Do you need to add a killer bass track to your new song but don’t have a bass guitar?
Or maybe you do play bass but don’t want to go through the headache of recording your own guitar?
These are just a few examples of where bass guitar software can come in handy. With high quality bass sounds at your fingertips, you can easily transform any song from mediocre into a sonic masterpiece.
The bass guitar VST happens to be one of my favorite plugins. In fact, I would argue that a lot of bass guitars you hear in pop music today, have some sort of bass guitar VST blended in the mix. Today we are going to be taking an in-depth look at the current best bass guitar VSTs available. If you’re the type of producer that HAS to have a solid bass fill your track, then Loopmasters Bass Master VST is one of the better bass plugins out there. A pair of oscillators lead the way in the Bass Master, offering more than 200 distinct waveforms. Ample Bass P Lite II aim to bring the Fender Precision Bass sound to your studio. The Ample Bass VST plugin is an electric bass vst plugin great for some groovier and more rock-centric bass sounds. Scarbee Bass is a virtual instrument that is powered by Kontakt, a VST plugin. Kontakt 5 Player is free and luckily the Scarbee Bass plugins can be used by it, although you will have to purchase each individual.
The problem is that there are so many bass plugins out there and most sound very digital or are aimed more at electronic music. Replicating a real bass guitar is a tricky thing but luckily there are some great solutions.
Let’s take a look at my favorite options out there and help you find the best bass guitar VST plugins.
Short on time? IK Multimedia's MODO Bass is my number 1 choice for best bass guitar VST for its amazingly natural sound and tweaking options.
Best Bass Guitar VST Plugins
IK Multimedia MODO Bass
After being in development for 8 years in collaboration with one of Europe’s oldest universities, MODO Bass is at the very top of the list when it comes to a virtual instrument for electric bass.
Virtual instruments are usually sample-based which means that when you trigger the sound it will play the sample. The problem with this is that the sounds tend to lack that “human” touch, and they can start to sound artificial.
IK Multimedia alleviates this problem all together by creating a brand new technology that models the entire process of playing a bass and the sound that comes out. MODO Bass utilizes modal synthesis technology to model each string as a nonlinear resonator.
Once you select from one of the 14 different bass guitar models, you start by selecting your play style. With finger style you can select which fingers you play with and how much force each will use. Select slap style and every stroke will sound different - just like a real bassist.
If you select pick style you can even select the thickness of the pick and whether you will use downpicking or alternate strokes. You can even apply muting to the strings and have complete control over every aspect of it.
In addition to all this you can specify where on the strings you play. Just like on a real bass, playing near the bridge provides a more pronounced upper frequency tone, and playing closer to the neck results in a more round tone.
Next up you will select your strings.
First the number of strings and the tuning, and then what gauge they are, the age of the strings, scale length, action, and much more.
They really have thought of everything here and every attribute contributes to the final sound in an organic and realistic way.
The electronics section is where you will select the best pickup from the 24 different models and configure the wiring of the bass. You can experiment with up to 2 pickups on each bass, their position, and frequency response parameters.
Switch the electronics from passive to active and you’ll get access to a whole new EQ parameter so you can fine tune your tone.
They didn’t stop just there though.
You’ll have complete control over the signal chain and get to add in any of the 7 stomp box effects including Octaver, Distortion, Chorus, Compressor, Delay, Envelope Filter and Graphic EQ.
Using IK’s advanced non-linear modeling technology, the pedalboard not only provides ultra accurate modeling of the desired effect, but also models the interactions of the effects pedal with the others giving you a realism not found in any other software package.
Lastly, choose your amp and you’ll of course get access to all of the functions you’ll need like EQ, gain structure, and tons of other fine-tuning options.
Overall, MODO Bass is an outstanding plugin and probably the best out there for what it does. The sounds and subtle nuances are so realistic you’ll be convinced that you recorded a real bass.
If you can't record your own bass and if you are looking for a virtually modeled bass guitar that sounds very realistic with control over pretty much every aspect imaginable, this definitely gets my vote for best bass guitar VST.
