Waves MaxxBass: freeware equivalent?

[LeVzi]

I know you want free but check this out

http://www.g-sonique.com/xbass4000l.html

Gets a huge thumbs up from me, as I use it loads on basses for DnB.

It is pretty cheap too , 15 Euro's.

[bduffy]

You know what? That G-Sonique one is rather nice. Worth a try.

Jesus. RenBass is only $46.55 at Waves Universe! I expected MaxxBass to be cheaper...huhn.

[tommy_d]

I know you want free but check this out

http://www.g-sonique.com/xbass4000l.html

Gets a huge thumbs up from me, as I use it loads on basses for DnB.

It is pretty cheap too , 15 Euro's.

That looks interesting, and 15 euros is almost free I'm downloading the demo now; I've got a couple of other things to check out later as well.

A psychoacoustic circuit called Bass Enhancer that emphasizes the intensity of the bass spectrum. It uses special algorithms to process sounds using psychoacoustic techniques

...which sounds kinda vague to me (maybe they're being deliberately cagey about how it works?) but suggests it might do similar things to the Waves plug.

Cheers, LeVzi - thanks for the recommendation

[mandolarian]

A psychoacoustic circuit called Bass Enhancer that emphasizes the intensity of the bass spectrum. It uses special algorithms to process sounds using psychoacoustic techniques

...which sounds kinda vague to me (maybe they're being deliberately cagey about how it works?) but suggests it might do similar things to the Waves plug.

psychoacoustic techniques: it either means the brain's ability to pretend there's sub-harmonics lurking beneath audible upper harmonics or that a virtual Freddy Krueger will leap out of your speakers with a deep terrifying thump. You probably want to demo first and let us know.

[tommy_d]

To be honest, i have tried almost all the alternatives that have been suggested over the past couple of years and ALWAYS end up returning to using RenBass. Nothing does what it does.

If that's true - if nothing else does what MaxxBass/RenBass do - then it's actually very interesting. For a plugin that's nearly 14 years old and essentially fairly simple to be unique is pretty remarkable, I think...

[tommy_d]

psychoacoustic techniques: it either means the brain's ability to pretend there's sub-harmonics lurking beneath audible upper harmonics [...]

[...] or that a virtual Freddy Krueger will leap out of your speakers with a deep terrifying thump

You probably want to demo first and let us know.

Actually, I'm not as keen as I was a minute ago

[kbaccki]

Not free or cheap, but definitely good for what you want to do: http://www.voxengo.com/product/lfmaxpunch/

$80 compared to $120 for the waves plug...

Yes I own it, and I rate it very highly It offers compression, saturation, filtering, sub-harmonic synthesis and "mono-isation"...it's very powerful.

But - again - MaxxBass works slightly differently, I think.

I thought the saturator stage in LF Max Punch could be used for what you're looking to do:

Saturator

The "Saturator" module is used to produce saturated signal which can be mixed to the output. You may either use the full saturated signal bandwidth or use the supplied post filters to remove the high- and low-frequency content before mixing the signal to the output. Higher frequencies are best removed if you are using high "Drive" parameter values that produce a lot of higher harmonic content which usually sounds harsh. Lower frequencies can be additionally removed if you want to use the produced signal as a supplement to the original lower band signal: this technique can be used to fill the gap between the low and mid frequencies of the original signal, or to produce higher overtones that make the bass sound better on smaller speakers.

[tommy_d]

(...)

I'm impressed by the G-Sonique plug! I'm not very keen on the interface: I find it difficult to make subtle adjustments because the controls turn quite quickly, and I'd rather frequency was marked in Hertz. But it sounds great! It's capable of massive looming sounds, huge brooding tower blocks of bass-ness. I'm sure it's great for DnB(!) My ears are pretty tired right now so I should probably have another listen tomorrow, but I think this is going on the shopping list. 15 euros gets you a couple of beers round here, so it's not exactly expensive...

The WOK plug is interesting but it's more for kick, I think; I'm sure it's very effective on that, too.

Stardust is a real find. I need to have another listen tomorrow, try it on some different material...

[tommy_d]

Not free or cheap, but definitely good for what you want to do: http://www.voxengo.com/product/lfmaxpunch/

$80 compared to $120 for the waves plug...

Yes I own it, and I rate it very highly It offers compression, saturation, filtering, sub-harmonic synthesis and "mono-isation"...it's very powerful.

But - again - MaxxBass works slightly differently, I think.

I thought the saturator stage in LF Max Punch could be used for what you're looking to do:

Saturator

The "Saturator" module is used to produce saturated signal which can be mixed to the output. You may either use the full saturated signal bandwidth or use the supplied post filters to remove the high- and low-frequency content before mixing the signal to the output. Higher frequencies are best removed if you are using high "Drive" parameter values that produce a lot of higher harmonic content which usually sounds harsh. Lower frequencies can be additionally removed if you want to use the produced signal as a supplement to the original lower band signal: this technique can be used to fill the gap between the low and mid frequencies of the original signal, or to produce higher overtones that make the bass sound better on smaller speakers.

TBH I've not had much success using it that way It can do great things for bass, definitely...but I've had better results using "Punch" to firm up a flimsy low end, or using the sub-harmonic generator to add extra weight.

[LeVzi]

What I like about Xbass, especially when using it for heavy DnB lines is that it can add a fair bit of weight without sending the bass mental and dominating everything, which is something I struggled with a bit.

Like you said, 15 Euros is a snip tbh.

[ATS]

Not free or cheap, but definitely good for what you want to do: http://www.voxengo.com/product/lfmaxpunch/

$80 compared to $120 for the waves plug...

Actually you can get the Waves plugin for around $50. So that one is considerably more expensive.

[osiris]

WOK's plugin adds the so-called psychoacoustic tones. I put it on a bass track. I don't think there's a preset for bass, but if you tweak the knobs a little can add very nice oomph. From the website:
BassPlus is an enhancer for low frequencies. Intended for drums, but works on other signals too of course. It's not a fixed EQ, but has a detector for lower frequencies and enhances them and/or adds a new subtone to it.

That's what the Waves does, except it has no detector/sensitivity control, which is I think if you want to add it to the whole mix.

[DMuzik]

Not free or cheap, but definitely good for what you want to do: http://www.voxengo.com/product/lfmaxpunch/

$80 compared to $120 for the waves plug...

Actually you can get the Waves plugin for around $50. So that one is considerably more expensive.

Plus whatever an iLok cost, no? Or doesn't Renaissance Bass need one?

[Tp3]

You know what? That G-Sonique one is rather nice. Worth a try.

Jesus. RenBass is only $46.55 at Waves Universe! I expected MaxxBass to be cheaper...huhn.

Yes, but for those of us that don't own iLok, it's double the price...

[tetsuneko]

don't forget to try the mda subbass plugin.. it's free, and while not duplicating the functionality of Maxxbass, it's still a handy little thing to have in the "bass enhancement" toolbox.