KVR Audio

GrabtharsHammer · Post by **GrabtharsHammer** » Sun Jul 10, 2016 8:04 am

Hey guys, I want to buy a good analog bass sample library. I'm a rock/metal guy and particularly like bright, picked bass sounds.

I currently use Logic's EXS24 with the "Picked Rock Bass" preset and ReValver 4 (the ACT input is a good feature). I think it's okay but there are some odd frequencies that are really annoying (700-800Hz, 1100 Hz and some more) and no matter how much I try to EQ them out properly - it's just never enough.

So now I'm looking for a sample library with better quality. Unfortunately most libraries (Zombass for example) require a full version of Kontakt which I am not willing to buy.

What would you guys recommend? Spectrasonics Trilian? Ample Sound AMR? Other options?

DSmolken · Post by **DSmolken** » Sun Jul 10, 2016 8:38 am

I like the Ample one, it kicks like a mule. Wrote a pretty detailed review of it here: http://bedroomproducersblog.com/2016/03 ... es-review/

And another option, not picked but bright: http://bedroomproducersblog.com/2016/02 ... ge-bass-2/

Aloysius · Post by **Aloysius** » Sun Jul 10, 2016 10:00 am

Prominy SR5 Rock Bass. You can use the Free version of Kontakt.

http://www.prominy.com/SR5.htm

Have a look at some YouTube Videos. I'm sure you'll be impressed.

GrabtharsHammer · Post by **GrabtharsHammer** » Sun Jul 10, 2016 10:01 am

I also find the Ample Sound Jazz Bass (ABJ) with the Pick Bass extension very interesting. The demos of the Stingray (AMR) sound great, but it seems to have a little bit more buzz and dirt than I prefer. I usually favor a bright yet clean and controlled sound. This seems to be the case with the ABJ+extension. On the other hand the ABJ/extension combo is nearly twice as expensive as the AMR. Unfortunately Ample Sound don't offer demo versions, so any purchase would be a gamble.

With Trilian I would get loads of different basses for just a few bucks more than ABJ+extension...

Shreddage Bass looks good, too, but requires a full Kontakt version. Therefore, it is not an option for me.

Prominy SR5 sounds a little less gritty (to me: better) than Ample AMR. I really like the demo videos.

ftech · Post by **ftech** » Sun Jul 10, 2016 10:25 am

From memory, I think Amplesound will set you up with a demo if you contact them.

GrabtharsHammer · Post by **GrabtharsHammer** » Mon Jul 11, 2016 7:03 am

The guys at Ample Sound were so kind to send me links to demo versions of ABJ and the pick extension. I like the attack of the ABJ, but overall it seemed a little bit more nasal than the ABP and that didn't suit my mix so well. So I finally decided to purchase the ABP. Very happy with my decision!

evilantal · Post by **evilantal** » Mon Jul 11, 2016 7:25 am

Frank the Smith FTS Edge Bass

Edit: Oops, sorry. You already made a choice. I'll just leave it for other seekers...

m3adi3c · Post by **m3adi3c** » Sat Jul 16, 2016 4:45 am

Hi everybody!

Sorry for reviving this topic, but since I have almost the same question, I thought it may be better not to open a new one.

So I too would like your advice on a virtual bass library for metal, but the thing is that I mainly play downtuned extreme metal. I have my guitars around G# standard (or sometimes even F) and play some Cannibal Corpse kind of thrash-death metal. I almost never go above drop B on 6 strings or A standard on 7s.

As such, I know the bass is easy to get muddy and many bands don't play with it tuned "regularly", i.e. an octave lower than the guitar, but still, I would like a virtual bass library which can play lower than B and which is quite clean, even when crunched a bit.

What do you think?

I've tried Shreddage Bass 2 and Trilian (into AmpliTube Ampeg SVX, BIAS FX or ReValver). They're both nice, but maybe it's my lack of experience with the mix, because they didn't quite "cut through" with enough clarity. And they tended to get too gritty when crunched either with the TSE BOD or some other overdrive.

Should I invest in Trilian, will it pay off once I get experienced with it? Do you have better alternatives for my purposes? I wouldn't quite consider getting a real bass, because I think they'd get expensive quite easily, my GAS will make me want to get better and better and it's hard to believe that I'll keep everything around $300, as Trilian can.

