Hi!! Sadly, I can no longer play bass, so I'm looking for software that I can use for Brit Invasion, Alternative Rock, Post-Punk type stuff. I want to avoid Kontakt, Trillian, etc. that are "real" bass emulations. Instead, I'm hoping to find something that simply has a nice smooth, but punchy tone without the samples and a zillion articulations . . . sit nicely in the mix as a substitute for a real bass guitar.

Any thoughts are appreciated . . . .

 

Modo Bass 2, but like most other instruments, it requires effort to sound convincing.

Edit: maybe actually Elementary Sounds WREMENA TWO might be what you need.

 

blamsoft - VK-1 Viking Synthesizer (Free) https://blamsoft.com/vst/vk-1-viking-synthesizer

VK-1 Viking Synthesizer is an authentic emulation of a classic monophonic analog synthesizer. It has three continuously variable wave oscillators, two ladder filters with a Dual Lowpass or Highpass/Lowpass configuration, a multi-wave LFO, and two modulation busses. VK-1 uses state of the art DSP technology to accurately reproduce the sound of the hardware.

Presets
VK-1 comes with 228 presets in the categories Bass, Bright Lead, Electro Bass, FX, Percussive Lead, Soft Lead, and Synthwave. The 50 Electro Bass and 50 Synthwave presets were created by experienced sound designer eXode. The synth excels at thick bass and rich lead sounds.

 

Because you are a bass player, you know the various techniques. There are many of us who can recommend a variety from a multitude of Modo, EZB, Ample Sounds Basses....all the ones you've listed, Kontakt bass libraries, Waves bass, other VST's you have not listed... BUT....

Find the one that responds the way YOU like it to play and sound. That is the only recommendation I believe I can give of any worth. You can try a pile out from the sister site as you likely know.

 

I'll echo Modo 2, fully articulated modeling just pick your tension and string age. But to really get there (or at least get the best out of it) use it only as a DI run into a dedicated amp sim. The packaged ones are.. eh. I find Melda Mbassador and Softube Eden WT800 usually match well for no fuss slap a preset on and go when used with Modo2. Pair with whatever your fav fx are.

In particular to your sound, check out the punk and aluminum models.

 

Modo Bass 2.

Convincing enough soundwise for me as Pianoteq.

I managed to dial in a convincing Serge Gainsbourg hollow kinda sound which was nice and a punk bass shouldn't be a problem at all. Very tweakable and fun to do so.

 

ample bass for upright sounds nice. i imagine the ample bass P would work as well https://www.amplesound.net/en/pro-pd.asp?id=9
sis. site probably has you covered that as well
(but yeah, it's like 6gb and sample based... but in my experience... it all depends if you want an apparent bass in the mix just to hold the bass end of the song or if you want a bass commanding and driving the mix. the latter might be better using sample based software to make it convincing. if it's just to hold the bass end even the martinic keebass would suffice.

 

Hmmm, As far as I know, only MODO bass and 4front basses are modeled, not sampled... 4frontbass is more like some kind of hybrid, but steel more modeled than sampled... MODO bas is verrry good.. but, do you want it...

I ean do you want free or you can pay.

Kontakt libraries are rather good, but.. gb and gb of samples...

 

Does 4Front Bas work with new systems? I remember that bass back 15+years.

 

Actually yes, it has a VST2 64 dll version...

 

Am I reading this correctly . . . that MODO Bass 2 NOW includes all of the models? In the past, wasn't it pay for each model? At $49 is this a great deal or . . . ?

MODO BASS 2
IK's expanded physically modeled electric and acoustic bass virtual instrument. Includes all 22 bass models.

 

Mac version?

 

hmm, yes. I usualy look for win. but now I noticed that at the site it has some osx version... but what.. ???
https://www.yohng.com/software/bass.html

 

With IK you gotta be sure you're reading it carefully. They pump out so damned many version packages and sales, but yes...modo 2 now includes all models for one price (just make sure you're actually buying that version... always check IK official site first over vendor sites).

Their new sales model in general is once, twice a year offer everything they have for peanuts. So yes, they are considerably more affordable than in the past.

 

is this the full version with all models? More importantly, is this the best option out there for good sounding, easy to use bass to fill in a bass track on an indie rock song? Is EZBass sampled? Is that worth considering? I do have Kee Bass, which is more like a smooth organ bass, but . . . it has a nice tone.

https://www.ikmultimedia.com/produc...s4I5x3wvUN1ERrVcni_3-0LYQ6NobqJF#nl_form_area

 

Yes, this version for 49 dolarius is the full version, but I can recomend for 99 dolarius to take modo complet.. modo bass and drums... full.. It is a good price...
Even better.. for 250 usd you can have all instruments from ik multimedia...


But, enough offtopic from myself, man ask for bass...

 

Yes. That is the full version (with Bass its mostly in the bundles that isnt always the full version).

With Modo there are probably at least 5 or 6 models as is that would like for typical indie sounds. If you dont, you can switch the pickups and their position with all other available pickups into whatever body you like (maybe you just like the look of one or its tension settings or the neck but not bridge).

There is a free demo you can try first, I don't know how crippled it is though. EZBass is sampled. My thoughts on EZBass and EZKeys are that they are more tools for songwrighters who just need quick backing tracks or for commercial work where you're constantly pumping out and on deadlines. That isn't a slight against them, I just don't view them as top contenders if you yourself want to write the parts and are big into shaping your sound. They're like an Arranger Keyboard vs a Workstation Keyboard to me. They serve different purposes. But, you might feel different. I love Superior Drummer so I'm certainly for using toontracks.

As to usability... Modo isn't sampled, which is going to make it far easier to use than most any other option due to how libraries tend to treat articulation. Much fewer key commands and the primary mode is playable straight away for all uses. The same is often not true of sample libraries.

With modo they are.. i dunno.. 2 or 3 keys you'd switch kinda regularly, a couple once in a while. Sample libraries? 10x that.

 

Thanks so much. I need to make a quick decision where to buy. MODO Bass 2, go for something else, or just stick with Kee Bass and make it work.

 

exuseme for asking, what kee bass? software or hardware...

https://www.martinic.com/en/products/kee-bass

 

Exactly why I avoid sampled libraries. I really don't want to learn intricate key commands for articulations. If I am going through that much trouble, I'll learn a "real" instrument. I just want to find notes that work on my KB controller with a little velocity timbre and maybe mod wheel here and there. Nothing more.