In this guide, we will outline the 15 best VST plugins in this category, ranging from multi-sampled instruments, synth basses, and futuristic bass solutions. A Few Considerations Before we get into the technical details, there are a few terms you need to get familiar with to fully understand the information below. Synthesized bass is common in pop, electronic, and rap music. On the other hand, guitar bass are faithful real-instrument emulators for those who want to easily have access to realistic bass sounds. Given the success of bass plug-ins, it shouldn’t be surprising that the market is swarmed with bass VST plugins.
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A song without a bass instrument would, well, sound lifeless, and incomplete. You might think it shouldn’t be necessary, well you might be right as songs are different, but the moment you add a superb bassline, then you would quickly notice the depth and life of the song, you would enjoy whatever you are doing by just adding a simple bass.
But… don’t take my words for it, here is a before and after of a simple track, one with no bass, and the other with a bassline:
Use an headphone off course
You can see how the bass gives it a lead on, it just feels more punchy and relaxing, here is another example:
Be the judge, my guest 😉
Since we know the importance of using a bass instrument, I would be recommending some of the best bass virtual instruments that sound good and realistic, enjoy the rest of the show…
1.) ujam Virtual Bassist DANDY
ujam ‘DANDY’ is the latest addition to the acclaimed Virtual Bassist line. This meticulously crafted plug-in features a sampled bass with flat-wound strings for a classy, warm, and restrained sound.
DANDY perfectly complements the Virtual Bassist Series including ROYAL (electric
fingered session bass), ROWDY (energetic picked electric rock bass), and MELLOW
(fingered acoustic double bass).
The Virtual Bassists can be played freely in the Instrument Mode, follow key and chords intelligently to play phrases in the Player Mode, or automatically accompany a track using PreSonus Studio One Chord Track and Key Switch features.
►Key Features:
- 30 styles and 990 phrases
- 100 signature presets
- 4 character and smart mix presets each
- 15 built-in Finisher multi-effect modes
- MIDI Drag and Drop and a resizable GUI
- Instrument & Player modes, Studio One Chord Track, and Key Switches
2.) ikmultimedia – MODO BASS
ikmultimedia doesn’t need an introduction, their products are one of the best in the music market, and now, we have exemplarily Bass. MODO BASS is one of the first physically modeled electric bass virtual instrument that gives you an astounding realistic performance for your music tracks.
MODO BASS isn’t a mere traditional sample-based virtual instruments, but a groundbreaking realistic BASS that utilizes an astonishing technology to breathe life into bass tracks. Unlike traditional sample-based virtual instruments, MODO BASS utilizes modal synthesis technology and an ultra-optimized sound engine to model each string as a nonlinear resonator.
The good thing about MODO BASS is that each string’s acoustic behavior is determined by its physical parameters, as well modeling the action of the player as a nonlinear physical interaction with certain areas on the string surface and the interaction of the string with the fretboard, body, and pick-ups of the instrument.
On top of that, you can add IK’s cutting edge analog modeling expertise, the amp and effects rig of the electric bass is added to the sound chain.
The thing I find the most interesting is the fact that it comes bundled with a collection of 14 iconic bass models that define virtually every style and every genre of music recorded with electric bass.
Each bass model was chosen for its particular timbre and wood tone, and every detail of the instrument’s performance has been meticulously modeled and recreated.
►Key Features
- The first physically modeled electric bass virtual instrument
- Groundbreaking real-time modal synthesis technology — no samples used to create the sound
- Recreate virtually every electric bass sound imaginably
- 14 iconic bass models that span the history of recorded electric bass
- Models the entire act of playing an electric bass – player, instrument, FX & amp
- Ultra-small memory footprint
- Choose playing style — pluck, slap, and pick
- Freely move the playing hand for realistic performance
- Customize string force, fingers used, pick thickness & technique
- Customize string number, scale, tuning, gauge, construction, action, age
- 24 faithfully recreated, interchangeable iconic bass pickups with volume
- Choose active or passive electronics with parametric EQ
- Under-bridge piezo pickup with blend
- 7 bass stompbox effects configurable in 4-slot chain
- 2 iconic bass amps – Solid State and Tube derived from AmpliTube
- FX and amp global bypass for routing
- Optimized resizable interface
- Works as a 64-bit plug-in or standalone instrument for Mac/PC
- Full MIDI control with MIDI learn, key switches
- Full DAW automation control support
3.) Bass Engine 1 by DopeSONIX
Bass Engine 1 is a Hip-Hop bass plug-in by DopeSONIX, it features low-end bass and 808 sounds. DopeSONIX did thorough research from the last three decades of Hip Hop production, and have selected the most useful and relevant ones of that era.
