Vir2 Instruments has announced the release of BASiS - a new Kontakt Player 2-based bass virtual instrument for Windows and Mac OS X.

Featuring a comprehensively sampled collection of electric, upright, fretless, and synth basses, BASiS offers incredible attention to detail in the depth and breadth of the basses: 24-bit sampling, DI and amp blending control, multiple velocity layers, seamless humanizing, custom legato and vibrato tools, release layers, harmonics, hammer-ons, pulloffs, slides, slaps, rakes, falls, and more.

BASiS includes more than 7 gigabytes of the most diverse collection of basses available in the world of virtual instruments: classics like the Jazz Bass, P-Bass, Rickenbacker, and Musicman basses are presented alongside personality and genre tributes such as a classic Motown bass, a gospel bass, Jaco's Fretless, and Macca's Hofner. One upright bass and three slap basses are also included. In the synth bass category, more than a hundred patches are provided, ranging from thumping vintage synth basses to techno basses and esoteric fresh creations to spice up your tracks. Each instrument has been meticulously mastered and programmed for maximum musicality when placed in a mix.

All electric basses have been sampled from both the direct input (DI) and an amped perspective. A knob on the interface allows phase-aligned blending of the two, or the selection of one or the other. For the upright bass, the same knob allows mixing of the direct input and a phase-aligned tube mic output capture of the same sessions. Other onscreen controls allow pitch bend range adjustment, pick noise and fret noise controls, release layer controls, adjustable velocity curve, and instant and detailed control over EQ. A comprehensive selection of effects is included, including an octaver, compression, saturation, lo-fi, distortion, limiter, phaser, flanger, chorus, reverb, and delay.

Performance features include an innovative legato tool designed for true finger-smooth playing, and a customizable vibrato engine with control over vibrato types, speeds, and depths. Rather than opting for traditional LFO-based vibrato, BASiS uses a sophisticated character vibrato modeled after real bass players, completely controllable from the keyboard and onscreen interface. Randomized pick noises, release samples, and fret noises add to the realism of each instrument.

BASiS is powered by Native Instruments' Kontakt Player 2 engine, offering total integration into all major sequencers via its AudioUnit, VST, and RTAS plug-ins, as well as standalone operation on both Windows and Mac OS X. It also works perfectly within both Kontakt 2 and Kontakt 3.

Summary:

• More than 7 GB of 24-bit electric, fretless, upright and synth bass samples.
• All electric basses have been sampled from both the direct input (DI) and an amped perspective.
• For the upright bass, mix the direct input and a phase-aligned tube mic output capture at the turn of a knob.
• Kontakt 2 player included, and can be loaded into a full version of Kontakt 2 or Kontakt 3.
• Performance features include an innovative legato tool designed for true finger-smooth playing, and a customizable vibrato engine with control over vibrato types, speeds, and depths.
• A comprehensive selection of effects is included, including an octaver, compression, saturation, lo-fi, distortion, limiter, phaser, flanger, chorus, reverb, and delay.

Pricing & Availability

BASiS is available now with an MSRP of $299.95.