Spectrasonics Trilian
Having first appeared in 2010, Trilian is still one of the most well known and highly regarded bass VST’s available.
It comes with a massive 34 GB library filled with electronic, acoustic guitars, synthesized, and experimental bass sounds.
Selecting your bass is easy - just go to the browser and sort by category, type, model, or technique. On the main page you’ll find the most useful settings for the bass like compressor settings, EQ, and mix settings.
If you crave more control you can go into a deeper edit menu to control modulation, soundsource, filter, envelope, LFO’s, and you can even add a 2nd layer to create a more complex sound if needed.
On the FX page you get access to over 30 original effects like gates, phasers, compressors, delays, and reverbs. Each one is in rack form so you can easily adjust all the settings with the knobs in the interface.
The arpeggiator is the last section where you get 32 total steps, and you’ll have access to a variety of modes, triggers, and clock signatures. You can also drag MIDI files into the program to have them played back using whichever instrument you want.
Where Trilian really shines is with its acoustic and synth bass sounds. It’s one of the very few plugins on the market that allows you to play a very realistic sounding double bass, and it’s certainly the best.
Tambourine free vst. Although the program has aged quite a bit, the sounds have definitely stood the test of time and continue to shine.
Native Instruments - Scarbee Bass
Scarbee Bass is a virtual instrument that is powered by Kontakt, a VST plugin.
Kontakt 5 Player is free and luckily the Scarbee Bass plugins can be used by it, although you will have to purchase each individual bass guitar model you want for between $69 and $99.
These models include the Rickenbacker Bass, Jay-Bass, Pre-Bass, Pre-Bass Amped, MM-Bass, and MM-Bass amped.
Although it’s not necessary, you can upgrade to the full version of Kontakt which will allow you to arrange, edit, loop, slice, and time-stretch samples using seven playback modes. Plus, it will give you access to 84 different effects and 43 GB of high-quality samples to use in your mix.
Thomas Hansen Skarbye is a sampling expert who has developed a large majority of the instrument packages available over Native Instruments.
Let’s take the Scarbee Jay-Bass package for example which is an authentic rendition of the legendary Fender Jazz Bass.
It recreates all the sonic intricacies of the Jazz Bass in both slapped and fingered playing styles, delivering a huge variety of tones suitable for almost every genre. All four strings of the original instrument have been sampled in nine different velocities, resulting in over 4,000 individual studio-grade samples.
The sounds were recorded through a DI to retain the distinctive original character of the instrument, using round-wound strings for a bright and punchy sound.
There are also profiles for various genres, including EQ and effects controls, which allow musicians and producers the ability to further customize the sound and behavior of Jay-Bass to fit the musical context.
There’s a unique scripting feature inside of Kontakt that allows for many subtle nuances to come through. Things like harmonics, hammer-ons, pull-offs, and fret noises are automatically triggered and add a distinctly human element to the playing.
The Rickenbacker Bass is one of my favorites, and it sounds incredible. It’s the first Scarbee bass to be played with a pick and it captures all the crisp and defined midrange of the iconic Rickenbacker 4003 guitar which has been captured on many top-selling rock albums.
A Kontakt effects chain then adds a Jump amplifier from Guitar Rig, a tape saturator, EQ, and compressor for an unrivaled tone.
If you know exactly what kind of electric bass you want in your mix and don’t need all the frills and hundreds of other options, Scarbee bass plugins will be the best bass guitar VST option for you.
Ilya Efimov Bass
Just like Scarbee Bass above, the Ilya Efimov bass plugins require Kontakt in order to be used, although you will need the full version to support these bass sounds.
The company was founded in 2010 by Ilya Efimov - a well known composer, songwriter, producer, and jazz pianist from Russia. While he continues to work on major motion picture films, Ilya is currently focused on sample library creation.
For around $100 for each instrument, you can purchase a Rock Bass, Modern Bass, Classic Bass, Fretless Bass, and Retro Bass.
If we take for example the Classic Bass, it is modeled after the Fender Precision Bass Guitar`72 release. They recorded 12 dynamic layers for each fret on each string with various playing techniques and articulations.