You’ll find a different collection of basses such as dusty jazzy upright bass to floor shaking 808’s and everything in between. Let’s learn how they came about the selection of the sounds in those eras…
►Key Features
- 300 Pre-EQ’ed Hip Hop bass instruments including twenty fat 808′s
- An unrivaled collection of the Finest USEABLE Hip Hop bass instruments ever!
- 50 Hip Hop MIDI basslines included featuring a selection of styles and keys
- Built-in pitch, pan, glide, and volume controls
- Mono, Poly, and Legato Modes
- Built-in ADSR controls
- Built-in Hi & Lo pass filter
- Ultra-low CPU usage [perfect if you own a laptop/tablet / low spec PC/MAC]
- Ultra-fast patch loading [flick through patches in lightening quick times]
- Program your basslines manually or use a MIDI/USB controller/keyboard/MPD
System Requirements
Mac:
- OS X 10.4 – 10.15 (MacOS 10.15 Catalina now supported)
- 125MB disk space required
- 2 GB RAM
- Audio Units (AU) or VST DAW compatible host required (64-bit only)
Windows:
- Windows XP / 7 / 8 / 10
- 139MB disk space required
- 1 GB RAM
- VST compatible DAW host is required (32 or 64-bit)
4.) Bass Master by Loopmasters
Bass Master by Loopmasters features huge variety of bass sounds and provides inspiration for a weighty, powerful bass tone in any genre.
Across two layers, the curated set of 217 waveforms (that’s almost 50,000 possible combinations), taken from a mixture of legendary hardware classics and cutting-edge synth science.
It comes with over 350 mix-ready presets with a clean and simple UI, meaning it’s a breeze to dial in your ultimate bass tone.
The onboard filter offers 13 filter types: including a range of low-pass, band-pass and high-pass models, ladder filters and a comb filter. The filter envelope (ADSR) and LFO (including Random and Drift shapes) give Bass Master even more sculpting power.
The interesting feature I love is the Legato and Portamento that is included in the Global controls, this gives you a lot of flexibility with the glide time and the pitch bend.
►System Requirements:
macOS:
- 10.12 – 10.15 (officially tested OS X Platforms)
- Formats: AU (64 bit only) and VST (64 bit only)
Windows:
- 10, 8 and 7
- Formats: VST (64 bit only)
5.) Monoment Bass by Softube
Monoment Bass is tailored to producing huge, solid bass tones with complex, organic overtones and focused effects for a mix-ready low end – is more than just useful. It’s foundational. It lays the groundwork for top-quality tracks.
The good thing about this Monoment Bass is that all of the source material was recorded in stereo from high-end rare and boutique synths, giving huge, wide, and mood-defining sounds.
Also, it includes a purpose-built multi-band compressor, and a spatialization tool for fine-tuning your stereo image, Monoment Bass has great-sounding effects, but more importantly, the right effects for the job.
►Key Features:
- Super-high-quality bass synth with stereo source sounds from top-end boutique hardware
- Top-notch synth architecture that’s both versatile and easy to use
- Blend noise with two different sources at once for a textured and highly complex sound
- Professional presets from Madison Mars, Vandalism, Sample Tools by Cr2, WA production, Black Octopus, and Function Loops
- A heavy focus on modern bass sounds makes this the perfect addition to the forward-thinking studio
- Fills a soundstage with domineering weight and power, yet easy to mix thanks to dedicated effects
►System Requirements:
- Mac OS X 10.12 or newer (older OS versions may work but are not tested (64-bit only).
- Windows 64-bit, versions 7, 8 or 10 (64-bit only).
- Intel Core 2 Duo, AMD Athlon 64 X2 or newer.
- Screen resolution 1280×800 or larger.
- Supported sample rates: 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4 and 192 kHz, in both mono and stereo.
- 8 GB RAM or more is recommended, as well as at least 8 GB hard disk space for installation (individual plug-ins take less space, while sample libraries may require additional disk space).
Useful Related posts:
Virtual instruments are software emulations of traditional instruments or hardware electronic musical instruments.
There is a staggering range of virtual instruments available nowadays, covering multi-timbral rompler modules to dedicated emulations of guitars, basses, drums, keyboards, and more.
Some of these VSTi plugins (as they’re also called) are free. So in this article we’ll take a look at some of the best free virtual instruments you can download today. Many of which are pro worthy.
Virtual Bass Vst
Find more great gear here:
Intro: About Virtual Instruments
The benefits of virtual instruments are fairly obvious. They take up much less space than their hardware equivalents, they don’t overheat, and many of them have virtually unlimited polyphony. They are also much easier to edit and they almost never break down.
