Software - Plugins for Bass Guitar

[ValkRider]

I was wondering what software or plugins you all may be using to record Bass guitar .
I have Scuffham Amps for guitar but I am wondering about some similar type of package for Bass guitar.

Maybe a better solution is a external DI Box to send into my Motu 896 device.
Any suggestions in that area?

Thanks for anything you can share.

[noah330]

As much as people seem to hate it I think Waves CLA bass is really nice. I recently got the Amplitube Ampeg plugin and like it thus far but haven't used it enough to form a solid opinion.

[amagras]

I've tried almost everything there is out there and to me nothing beats the good old Sansamp PSA-1 included in Pro Tools, here's a little walk through I made a while ago to help people understand how it works
https://youtu.be/xwdz2Zedweo

[musicman691]

Originally Posted by noah330

As much as people seem to hate it I think Waves CLA bass is really nice. I recently got the Amplitube Ampeg plugin and like it thus far but haven't used it enough to form a solid opinion.

I have the Ampeg Collection 1 from IK and the B15 in there is really nice as it's the original unit. The one in the Ampeg Collection 2 is the heritage unit that came out a few years back; nowheres near as good as the prior one to my ears.

Lately I've been using the Fender Bassman from Plugin Alliance. Worth the money for that Fender sound. Near as I know no one does the Bassman piggyback amp except for the PIA one.

[ValkRider]

Great information, thanks much.

Has anyone ever tried this?
Cerberus Bass Amplifikation

https://www.kuassa.com/products/cerb...amplifikation/

[deanrichard]

I'm kind of old school. I record through a Pod HD500 using a straightforward Ampex B15 patch. I like the old Motown bass sound with a round, smooth bottom end. In mixing I use a VCA compressor with a fairly long attack to let the initial transient through. I usually EQ in some around 3K, and sharply filter out some at 300 hz, and add just a touch of chorus for depth and stronger stereo effect. I'm not into a heavily saturated bass sound, as many are.

Everyone likes different sounds, I can only tell you what I like.

Originally Posted by ValkRider

I was wondering what software or plugins you all may be using to record Bass guitar .
I have Scuffham Amps for guitar but I am wondering about some similar type of package for Bass guitar.

Maybe a better solution is a external DI Box to send into my Motu 896 device.
Any suggestions in that area?

Thanks for anything you can share.

[albee1952]

I use(and love) the Amplitube B-15 amp sim on an AUX track, fed with a send from the bass DI track. In my B-15 preset, I have done a few tweaks on the knobs and added a distortion or overdrive stomp box(but in bypass for the stomp box). Once the tracking is done, I open the plugin and kick on the stomp box(the distortion sounds great in a mix, but is distracting while tracking)

Once in a while, I will swap to an SVT preset(but its the B-15 for 90% of my work) Having said that, the Sansamp certainly works, and in truth, any amp sim plugin can likely be tweaked for good results

[WernerF]

I have to agree with the Sans Amp idea. We use it a lot of the time and it can sound good for a bunch of different approaches to bass. From clean to dang raunchy dirty. It’s case by case. We also still use the Line 6 amp sim plugins and the original bass pod on a number of different settings, from Motown to SVT. In fact we bring the Bass Pod with us to out of town sessions and it works great. We have a vintage SVT and a vintage B15 but the Bass Pod still wins the day when comparisons testing is done. My two cents.

[Stephen Bond]

I have a few but this is probably my go to



The default cab is nearly always too bloated so I switch to something like the one shown. Also, I back off the volume as it is a little too crunch with my recorded peaks averaging around -10dBFS. Adjust the rest to suit the track and enjoy

Stephen

[QuikDraw]

My sound is not for everyone. Kind of a cross between Gene Simmons and Geezer Butler. Lots of midrange, and a bit of growl.

I love the Aguilar sound, and I keep bugging IK Multimedia to model the Tone Hammer and the DB 751 head in Amplitube, but they won't do it. Guitarists get hundreds of amp models. Bassists get, what, four or five!

Probably the best sound I've got so far is with the Aguilar Tone Hammer preamp. But I prefer to record direct and dry so I can choose a sound later with a plugin. In the past I've had good results with the Sans Amp PSA-1, but since I got Amplitube 4 this is my go-to now. Two Ampeg heads, and two different Ampeg cabs with different mics and room mixed in. I like to use two slightly different amps like this so it doesn't sound so straight up the middle. Lets me fill the soundstage a bit better.