With fingered, slap, palm-mute and additional articulations, you can quickly edit your MIDI notes or play in real time while a sophisticated algorithm runs in the background to add in the subtle nuances in playing.
For the convenience of composer and arrangers, several Legato modes, Open String mode, Chord Detection mode and an X-note mode have been added.
The bass sounds here are very natural. The only downside is the required purchase of the full Kontakt software which can be a little expensive, but if you already have it then the Ilya Efimov bass plugins are well worth a look.
AmpleSound Ample Bass
Ample Bass is an AU, VST, AAX or RTAS host application that also comes with a stand-alone plugin.
Just like Scarbee and Ilya Efimov basses listed above, you will buy each individual bass instrument you want to use, and they run from between $119 and $169 each.
Some of the options available are Metal Ray5, Bass Upright II, Bass Acoustic II, Bass Yinyang II, Bass J II, Bass P II, along with some extension libraries for things like funk variations or picking style instead of the default fingerstyle.
I’m absolutely in love with all the bass sounds here, especially the upright, acoustic, and Yinyang basses.
Articulations are numerous here and include things like sustain, palm mute, natural harmonics, hammer-ons, pull-offs, legato slides, pops, slaps, taps, dead notes, and many others.
The string roll editor shows all your fingering, articulation, expression, and playing noise. Here you can easily adjust things like velocity, vibrato, legato, and so on.
One nifty feature is the random riff generator which will create a brand new lick for you based on analyzing different musical scores. The results here are very convincing and don’t just sound like a random mashup of notes.
Using the tab player you can load in many formats of guitar and bass tabulature which will then be played back using your bass sound. It supports all the fingering, looping, chords, articulations and other markers in the loaded tablature.
All in all it’s a fantastic bass VST and you don’t need any other expensive software just to run it which is a huge plus.
Final Verdict - Best Bass Guitar VST
As you can see, each of these plugins brings their own special sauce to the table and they all have great sounds.
Which one is best for you though?
If you are looking for the newest, absolute best, most well-rounded bass guitar software with endless tweaking options, IK Multimedia MODO Bass is for you. It will produce the most natural and realistic sounding tones, and you’ll be able to dig deep into the guts of the guitar to fine tune it to your exact specifications.
If you want a huge time-tested library filled to the bring with great electric, acoustic, and synth bass sounds, Trilian is worth a look.
When you know exactly what kind of bass you want in your mix and don’t need tons of options for tweaking the sound, definitely check out Ilya Efimov, Scarbee, and Ample Bass. Take a listen through the bass sample sounds online and see if one speaks to you.
Ample Bass has a leg up on the others I think for the fact that it has acoustic bass, double bass, standalone software, and a tab player, but if you find a bass sound you like in the other packages you really can’t go wrong.
Good luck!
The best bass virtual instrument can set our songs apart by a mile, and we know from experience how it can feel to finally be covered in the bass arena of our music making repertoire. We’ve been collecting VST for quite some time now, and feel that we’re pretty competent considering for years we’ve scrounged the internet whenever we can for either free or paid virtual instruments (sometimes we think we’ve flooded ourselves with too many choices and have a hard to actually settling down with what to use). As we saw in our guitar VST guide or even piano VST, there are a great deal of choices in sounds and FX as we near a new decade with technology growing (which we’re not mad about). Regardless of what’s best for us, it works in your favor as we’ve been able to compile a great list for the best bass virtual instruments today to help your search. Note: We have a free bass plugins article in case you don’t want to pay for any yet.
The best bass VST
Spectrasonics Trilian
To kick off our guide here, Trillian’s VST’s are among the highest ranked out there, and their primary attribute here with this virtual instrument is it’s comprehensive design that features a balanced combination of various kinds of basses brought together into a state of the art VST bundle. It’s 34 GB library is home to a versatile collection of basses designed to offer users masterful real-time performances for both electric and acoustic basses. What’s more, this bass VST comes fully equipped with their next generation stream engine making it the first bass instrument to be integrated with the premier Omnispehere synth for enhanced splits and sound design.