Here we run down some of the most intriguing virtual instruments currently available. Although some purists may scoff at the idea of these replacing their well-loved guitars or keyboards, there is no denying that they provide a surprising range of great sounds at a price that even professional musicians will appreciate.
Bass Vst Instrument
Best Free VSTi Plugins
The List
Virtual Bassist Vst Full
The Roundup
Native Instruments’ Kontakt Player is arguably the Don of all free virtual instrument plug-ins. Based on the company’s own hugely successful Kontakt sampler, Kontakt Player effectively hosts all sample-based instruments developed for its more fully-featured big brother.
The compatibility goes the other way as well. All free instruments developed specifically for Kontakt Player will load up and play in the full version of Kontakt. Between the two, there is a staggering assortment of free and paid instruments, all boasting of the trademark Native Instrument quality.
To get budget-savvy musicians and producers started, NI offers a free Kontakt Factory Selection consisting of 50 premium instruments. Some of these are slightly cut-down versions of the instruments developed for Kontakt, while some are full versions developed specifically for Kontakt Player.
While Kontakt Player focuses mainly on standard instrument libraries, Native Instruments’ Reaktor Player is geared more towards the synthesis side of things.
Demonstration
Reaktor is of course the full-blown modular synthesis environment that gives users unparalleled and unlimited opportunity to design virtually any type of synthesizer, sequencer, or signal processor they could think of from scratch. With Reaktor Player, users are able to play back a wide variety of instruments and effects developed in and for Reaktor, with a more modest set of editing capabilities.
As with Kontakt Player, there is a huge range of ready-made instruments available for use in Reaktor Player. NI even offers two free devices to get you started: the Blocks Wired pre-patched modular synth and the Mikro Prism synthesizer.
Reaktor Player obviously doesn’t come close to providing the depth of power and customizability offered by the full version of Reaktor. Nevertheless, it is a good introduction to modular synthesis. Furthermore, the availability of hundreds of Reaktor instruments cover a board range of sound-crafting options.
Ample Guitar M Lite is the free version of Ample Sounds’ popular AGM guitar simulator. Emulating the warm, rich tones of the Martin D-41 acoustic guitar, Ample Guitar M Lite is now on its second version.
Virtual Bass Amp Vst
For the price of a free download, you get an enhanced set of features that now match the capabilities of the full version. The note range now spans E1 – C5, and the plug-in now works as a standalone instrument. Even if you do opt to use the instrument in your DAW, multiple instances will take up much less resources than before, and they will load up faster as well.
Demonstration
As you may have guessed from the name, Ample Bass P Lite is Ample Sound’s free bass guitar sample player plug-in. A cut-down version of the full Ample Bass P II component of the company’s Bass Series product line, this plug-in has fewer samples and fewer round robin variations than the full version. It also has a smaller note range than the paid product, covering D1 to F4. Nevertheless, the Ample Bass P Lite does a good job of cranking out the distinctive tones of the Fender Precision Bass, which it models.
Manda Audio’s MT Power Drum Kit is a free drum sampler that has a fairly wide selection of acoustic drum kit sounds. Great care has been taken to record and process the original samples, giving users a range of high-quality drum sounds perfectly suited for pop, rock, and even metal.
Those who wish to process their drum sounds with their own plug-ins might not appreciate the fact that the MT Power Drum’s sounds are already processed. Nevertheless, EQ and compression were applied quite tastefully, and the sounds should fit in well in most mixes.
Demonstration
Togu Audio Line has garnered quite a bit of acclaim for its excellent line of synthesizers and effects processors, a number of which are free. NoiseMaker is one of these, and it compares favorably to the company’s own paid emulation of the Roland Juno 106 analog synth, the TAL-U-NO-LX.
The NoiseMaker incorporates some of TAL’s more popular effects processors on board. There is the Juno-derived chorus with two modes for starters, along with a reverb, a delay, and a bitcrusher, all of which exist as free standalone plug-ins.
DistroCore’s DC Bazz::Murda is a bass and kick synthesizer that is capable of a surprisingly wide array of sounds. Although aggressive and distorted industrial sounds are its forte, it can be dialed back for more subdued tones as well. Even so, this is one plug-in that was obviously designed to get as loud and nasty as possible. For some users, that could be a good thing!
Top Pick
Native Instruments’ Kontakt Player and Reaktor Player are a couple of the best free virtual instruments that you can get, without a doubt. They provide a superb one-two punch that simply can’t be beat.
Between the two, you pretty much have all your bases covered, whether you need bread-and-butter rompler sounds, exotic World Music libraries, or synthetic sounds ranging from vintage to cutting-edge.
Given the wide range of sounds they cover and the trademark NI quality, these two are neck-and-neck as our top picks for best virtual instrument plug-ins.