger. I have since abandoned this configuration because I have invested in a commercial alternative so I have no problem giving back here. There are two ways to do it, either record or sample two bass tracks, Zombass 1-4 are free through Wilkinson Audio just FYI or there is Amplesound Bass Lite just FYI, but two tracks, one sub bass using the the TSE BOD pedal, also free, the Audified GK. Second I use a guitar amp called Kauassa Lite with the built in cab on the clean channel, it really focus the tone and the two sit together great in the mix. no need to scroll through a gazillion IRs unless you want to. Alternatively so save cpu you can use reapers superior routing capability and just run and audio send out of a single bass track, if you use a sample library I'd double it.

Distortion is up to you, personally I use a more traditional high gain, mid scooped guitar tone and introducing distortion into the chain is completely unnecessary to my ear, I have to roll off gain for no reason, but if you want more you can use BOD or the TSE 808 which is also free.

If you want the absolute best almost free buy an issue of computer music magazine, you get the The Grind Machine, Bass Grinder, and Mecuriall Engl emulation along with hundreds of other great plugins. You can also go to guitar forums and track down Grindmachine Best IR and there are hundreds of ir's engineered to sound like famous bands, it's like drag and drop guitar tone. The Gindmachine itself is only 3.99

The best free bass is a sfz called Standard Bass 2, by Unreal Instruments, you can use it with the free sforzando player, it is multisampled and sounds awesome, it rivals commercial libraries in terms of tone, articulation and functionality.

https://unreal-instruments.wixsite.c...al-instruments

https://www.plogue.com/products/sforzando.html

https://shop.audified.com/products/gk-amplification-2

https://www.kuassa.com/products/amplifikation-lite/

https://www.tseaudio.com/software/tseBOD
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Old 05-04-2020, 03:59 AM   #18
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I was surprised a while back to discover that I had SI-Bass from Cakewalk in my VSTi folder. I think it appeared when I installed Cakewalk to have a look when it went free. It is OK I think soundwise but haven't compared it with the others mentioned.

Oh I was not persuaded to switch DAWs BTW!

Last edited by martifingers; 05-04-2020 at 04:00 AM. Reason: accuracy
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