Trilian or Modo Bass - what do you recommend?

[ORCO]

Trillian has a great deep sound with an easy to use interface.

[morelia]

Haven't used Trilian since I got MODO. Which is probably because all I used Trilian for was the rock basses and I find more tonal variety in MODO.

[MadDogE134]

never used Trillian but i prefer MODO's modeled scheme over all the other sampled basses i have used in the past. what i love most about the modeling is the ability to slide the pickups and pick around to find that perfect string tone on the different models something you simply can't do with samples. since i started using MODO i have not used a sampled bass except for the occasional orchestral type acoustic basses. just my 2 cents cheers

[donkey tugger]

Haven't ever used Trillian so I can't comment on that, but won MODO bass in a contest and have been mighty impressed with it overall . I'm a guitarist who plays bass (I never say I'm a bassist... ) and given a bit of programming and attention to detail I'd have to say that you can get very realistic results from it. I still think that for Rickenbacker sounds the Scarbee Kontakt library just edges it for me, but you've got a lot more options with the MODO.

[noiseboyuk]

I have been using both, Trilian since the early days of Trilogy, and MODO for over a year. Since I’m a tech geek, I generally like the idea of using modeled instruments more than samples. Usually it means more articulations, a sound that is potentially more ”alive”, more tweakability, etc. MODO is really incredible, and usually I always try it first, especially if the bass is more in a leading role in the song.

I still haven’t figured out exactly why (it could be the lowest harmonics & their relations), but sometimes Trilian’s more rock oriented basses still seem to pack a little more oomph and punch, and I end up using Trilian anyway. Also, since MODO can’t do fretless (at least not yet), Trilian is the way to go for that (and I really love its fretless bass).

I like this reply. I'm not sure why I bought MODO really. Trilian is diverse and sounds great, but my thing is that I can play bass and look over there... I have one hanging on my wall. If I need a really realistic part, I can pick it up and play it. So MODO's real strength - that wonderful realism and attention to the details of physical playing - isn't actually such a big deal for me as I use the real thing.

MODO is an incredible piece of software - I flicked through it again just now, it's brilliant - so much choice of electrics, sounds very real, a ton of customisation. Trilian isn't as realistic, but it does have some fantastically rounded sounds that I keep turning to - hardcore, the studio warm, the Chapman stick, the main acoustic - and not forgetting that it has a ton of synth stuff too. And a lot of the appeal of Trilian is that it integrates into Omnisphere, if you don't have Omni its a less compelling proposition.

As is often the case, the answer to the OP's question for me is "it all depends". Do you have Omni? Is the ability to merge and manipulate with other sources important? Are acoustic basses also of use? Fretless? Is the install size not an issue? If the answer to these is Yes then Trilian is the one to go for. If you're purely after maximum realism, flexibility and range of electric basses only, then MODO would be the better choice.

A happy dilemma really, they are two excellent instruments.

[Peter - IK Multimedia]

Thanks for the kind words, comments, and any suggestions/thoughts about MODO BASS. Definitely appreciated and I hope you enjoy the future of the MODO family (more on that later).

[grdh20]

Trilian rules the roost for acoustic bass and fretless. Modo for normal bass.

[menthol]

Has anyone tried the UJAM Virtual Bassist series? Looks intriguing.

[deastman]

Modo Bass is amazing. I recently tried to record a funk bass part on my rather expensive American Elite Precision running through a Helix Floorboard with 3 Sigma Audio impulses and presets loaded. It sounded okay, but I’m really not much of a bass player, and this gear is way better than my skill level. Then I loaded up Modo with a Musicman model, performed it on the LinnStrument, and the results were VASTLY superior.

As for Trillian, there isn’t anything wrong with it, but it’s a pretty old library at this point. Modo Bass presents a totally different approach, and being fully synthesized, isn’t locked into a specific set of samples.

[deastman]

Thanks for the kind words, comments, and any suggestions/thoughts about MODO BASS. Definitely appreciated and I hope you enjoy the future of the MODO family (more on that later).

Peter, my only feedback to you is that I would really appreciate a full MPE implementation for Modo Bass and any future Modo Instruments. I now have a Seaboard Rise 49, LinnStrument, and Continuum, and I struggle to get Modo to properly respond to the full range of expression that these controllers can generate.

[plexuss]

Thanks for the kind words, comments, and any suggestions/thoughts about MODO BASS. Definitely appreciated and I hope you enjoy the future of the MODO family (more on that later).

Peter, my only feedback to you is that I would really appreciate a full MPE implementation for Modo Bass and any future Modo Instruments. I now have a Seaboard Rise 49, LinnStrument, and Continuum, and I struggle to get Modo to properly respond to the full range of expression that these controllers can generate.

+1 for MPE with MODO!

[donkey tugger]

Thanks for the kind words, comments, and any suggestions/thoughts about MODO BASS. Definitely appreciated and I hope you enjoy the future of the MODO family (more on that later).

How about also having a standard 'midi-guitar' mode - i.e. one midi channel per string and the fretting position strictly determined by the notes on the midi guitar?

In terms of models, there's a lot covered already in there, but I was thinking about something a bit more esoteric and twangy like a Fender Bass VI..

[Harry_HH]

...

As for Trillian, there isn’t anything wrong with it, but it’s a pretty old library at this point. Modo Bass presents a totally different approach, and being fully synthesized, isn’t locked into a specific set of samples.

Yes, old is bad, such as my Steinway 1909.
Modo isn’t locked into a specific set of samples, but its locked into a specific set of synthesis.

[lotus2035]

I sold Trilian about 4 years back, regret it greatly, recently purchased MODO Bass, it does not fill the gap left by Trilian at all which has a ton of synth bass samples as well as acoustic. I would trade Modo for Trillian in a heartbeat (if they were similarly priced).

[twitewhite]

MODO bass is maybe the best purchase I have ever made for music. So many different realistic sounds. It's part of my new track template and I use it in every track nowadays. But then again, most of my music uses electric bass or simple synth bass that can be covered by any synth. If you need acoustic bass or fretless, perhaps Trillian would suit you better (or another specialized plugin combined with MODO to make up for the few things MODO lacks)

BTW, IK Multimedia, when is MODO Guitar coming out?