Our friends over at Loopmasters recently released this sample based bass machine called Bass Master. Drawing on their long history of supplying quality loops and samples, they have created something that’s uncomplicated but very powerful. Let’s see what’s so good about it.
Let’s Master Bass
As mentioned, Bass Master is a sample-based plugin for creating monophonic bass instruments. Despite the grand title of “Master”, this plugin is in many ways less functional than many other bass synths out there, but it is exactly these limitations that make it very easy to use and in no way compromised in terms of quality and adaptability.
Bass Master allows you to combine and manipulate the available samples in a few ways of ways to get many possible results. It starts by allowing you to combine two layers, the top layer and the sub layer. For each layer you can choose from 217 available waveforms, the same collection being available for each layer. These are helpfully organised into High, Low, Mid, Percussive, Simple and Sub folders and accessible from a drop-down menu for each layer. Note that many are looped for longer bass sounds.
Each layer has slightly different settings available. For the top layer, you can offset the sample start point and you have a full ADSR gain envelope to adjust. For the sub layer, you can change the octave and just the gain attack and release. Both layers have master gain sliders in the mixer section and the sub layer has an optional direct out switch. This allows you to bypass all the subsequent processing with the sub to keep it nice and clean.
The processing available includes a filter with your usual filter controls as well as an ADSR envelope and filter LFO controller. Various types of low-pass, high-pass and band-pass filter types can be selected as well as one comb-filter. This is followed by a series of three available effects; five possible types of distortion, four types of stereo chorus and three types of reverb. Each has its own parameters to dial in. Finally, there’s a master fx section that contains EQ and frequency booster controls.
Ace of Bass
Everything is laid out clearly in one window so you can very easily get to the sound you want with minimum fuss. For a bit of inspiration when you’re stuck there are also buttons to randomise the samples… though buttons to randomise all parameters would be cool too! I do like being able to randomise everything now and then.
Pretty much all of the parameters can also be automated or linked to a MIDI controller for on-the-fly adjustment. Even cooler still is the ability to link up the mod-wheel to three parameters of your choice to adjust simultaneously.
So what do we think?
Well, this is a great little bass making machine. The waveforms available are top quality and varied enough to make basses suitable for all kinds of music from nasty, dubsteppy wub-wub noises to tight, mellow, subby R’n’B basses and everything in between. Having the two layers and decent series of effects means that you won’t be running out of options anytime soon.
Bass Master isn’t an incredibly deep sound-design machine and it isn’t any kind of super-faithful analog emulation, so if that’s what you’re after you may want to look elsewhere. Being based on a finite selection of core waveforms does mean that this is all you have to work with, however, for the regular musician who just needs to dial in quality bass sounds without too much fuss, there are more than enough options available.
APG Score
- Sound quality - 5 / 5
- Ease of use - 5 / 5
- Interface - 5 / 5
- Presets - 5 / 5
- Value for money - 5 / 5
- Bass Bass Bass - 5 / 5
Summary - 5 / 5
A rare full marks for Bass Master. Not because it's the best bass synth in the word but because it is 100% fit for purpose. If what you need is a tool to quickly dial in a solid bass instrument for your productions that doesn't need to be super in-depth or sound-designy (and won't fry your CPU) then you would do well to have this in your arsenal. There's a great selection of presets across the range to use as-is or tweak to taste. The price is more than acceptable when you consider how many uses this could have. Check it out.
Original Source - Audio Plugin Guy
