What do y'all use for a bass preamp plugin?

Hi,

I’ve come to notice something I’m really missing in Linux Audio is a bass preamp plugin (ie guitarix for basses). I line in direct for recording bass and using linuxDSP’s BlackEQ and DYN500 which is getting me most of the way to a good bass tone but I’d still like a bit more control over the tonal character. I have tried some of the guitarix LV2’s which are great however they’re of course voiced for guitar and quite often it just sounds like I’m playing a bass through a guitar amp. I’m simply looking for a nice warm ‘studio’ tone like a bass played through a big Ampeg SVT 300 tube amp and a 4/10 cabinet.

What are other folks using? Suggestions and hints are welcomed!

*added note

Of course prefer a Linux solution but since I also use ArdourVST suggestions of working 32bit WinVST’s are also good.

@GMaq: Rumour has it that the bass player in the Beatles … now, what was his name… :slight_smile: managed to get quite a nice studio tone using a Fairchild compressor, on at least one of their albums… Now If only there was such a thing for linux… :slight_smile:

@Gmaq

There may be a new [commercial] option coming for this in the not so distant future…

    Seablade

Sorry should clarify not necessarily a preamp or cabinet emulation plugin, but more a plugin specifically aimed at bass processing:)

   Seablade

Hi,

@linuxdsp

hehe yeah I think his name was Pete Best…:-b Seriously though I never thought of the FC-70, I always think of it as a mastering tool but I’ll give it a go.

@seablade

Hmmm, I think the mysterious option you were referring too just showed up in my Inbox :slight_smile:

@GMaq: You may have to drive the compressor quite a lot (depending upon the sound you want) - it will overdrive nicely, on very low compression settings if pushed.

@seablade, GMaq: I think I just got the same email… remind me to rename the bands on my graphic EQ - that should do the trick :slight_smile:

@GMaq

Quite likely;)

@LinuxDSP

While I haven’t played with it yet, my understanding is that it is a bit more than simply static filters, but not having played with it yet I can’t comment one way or another.

   Seablade

@Seablade, GMaq … No reason to be secretive anymore :slight_smile: The new plugin is the XT-BC “Bass Character” plugin. Video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXmAuRsrghs

It’s not intended to replace a bass amp, so you might still need some processing like linuxdsp’s Fairchild. But it might be part of the solution. Particularly if your bass doesn’t have enough fundamental in its tone, a pass through the XT-BC might beef it up so the Fairchild has more to work with.

@LinuxDSP: The plugin uses “frequency agile filtering” derived from radar & radio technology. You can’t recreate it with regular EQ (unless you automate the band centers, but then you’d risk sounding like a wah-wah) The XT-BC resulted as a side-effect of some other research we have underway … and it turned into an itch that had to be scratched :slight_smile:

@BenLoftis: OK, thanks for making that clear, I didn’t really get that from watching the demo video, which seemed to focus more on just using it like a two band graphical EQ (albeit with some guide to basic harmonic structure).

you could try splitting your bass into 2 channels, having 1 clean and 1 effects, this can overcome the problem with effects destroying bottom end. you can get more control of the sounds and then blend them together.

ive not really used guiarix in a while since my sound cards latency is just not good enough for playing realtime, but maybe theres a cabinate simulator simulating something with 12" drivers. you should be able to get somewhat of a decent bass tone out of a guitar cab.

Or maybe the plugins are just assuming that guitars dont have anything usefull below say 160hz and shelfing it. i tried a few amp plugins and effects on an acoustic and well it sounded like a terrible electric guitar amp.