Thanks and sorry if I should've opened a new thread.

GrabtharsHammer · Post by **GrabtharsHammer** » Sat Jul 16, 2016 5:05 am

Try Ample Sound's 5-string Musicman Stingray. If you send Ample an email they will surely give you the link for a demo version.

m3adi3c · Post by **m3adi3c** » Sat Jul 16, 2016 5:13 am

Thanks, I'm writing to them right now since I saw this mentioned a couple more times.

To be honest, I was thinking that picked virtual basses tend to sound too harsh, especially with a bit of overdrive and that's why I was thinking more about a fingered bass. For example, I could never make NI Scarbee Rickenbacker sound good enough for my liking, even in standard tuning.

GrabtharsHammer · Post by **GrabtharsHammer** » Sat Jul 16, 2016 5:29 am

But why distort a bass that already has a natural grittyness? You could just use the DI without an Amp emulation.

The Stingray seems to be quite gritty, yes. If you're into Florida death metal you could like the Ample Jazz Bass (slightly nasal tone, reminds me of Death's Human/ITP era), but unfortunately it can only be downtuned to D, so you probably need a 5 string library.

m3adi3c · Post by **m3adi3c** » Sat Jul 16, 2016 5:44 am

I know, distortion is not mandatory. I just happened to find most mix tutorials on metal bass to slightly push it into od or even more split it in 2 or 3 tracks of which at least one is heavily distorted. I'll investigate more, I know many bassists in extreme metal use clean tones (most notably, Alex Webster), I should experiment with cleans more.

I've tried almost all bass libraries that are usually on people's lips: NI Scarbee (all of them), OT Cherry Bass, Shreddage 2, Trilian, Texas Grind, Alchemist, Warlock and now Ample's. Since I necessarily want it to go at least to B, I'm heavily limited in the options.

EDIT: I see ABP and ABJ going down to B in the official specs. I'll try them out as well.

GrabtharsHammer · Post by **GrabtharsHammer** » Sat Jul 16, 2016 6:38 am

My bad. I thought, D was the lowest note because the GUI lets you tune down the strings 2 half steps.

For Cannibal Corpse style playing you will need hammer-on and pull-off. Ample Bass is capable of that. And I love the GUI. I really would highly recommend their libraries (my personal choice was the Precision).

If you have Kontakt or are willing to buy that, you could also take a look at Zombass.

If you send me a MIDI file I could run it through Ample's ABP (finger) and ABJ (pick and finger) and send you the audio files.

m3adi3c · Post by **m3adi3c** » Sat Jul 16, 2016 6:49 am

Thanks, I also like the GUI of Ample and since I'm not considering buying Kontakt, I love that Ample's are "native".

I'll try out all of Ample's basses, if possible and see.

I also own Zombass that I'm running in the free Kontakt Player, but I couldn't quite get the attack that I'd like. Also, I love to hear the string hit noise, otherwise it seems quite flat and I think Zombass is quite dull most of the times.

Thank you for all your help. I'll come back with impressions after I've tested Ample's.

GrabtharsHammer · Post by **GrabtharsHammer** » Sat Jul 16, 2016 12:39 pm

Hmm, have you tried to apply a compressor with long attack (30-50 ms) and short release (50-100 ms depending on the track's tempo)? That should bring out the "string hit" a little bit better. And distortion kills dynamics. I always found distortion to make the bass sound flat and lifeless.

Besides that when mixing extreme metal the frequency gap between palm muted guitars and the kick drum is quite narrow (approx. between 70-110 Hz) and the bass has to sit in that space with its lower frequencies to remain audible. I mostly just use the DI without any amp/cab simulations or distortion, because all that would move the bass' frequency spectrum more towords the lower mids - exactly where those palm mutes already are quite dominant. When listening to the bass track alone it seems to sound "cooler" with amp/cab sim and distortion engaged but in the context of the whole mix it just creates a mountain of boomy low-mids. Disabling all the effects can make the bass sit better in the mix and make it more audible. If you really want distortion, try to create a second channel, low cut everything underneath 300 Hz, apply distortion and amp/cab sim, then carefully mix it with the DI track.

Advice on metal bass library