Best Free Vst Synth Bass
Creating asub bass can be very easy: Open your favorite (bass) synth, turn on a sine ortriangle oscillator and boom, you got a nice and clean sub bass.
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Sometimes,a sub bass like this won’t do, though – you might need a little more bombast. Forthis case, I’ve created the following list where I’m collecting free sub bassVST plugins and sample libraries.
Note: Make sure to use headphones or quality speakers to listen to the audio examples. Sub frequencies do not translate well on phone and laptop speakers.
Xsub
Surge by Vember Audio (Windows, Mac, Linux) Surge is an opensource Synth VST that sounds fantastic and is probably the best synthesizer plugin currently available. It is a hybrid subtractive synthesizer with a dual synthesis engine. Another free VSTi synth from Noizefield called Bounce. This synth is perfect for House, Future House, Bass House, Tech-House, Any Old House, EDM and Melbourne Bounce. This free download for PC requires no registration and only comes in at 3mb so well worth grabbing. Best Free Sub Bass/808 Sub Bass VST Plugins and Sample Libraries Creating a sub bass can be very easy: Open your favorite (bass) synth, turn on a sine or triangle oscillator and boom, you got a nice and clean sub bass. Get that classic sound with these 5 free synths for Mac & Windows! Steinberg Model E Minimoog Model D The Minimoog is probably the most important synth in history. It was the first compact synth which musicians could easily use on tour. Combined with an easy to use interface and warm sound it quickly became the top synth in the world. Get that classic sound with these 5 free synths for Mac & Windows! Steinberg Model E Minimoog Model D The Minimoog is probably the most important synth in history. It was the first compact synth which musicians could easily use on tour. Combined with an easy to use interface and warm sound it quickly became the top synth in the world. If there is one free VST synth that you want to get yourself familiar with, it is the Synth1 by Ichiro Toda. This synthesizer is actually a favorite among many music producers, and is often the one that’s most recommended. Synth1 is an analog modeled subtractive synthesizer. It’s functions are modeled on the Clavia Nord Lead 2 Red Synth.
Format: VST, 32 bit + 64 bit
OS: Windows, Mac
Chimera is a popular noise-driven synth and a free VST synth by Majken. The sounds that Chimera generates are based on white noise filtered into notes by resonant bandpass filters. And as a result, we hear some organic sounds ranging from warm pads to atmospheres with wind & water elements.
Audio examples:
Xsub is a free808 sub bass VST brought to you by Hexloops and SimplySounds. According toHexloops, Xsub was created “using analog synthesizers, digital sine waves,guitar amps and other fancy gear.” A total of 36 different bass sounds areincluded, each spanning two octaves. I was surprised by how much the includedsounds differ in character. Some of the sounds include an 808-ish click in thebeginning, while others are smooth bass sounds. Many of the presets are more onthe distorted side – and while this means that Xsub might be a little dirtierthan some might like, this is also what gives some of the sounds their uniquetone and presence.
Xsub has abuilt-in ADSR envelope, a panning knob and even a reverb. There’s also a pitch-modulatingLFO.
You can download Xsub from the Hexloops website.
X-Eight Lite
Format: VST/AU, 32 bit + 64 bit
OS: Windows, Mac
Audio examples:
X-Eight Liteis the free lite version of X-Eight, an 808 and sub bass VST/AU plugin createdby Thenatan. While the paid plugin contains over 1000 presets, X-Eight Litecomes with a total of 80 sub bass and 808 presets. That’s a good amount ofpresets for a free plugin! What’s even better is that these sounds are all verydistinct, creative and fun to play with.
For some,the main issue with X-Eight Lite might be that many of the sounds are not subbyor subtle enough and will steal quite a bit of attention as they contain plentyof high frequency content. However, depending on the style of music you’remaking, this might also be a good thing – these samples bang hard!
If you wantto remove some of the high frequency content, you can use X-Eight’s built-inlow pass filter. Besides attack and release, you can also dial in the rightamount of glide. This feature makes X-Eight Lite even more useful for creatingengaging beats.
There’sanother issue with this particular preset selection if you’re looking for subbass for layering purposes. Most of the included samples feature a prominentkick or click sound in the beginning. While you can lengthen the attack or pulldown the filter to remove some of the kick/click sounds, this will also shapethe sound in a way that might not be practical for your purpose.
I alsodiscovered an odd behavior that you should be aware of when using the filter:When the filter is completely at 0 and you start turning the knob up slightlywith your mouse, the knob will be sluggish and not move but the filter will, infact, open. (Note: I don’t know if this bug exists just in the context of mysetup or whether it’s reproducible somewhere else.) This is not a big problem,but it’s good to be aware of it.
