Best bass VST plugins

Virtual bass guitars are one of the most sought-after digital instruments among musicians. However, unlike virtual synthesizers, electric guitars and drum kits, high-quality bass libraries are less common. Musicians may be looking for VST bass guitars for a variety of reasons: lack of ability to play a real instrument, not owning a bass guitar, or difficulty finding a suitable bass player.

However, watching the work of musicians on YouTube, you can see that with diligence and the right approach, virtual bass guitars can reproduce high-quality sound, satisfying the bass accompaniment needs of composers and arrangers.

1. AcousticSamples BassysM

BassysM is one of the most accessible virtual bass libraries on the market, offering a user-friendly interface, high performance and acceptable sound quality.
The developers emphasize that the key advantage of this series is the wide range of dynamic sound production. The library includes samples with different attack strengths (velocities), allowing you to achieve realistic sound with careful programming. However, be aware that without careful tuning, the bass may sound too artificial.
With diligence and fine tuning, the library can sound quite believable, although sometimes the instruments may lack naturalness.
The BassysM line includes four VST bass guitars:

1. BassysM-J – Fender Jazz Bass model with samples for playing with fingers and a pick;
2. BassysM-S – Fender Precision Bass model;
3. BassysM-M – Music Man Stingray model;
4. BassysM-F – Fretless bass.

Each instrument offers the ability to play in slap and pizzicato styles, and is also equipped with a legato mode. Additional features include an equalizer and bass cabinet emulator.

2. Ample Sound Ample Bass

Ample Sound, a Chinese manufacturer, introduces the Ample Bass series, which includes four virtual instruments: replicas of the four-string Fender Jazz Bass and Precision Bass, the Fretless Jazz Bass and the five-string Fodera Yinyang. Each library contains over 3GB of sounds, including standard notes, pizzicatos, harmonics, hammers and pools, slides, tapping, staccato, vibrato, and even ghost notes.
These bass guitar VSTs are recorded using fingerpicking in a variety of tunings. This allows you to transform regular four-string basses into five-string basses by lowering the fourth string to the B counter octave (B1). Other great features include capo simulation, a built-in automation section, and Combined Keyswitches for combining different articulations on each note.
Ample Bass is characterized by pleasant sound and low system requirements. However, the disadvantages of Ample Sound products include their instability, which manifests itself in periodic crashes and freezes.

3. Ample Sound Metal RAY5

This amped-up version of the Ample Bass libraries is designed specifically for fans of extreme music genres. The sound of these VST basses is based on a five-string Ernie Ball Music Man StingRay, which is played using a pick.
The functionality of this library largely replicates those presented in Ample Bass. The main differences are support for a wider range of alternative tunings (the lowest note reaches the A subcontractave) and variations in the strength of the pick attack. In addition, this instrument is enriched with its own tablature player that supports both four- and five-string bass guitars.

4. IK Multimedia MODO BASS 2

IK Multimedia MODO BASS 2 differs from many other sample-based bass libraries in that it is a synthesizer that simulates the sound of a bass guitar and reproduces various playing techniques. The lack of samples makes MODO BASS 2 unusually compact, with a plugin size of only about 400 MB.
This instrument simulates many aspects, including the resonance of the body and strings, the behavior of the player’s hands, the interaction of the strings with the neck and pickups, and much more. Sound generation and processing occurs in real time, which, in turn, increases processor requirements.
MODO BASS 2 features dozens of presets of popular bass models, including various versions of Fender Precision and Jazz Bass, Rickenbacker 4003, Gibson Thunderbird, as well as Yamaha, Ibanez and Warwick instruments, plus acoustic basses and double basses. In the settings of each instrument, you can select the number and type of strings, their age, types of pickups, distance to the strings, change the scale and much more. In total, MODO BASS 2 offers about 30 parameters that affect the sound.
However, a large number of settings is also one of the disadvantages of this library. The original sound may not please everyone, and achieving quality sound requires careful tuning and part programming. Other negatives include poor modeling of the fifth string, which sometimes sounds unconvincing instead of the expected powerful bass.

5. Ilya Efimov Bass Bundle

Ilya Efimov, a musician and developer from Russia, is one of the few in the country who produces high-quality virtual musical instruments. Its libraries stand out for their sound quality and relatively affordable price. Efimov’s product range includes libraries of acoustic and electric guitars, ethnic and Russian folk instruments, as well as VST bass guitars.
The Ilya Efimov Bass series includes five instruments. Ilya Efimov Modern Bass and Fretless Bass are samples played on a five-string Canadian F-Bass, featuring a deep and clear sound. Ilya Efimov Rock Bass is a library based on the sound of Sadowsky NYC, recorded using a pick.
The Ilya Efimov Classic Bass and Retro Bass reproduce the sounds of a four-string Fender Precision Bass. The first of them offers the classic sound of this legendary bass, the second specializes in the sound typical of music of the 1950-1960s.
VST bass guitars from Efimov are equipped with an effects section, a virtual bass cabinet and tone and attack settings. The collection of samples includes fingerpicking, slap, pizzicato, slides, harmonics and ghost notes. As an addition, samples of sounds that occur during playing are provided, including string overtones, clicks and noises from the movement of fingers on the strings and fingerboard.

6. Impact Soundworks Shreddage Bass 3

The Shreddage 3 Bass series from Impact Soundworks includes three virtual instruments:

1. The Shreddage 3 Abyss is a Muckelroy six-string bass based on the Music Man Sterling;
2. The Shreddage 3 Precision is a finger-playable, four-string Fender Precision Bass;
3. Shreddage 3 Precision Fretless is the fretless version of the Fender Precision Bass.

Despite the name “Shreddage”, these instruments are great not only for rock and metal, but also for fusion, pop and many other genres due to their versatility. Each library contains an extensive set of samples, support for lowered and alternate tunings with the lowest note in the G subcontractave (G0), a bass cabinet emulator with 30 IR pulses, and a dual bass recording function.
Particularly noteworthy is the polyphonic picking function, which allows you to play multiple notes on one string, and the full mapping setup for VST bass guitars, which allows the user to independently configure the keys to evoke different articulations.

7. Native Instruments Scarbee Rickenbacker Bass

Released in 2013, the Scarbee Rickenbacker bass VST library is still considered one of the best virtual replicas of the Rickenbacker 4003. The samples were recorded directly through the DI box, providing users with the raw, clean sound of this famous bass.
Users have the ability to choose between pickups, adjust effects, and use the built-in amplifier. The library features limited articulations including open strings, pizzicato, slides, and ghost notes. The fourth string can be tuned to reproduce the notes of the fifth string thanks to samples going all the way up to the B note.
The raw sound allows for a lot of creativity, but it can be difficult for beginners to integrate the sound of this instrument into a mix. It’s also worth noting that recalling slides can be quite fiddly and working with them in the sequencer can be challenging.

8. Prominy SR5 Rock Bass II

The developers of the SR5 Rock Bass II describe it as an “ultra-realistic virtual bass.” This is quite a bold statement, but the sound of the library is truly amazing. It features a wide range of articulations, including legato, slides, real-time hammers and pools, grace notes, harmonics, tapping, and play sounds.
The interface may seem outdated, but working with the library is quite simple, and all the necessary information is always at hand. Users can select a playing position, adjust effects and amplifiers, and access a chord reference book. All functions work quickly and stably.
However, the SR5 Rock Bass II has a limitation in versatility. This library is ideal for rock, metal and other heavy genres, but may not be as suitable for use in other styles of music.

9. Rehear Audio RockBass

RockBass, another Russian bass project from independent developer Ilya Kosenkov, released under the Rehear Audio brand, is based on samples of an early 2000s Peavey Millenium bass guitar with an integrated preamp. The instrument stands out for its aggressive sound, ideal for the rock and metal genres.
The main collection of sounds consists of pure DI signals, providing ample flexibility for those who prefer to customize the sound themselves. The lack of complex settings makes it fairly straightforward to use: options are available to enable analogue boost with adjustable ratio of the original and processed signal, adjust the tone and activate the chorus.
For each note there are two types of stroke: downstroke and upstroke. Kosenkov recorded three variations of each sound with different attack strengths, giving RockBass a lively and realistic sound. All samples are recorded in WAV format with a sampling rate of 44.1 kHz and 24-bit depth, which is sufficient for most tasks.
RockBass is not intended for general use, but it is effective and easy to customize. This instrument is more suitable for advanced users than beginners (for which Rehear Audio offers a free EnergyBass library). It’s worth noting that to use RockBass you need to install the free Decent Sampler.

10. Solemn Tones KRAKEN Hybrid

VST bass guitars from Solemn Tones, although focused on heavy genres of music, KRAKEN Hybrid can be effectively used in other musical genres. It is designed based on the five-string Ernie Ball Music Man Bongo 5 HH.
This virtual library features both clean samples of the instrument’s original sound and five processed presets. These presets are ready to use in mixes and recorded using Darkglass B7K, Ampeg SVX, FabFilter Saturn, Line 6 Pod Farm and Bassforge Hellraiser preamps.
Users can enjoy a variety of playing techniques including downpicking, uppicking and alternating strokes, slaps, harmonics, slides, bends, staccato and pizzicato, as well as ghost notes and many more. Of particular note is Enforce Mode, which replaces sub-bass sounds with a pure sine wave for more stable and deeper bass.
The main disadvantage of KRAKEN Hybrid is its resource requirements. The tool requires a minimum of 2 GB of RAM, but for more comfortable use it is recommended to have about 8 GB.

11. Spectrasonics Trilian

VST bass guitars from Solemn Tones, although focused on heavy genres of music, KRAKEN Hybrid can be effectively used in other musical genres. It is designed based on the five-string Ernie Ball Music Man Bongo 5 HH.
This virtual library features both clean samples of the instrument’s original sound and five processed presets. These presets are ready to use in mixes and recorded using Darkglass B7K, Ampeg SVX, FabFilter Saturn, Line 6 Pod Farm and Bassforge Hellraiser preamps.
Users can enjoy a variety of playing techniques including downpicking, uppicking and alternating strokes, slaps, harmonics, slides, bends, staccato and pizzicato, as well as ghost notes and many more. Of particular note is Enforce Mode, which replaces sub-bass sounds with a pure sine wave for more stable and deeper bass.
The main disadvantage of KRAKEN Hybrid is its resource requirements. The tool requires a minimum of 2 GB of RAM, but for more comfortable use it is recommended to have about 8 GB.

12. SubMission Audio EURO BASS III

The EURO BASS III is a virtual embodiment of the powerful and distinctive Spector Euro 5 LX five-string bass. This real instrument is known for its deep and even “rough” sound, which is ideal for heavy music genres.
The library provides three types of samples:

1. Raw DI sounds in their original form;
2. Clear bass sound captured through Ampeg amplifier;
3. Overdriven bass sound recorded using equipment from Darkglass Electronics and Neural DSP.

The last two options are samples that are completely ready for use in a mix and do not require further processing.
The virtual instrument includes samples of open strings, hammers and pulls, slides, muted notes and various additional noises, covering a wide range from E subcontractave (E0) to E first octave (E4).
The bass sounds really powerful and rich. However, there is no versatility in its use – it will be difficult to use EURO BASS III outside of heavy and extreme musical styles.

13. Toontrack EZbass

Like its counterparts EZdrummer for drums and EZkeys for keyboards, Toontrack’s EZbass virtual bassist departs from the traditional sample library format. This tool is more focused on composing and arranging music rather than simply providing a set of controllable sounds.
The main advantage of the plugin is its extensive library of grooves, covering various musical styles. It allows musicians to quickly create interesting bass lines based on the key, tempo and style of the composition. With a few minor adjustments, you can easily add a unique bassline to your project.
In terms of sound, EZbass offers two types of bass: vintage and modern, each of which is available in both pure and ten processed versions. Picking techniques include fingerpicking, picking, and slapping, as well as harmonics, slides, ghost notes, hammers, and pools.
However, the plugin has a drawback – its sound is not always realistic. Of all the available presets, only a few truly resemble the sound of a real bass. Integrating EZbass into a mix can also be challenging, with the sound sometimes sounding underpowered or overloaded with low frequencies that are difficult to control.

14. UJAM Virtual Bassist

UJAM’s Virtual Bassist series follows the company’s successful Virtual Bassist by providing automated bass playing capabilities with a manual creation option. This series includes three instruments: the vintage Dandy, the energetic Rowdy and the relatively versatile Royal.
The principle of operation of these VST bass guitars is quite simple: pressing a key on a MIDI keyboard activates the execution of a part prepared in advance by the developers. At any time, you can switch to manual mode so that the virtual bass player plays the part written in the sequencer.
The user has the ability to customize the character of the bass sound, select an amplifier, adjust the ratio of the signal of the neck and bridge pickups, and also apply various effects. There is also a choice of the key of the part and various variations for different sections of the arrangement.
At first glance, Virtual Bassist appears to be a user-friendly tool, but its flexibility and controllability may seem limited to some users.

15. Waves Audio Bass Fingers

Waves claims that Bass Fingers is the most detailed virtual bass ever played with fingers. This sounds appealing, but the reality is a little more modest: while the plugin has decent sound, it doesn’t go beyond that.
The five-string Bass Fingers virtual instrument offers eight layers of samples per sound for maximum naturalness. It features hammers and pulls, is complemented by natural playing noises, and can perform slides and slaps in 21 different fretboard positions. Users can customize their sound with a wide range of effects pedals and bass amp options.
However, the system requirements of the plugin raise questions. The developers recommend 16 GB of RAM to use it, which seems a bit excessive.