As the successor to Spectrasonics highly rated Trilogy bass instrument, it features re-mastered and amplified versions of the flagship model’s library. On top of that, there are multi-samples from some of the most iconic Bass players including John Patitucci, Marcus Miller, and Laboriel Abraham. On the flipside, the interface requires one to get a bit used to. Nonetheless, it features a plethora of interesting controls for sound modification, all of which are custom controls.
If you wanted a large selection of bass sounds that will keep you busy for a super long amount of time and essentially have you covered in every area of bass, it is easy to see why Spectrasonics Trillian is ranked among the best bass VSTs of this age. It may be a bit expensive for some your tastes so we’ll continue with some lesser jam-packed bass VST below.
Scarbee Rickenbacker
We’re not going to lie here — we essentially use some shape or form of this bass with every single song we’ve been making for the past few years. It just sounds that real. “Capturing a legend”-That is the slogan behind Native Instruments’ Scarbee Rickenbacker bass synth and judging by its solid features, this is a reputation that the plugin lives up to! Rightfully so, the ‘legend’ referred to is the 1980 Rickenbacker 4003 known for its balanced tonal response and thunderous bass.
The Scarbee Rickenbacker immortalizes this feature through its crisp basses that are accompanied by the Kontakt chain effects for added tweaking. Being one of the best bass VST, the Rickenbacker also features a tape saturator, a ‘solid mix series’ compressor, and Guitar Rig’s Jump Amp. What’s more, it’s library includes 2 NKIs-palm-muted and open articulations, all of which were played using a pick for a realistic sounding feel. However, it is limited to the most recent Konakt platform version.
IK Modo Bass
What makes the IK Modo Bass one of the best bass virtual instruments in today’s market? The answer lies in it’s the fact that it is the first ever electric bass to be modeled physically making it a leading pioneer in the analog modeling music technology industry. Its precision is unmatched which was all one could expected from a synth that took (8 years) to be developed.
Deservedly so, the new version features some exciting updates including 2 additional bass models namely metal and Imperial-bringing the total to 14, 6 string enablement such that all the available models can be played in 6 string bass mode, ‘Drop A’ which enables users to automatically turn to the A note and dropping the B string, and added tweakability in the interface. More importantly, the IK Modo Bass VST uses a fully optimized sound engine and modal synthesis technology that structures the strings to work as nonlinear resonators for real time synthesis. Just another one of our favorite bass guitar VST in the world right now.
Best Bass Vst
Novation Bass Station
Novation’s Bass Station is the software plug-in for the 1993 Bass Station that featured a warm analog path and DCO oscillators with solid flexibility. The bass VST plugin features a wide collection of bass sounds ranging from screaming leads to class fat basses that give it a warm resonance that is quite rare in modern bass plug-ins. Among its features is a classic ladder filter that models sounds at 12/24 dB for that low bass.
Also added to the frame are LFOs that are relatively easy to route. As such, using this kind of modulation routing, one is in a position to take full control of the production’s harmonic sounds using either the filter cut-off or the pulse width modulation. Other notable features that make this one of the best bass VSTs include ADSR envelopes, oscillator sync which allows for highly expressive complicated timbres, over 100 presets, and extensive plugin support.
Output Substance
Output’s Substance makes it to the list largely on account of its powerful bass engine. In as far as the best bass virtual instruments for new-age bass production is concerned, Substance is somewhere at the top! It features a combination of complete live brass sets, large poly-synths, uniquely processed acoustic basses, enhanced sound design, and amplified electric bases.
On the other hand being its prime feature, the intense engine operates by bringing together up to 3 sound source layers and merging them with a range of tweaks such as FX, modulation, flux control, an amped arpeggiator and filters for a thumping, solid quality bass. Together, these features enable the VST to generate a new breed of bass that is all the more thunderous. What’s more, Output Substance features a unique blend of presets such as the ‘Fuzz Pedal’, ‘Simple Acoustic’, ‘Super-Fast Bass Arp’, ‘Snowy Road’, ‘Smooth Upright’, and the Sub Tsunami, to name just but a few. Definitely one of the best bass virtual instruments to check out if you wanted more new-age, technological sounds and capabilities.