To get X-Eight, you’ll have to add it to your cart on the Thenatan website. You can decide what you want to pay ($0 is okay as well) and are then redirect to a page where you have to type in your email address. After you’ve submitted your information, you will receive a download link in your email inbox.
Alternatives
Not happy with the selection? Here’s more:
- Beatmaker 808 Bass Module 2 Lite (VST, AU / Windows, Mac / 32 bit + 64 bit)
- subfreak (useable sound but GUI is TINY) (VST / Windows / 32 bit)
About thispage
I decided to focus page exclusively on plugins and libraries that have their strength in the sub range. There are many other bass synths and libraries with a wider range of bass tones that I will cover in other articles.
Over to you
If you knowof any other cool sub bass plugins, I’d love to hear from you! Write a commentbelow or get in touch here.
Leads are great. They are the sugary surface of any good track. They get you in the door and perk you up.
But we all know what that one special ingredient is… The most important part of arranging and writing songs. It’s the soul of any good track:
The BASS.
But there’s thousands of free VSTs out there. Which ones are good for bass? No sweat. We found all the best ones so you don’t have to dig.
Here’s our 10 favourite free bass VST plugins that will give you bigger, better bass.
Steinberg – Model E
The Model E is a useful 3 oscillator bass station capable of pumping out some nice lines.
The super simple controls make all your options easy to see and tweak. Plus the lower CPU usage means easy breezy basslines in no time.
TAL – Elek7ro
When it comes to free VSTs no one beats TAL. All their free plugins work great and are super useful. I’m a huge fan of their plugins and you should be too.
The Elek7ro is no exception to their history of producing high quality tools. This synth-plug is good for pretty much everything. Including making some nice full basses for your tracks.
It even comes with a super helpful user guide for getting the most out of Elek7ro.
Plogue – Sforzando TableWarp2
The TableWarp2 is part of Plogue’s Sforzando bundle. It’s a versatile synth that gives you tons of classic sounds…
Including some superb mid-low range basses perfect for beefing up your tracks.
NUsofting – Sinnah
The Sinnah is great. It can create cool noisy tones with its 3 channel delay matrix and feedback sculpting.
It also has a pretty solid onboard EQ which really helps bring out the magic in each tone. So you can get tons of control over the bass sounds you create.
TAL – Bassline
I’ve already talked about the TAL-Bassline in an older Free Plugins article. But I had to put it on this list because it’s so good. The Bassline is basically built for better bass.
This plug has a warm analog sound and ‘robust core‘ for all your bass and acid needs. Plus, the TAL Bassline user guide will have your walls rattling in no time.
u-he – TyrellN6
U-he is another major source for some very superb free plugins. The TyrellN6 is a powerful overall plugin that will give you all varieties of nice analog synth sounds.
That means wicked basses too. It also has some nice triggering features that are super fun to play around with and a nice, clean interface for easy tweakage.
The download page is in german. So if you don’t speak German just scroll down to find the download link!
Ample Sound – Ample Bass P Lite II
Best Free Vst Synth Bass Fishing
The Ample Bass P Lite II is a nice electric bass plug perfect for some groovier and more rock-centric bass sounds.
Ample Bass also comes with some nice ‘articulations’ including palm mute, slap and legato slide for those little accents that makes bass pop.
LinPlug – FreeAlpha
This plugin is the free version of LinPlug’s Alpha. But just because it’s the free version doesn’t mean it’s not good. In fact, it’s great!
FreeAlpha‘s 2 oscillators are perfect for all sorts of nice basses and the built-in presets are superb starting points for all types of bass and more.
Bruce Sutherland – JUCEoplvsti
If you ever dreamed of making all those incredible sounds that lived on old DOS games then this plugin is your hot ticket.
JuceOPLVSTI is modelled on the Yamaha OPL sound chip found in some old PC computers.
Juce’s interface is a lot like a video game and is super easy to use to get some superb basses, leads and pretty much any other sound you need from an FM synth.
Synister – Synister
Best Free Vst Instruments
Synister is one of the best looking and easiest to use synth plugins I’ve ever seen. This 3 oscillator synth is perfect for making all types of basslines.
The interface is simple, organized and easy to follow. The effects, envelopes, oscillators, LFOs and filters all have their own drop down menus for an easy workflow. And it even has a built in step sequencer!
The bassline bottomline
Free Vst
A good bassline can make or break a track. Finding the best one for your track can be tricky.
These bass VSTs will give you everything you need to find the right one (Hot tip: Turn your monitors way up while you’re experimenting if you wanna meet the neighbours).
Vst 4
Put these in your DAW, start experimenting and take a trip to the international bass station.
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If you’re already set for bass check out our other Free VST Plugin Favourites: