- Hex Loops has released EDM Bass Drops, a free sample pack featuring 5 EDM / House construction kits filled with some nice bass lines, drum loops, one shots, midi files as well as some presets for Massive, Sylenth and Spire synths.These presets where used in creation of bass loops from this kits.
- Rob Papen SubBoomBass 2. Here’s the deal. When it comes to matters GREAT bass synths, Rob.
Xsub is a free 808 sub bass VST brought to you by Hexloops and SimplySounds. According to Hexloops, Xsub was created “using analog synthesizers, digital sine waves, guitar amps and other fancy gear.” A total of 36 different bass sounds are included, each spanning two octaves. I was surprised by how much the included sounds differ in character.
Creating asub bass can be very easy: Open your favorite (bass) synth, turn on a sine ortriangle oscillator and boom, you got a nice and clean sub bass.
Sometimes,a sub bass like this won’t do, though – you might need a little more bombast. Forthis case, I’ve created the following list where I’m collecting free sub bassVST plugins and sample libraries.
Note: Make sure to use headphones or quality speakers to listen to the audio examples. Sub frequencies do not translate well on phone and laptop speakers.
Xsub
Format: VST, 32 bit + 64 bit
OS: Windows, Mac
Audio examples:
Xsub is a free808 sub bass VST brought to you by Hexloops and SimplySounds. According toHexloops, Xsub was created “using analog synthesizers, digital sine waves,guitar amps and other fancy gear.” A total of 36 different bass sounds areincluded, each spanning two octaves. I was surprised by how much the includedsounds differ in character. Some of the sounds include an 808-ish click in thebeginning, while others are smooth bass sounds. Many of the presets are more onthe distorted side – and while this means that Xsub might be a little dirtierthan some might like, this is also what gives some of the sounds their uniquetone and presence.
Xsub has abuilt-in ADSR envelope, a panning knob and even a reverb. There’s also a pitch-modulatingLFO.
You can download Xsub from the Hexloops website.
X-Eight Lite
Format: VST/AU, 32 bit + 64 bit
OS: Windows, Mac
Electric Bass Vst Free
Audio examples:
X-Eight Liteis the free lite version of X-Eight, an 808 and sub bass VST/AU plugin createdby Thenatan. While the paid plugin contains over 1000 presets, X-Eight Litecomes with a total of 80 sub bass and 808 presets. That’s a good amount ofpresets for a free plugin! What’s even better is that these sounds are all verydistinct, creative and fun to play with.
For some,the main issue with X-Eight Lite might be that many of the sounds are not subbyor subtle enough and will steal quite a bit of attention as they contain plentyof high frequency content. However, depending on the style of music you’remaking, this might also be a good thing – these samples bang hard!
If you wantto remove some of the high frequency content, you can use X-Eight’s built-inlow pass filter. Besides attack and release, you can also dial in the rightamount of glide. This feature makes X-Eight Lite even more useful for creatingengaging beats.
There’sanother issue with this particular preset selection if you’re looking for subbass for layering purposes. Most of the included samples feature a prominentkick or click sound in the beginning. While you can lengthen the attack or pulldown the filter to remove some of the kick/click sounds, this will also shapethe sound in a way that might not be practical for your purpose.
I alsodiscovered an odd behavior that you should be aware of when using the filter:When the filter is completely at 0 and you start turning the knob up slightlywith your mouse, the knob will be sluggish and not move but the filter will, infact, open. (Note: I don’t know if this bug exists just in the context of mysetup or whether it’s reproducible somewhere else.) This is not a big problem,but it’s good to be aware of it.
To get X-Eight, you’ll have to add it to your cart on the Thenatan website. You can decide what you want to pay ($0 is okay as well) and are then redirect to a page where you have to type in your email address. After you’ve submitted your information, you will receive a download link in your email inbox.
Alternatives
Not happy with the selection? Here’s more:
- Beatmaker 808 Bass Module 2 Lite (VST, AU / Windows, Mac / 32 bit + 64 bit)
- subfreak (useable sound but GUI is TINY) (VST / Windows / 32 bit)
About thispage
I decided to focus page exclusively on plugins and libraries that have their strength in the sub range. There are many other bass synths and libraries with a wider range of bass tones that I will cover in other articles.
Over to you
If you knowof any other cool sub bass plugins, I’d love to hear from you! Write a commentbelow or get in touch here.
Bass instruments come in all shapes and forms, but the “mother of all basses” is the classic double bass, also called upright bass, and often referred to as jazz bass.
Instead of bowing the strings like they usually do in an orchestra, with an upright bass you pluck it the strings in various ways to create more of a rhythm and groove kind of feel for the bass parts.
Here are my top recommendations for VST plugins and sample libraries focusing on a great double bass:
5 Best Double Bass VST Sample Libraries
The Power of Double Bass in Music
Why is upright bass such a big part of jazz, acoustic band music of all styles, and often used in film music as well for underscores and minimal scores? Well, because of one thing: rhythm & groove in the low end.
A double bass part can add that sense of drive in a very smooth way, without taking away from dialogue and effects in movies, or the lead singer in a song, or leading melody instrument(s) in a composition.
What you should Focus on
Free Bass Plugin
With an upright bass sample library or VST plugin you really want to focus on what type of tone and sound quality you get from the recordings and samples. How notes connect, such as legato, slides etc. are hugely important in the low end.
Best Free Bass Vst Plugin
Vibrato is not that important in bass parts, but dynamic range (layers) and round robins (variations per note) are very important. As are added articulations and special effects you can use for shaping your performance, or adding occasional spices.