Waves Bass Slapper
The Bass Slapper boats of a realistic sounding slapping bass sound that accurately emulates the articulations and nuances of a high end bass instrument. Essentially, as far as Slap Bass is concerned, this is one of the best bass virtual instruments around. It has been designed to allow users to develop realistic sounds while maintaining absolute control over each articulation as well as note. This is made possible by its extensive library which includes pull-offs, dead notes, popping, thumbs, legato sounds, and open strings.
This model also comes fully equipped with all 5 string articulations, reliable amp simulation, low boost, 4-band equalizer, real time MIDI controls, adjustable key switch editor, and a sub octave. On the flipside, Waves Bass Slapper has rather high technical requirements for both Windows and Mac users.These include hard disk space of at least 8 GB, minimum resolution on 1280×1024, Intel Core i5, or AMD Quad-Core processor.
U-he Tryell N6
The u-he TyrellN6 is a product of well-researched modeling based on ideas which is a strong point of this VST creator. Rightfully so, this synth is compact and quite sporty. It includes a deep analogue sound and a skinnable user interface for enhanced flexibility. Other notable features include 2 oscillators (ring and noise), 2 LFOs (all of which have 8 waveforms that can be synced with the host), a twin filter by musical powerhouse Diva, and a whopping 570 presets.
The ADSR envelopes used are analogue, and are either triggered by the LFOs or can alternatively be looped. As one of the best bass VSTs, the Tyrell N6 by U-he also features an audio source mixer that comes fully equipped with a filter feedback and realistic overdrive. On the whole, this virtual instrument is takes on a classic, analogue architecture which includes a number of extras.
Ample Sound-Ample Bass P Lite
The Ample Bass P Lite is structured to incorporate a Fender Precision Bass into your sound articulations. Compared to the Ample Bass P, the P Lite VST features a number of upgrades that make this a more compact choice for bass lovers. These include reduced size for easier installation from 3.6 GB to 450 mb, a D1-F4 range as opposed to ABP’s B0-F4, and a reduced number of articulations — hammer on, accent, pull off, and sustain. Nonetheless, its nifty architecture qualifies this as one of the best bass virtual instruments of today to make it at the end of our list. Nothing too out of the ordinary, but definitely worth checking out as it’s been mentioned in a lot of message boards we researched for this guide.
TAL-Elek7ro
TAL-Elek7ro is an analog virtual bass synth virtual instrument that includes a good number of highly rated features. These include frequency modulation, faster envelopes, and the oscillator hard sync. What’s more, the LFO has an expanded range of 400 Hz-0.1 Hz. Attack and delay tweaks are also made available by means of the free routable envelope that is included in the synth’s architecture. More importantly, TAL-Elek7ro virtual instrument is home to up to 80 presets that are pretty solid, allowing music enthusiasts to develop a wide variety of sounds from deep flat basses to percussion sound to expand their bass palate.
Scarbee Pre-Bass
Best Free Bass Guitar Instrument Vst Plugins
Scarbee Pre Bass is a timeless, electric VST used in the production of classic bass articulations and a wide variety of notes. Just as the name suggests, this VST was created by Thomas Hansen Skarbye, one of the most accomplished music producers and bassists of this generation. This goes a long way in explaining why it is ranked as one of the best bass virtual instruments of today. It features more than 4,000 samples including velocity layers and every four string bass setup available. Through advanced scripting, this VST promises to deliver authentic and overly intuitive bass sound ending our list with strength.
Finding the best bass VST virtual instruments
As you’d imagine, keeping it down to ten for this list has been a major challenge especially given the vast variety of synth plugins for bass available in the current market. Nonetheless, be rest assured that this ultimate selection comprises purely of the crème of the crop. It features some of the best bass virtual instruments for a wide audience-from those looking for a rich analogue fat sound to Dub-Step attack enthusiasts and the more soulful music lovers with a knack for the expressive, harmonic treble of an actual string bass instrument.
Generally, these VSTs are at the very top of the list with regards to usability, character, and sound quality. We hope our guide here helped your search today, but definitely let us know in the comments if we’ve left anything out!