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Bass amp sim plugins, what's the meta now? (2021)

Kameo

Kameo

Oct 21, 2020
22
27
USA
www.instagram.com
#1
Starting to look around for a bass amp sim that would work for a lot of my heavier punk/skate punk/melodic hardcore stuff. Not really a specific bass sound I guess since most of my influences go anywhere from a clean bass tone to bass with a little bit of high end bite.

Anyway, what are the bass amp sims people are using now?

Is it still Brainworx Ampeg stuff and Cerberus? That's where I last left off when I used to research different sims for good bass amp tones.

Did the Amplitube stuff get any better?

I have Ampeg IRs that I like so just looking for a good amp sim.

Anything new come out since early last year that really stood out?

Basses seem to have always received the short end when it came to amp sims.
 
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#4
Nembrini: Blackice Beta Gamma
NeuralDSP: Parallax, Darkglass Ultra
Audio Assault: Duality Bass Studio
Kuassa: Cerberus Bass Amp
AuroraDSP: Mammoth

All of these have been worth my time but I'm geared mostly towards metal.
 
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#6
project_c said:
Nobody ever mentions the Markbass studio plugin, it works really well in mixes, I don’t use it for practice or recording but if I use it in a mix I don’t have to mess with the bass tone at all, it just fits in really well.
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I thought Markbass Studio 2, Softube Eden & brainworx Bassdude was decent for cleaner tones. Used a bit of Kush Reddi DI box as well.

Didn't have any real issues with any of them, thought they sounded great. I just don't need as many cleaner tones is all.
 
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#8
Kameo said:
This is probably going to be the one for me. While I have Softube's Eden for the really clean stuff (Pop/R&B/etc.), this seems like something I can really use for that punk brightness and slight edge while retaining overall clarity and playing dynamics.


Thanks for the suggestions guys!
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If you like Darklass ultra, then I highly advise you check out Blackice Beta Gamma as well. I personally like it more than I like Darklass ultra.
 
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#10
Kameo said:
I actually just changed my mind again lol, I'm stuck on the Ampeg sound so now I'm between the Brainworx Ampeg stuff, Amplitube's Ampeg stuff, and Helix's Ampeg stuff.
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Can I just chime in on a word of advice?

I do like what branworx does, my only gripe is I can't use my own IR Files which is why most of my choices have IR loders in the amp plugin itself so I can have the ampeg sound or any other impulse response of any other brand of bass cab.

What I'm saying is Amp plugins with IR loaders on them are far more versatile. I can have the Ampeg sound right inside basically any of those amp plugs because I have tons of Ampeg impulses.
 
#11
Bonsist said:
Can I just chime in on a word of advice?

I do like what branworx does, my only gripe is I can't use my own IR Files which is why most of my choices have IR loders in the amp plugin itself so I can have the ampeg sound or any other impulse response of any other brand of bass cab.

What I'm saying is Amp plugins with IR loaders on them are far more versatile. I can have the Ampeg sound right inside basically any of those amp plugs because I have tons of Ampeg impulses.
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Yeah that's why I'm leaning away from the Brainworx stuff, I have my own Ampeg IRs I want to use. So I guess it's Amplitube or Helix if I want a plugin that has specifically an Ampeg amp sim that's IR friendly. What percentage of the ampeg sound comes from the amp vs the cab? If it's just the cab I could just use Darkglass or Nembrini with Ampeg cab IRs.
 
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#12
Kameo said:
Yeah that's why I'm leaning away from the Brainworx stuff, I have my own Ampeg IRs I want to use. So I guess it's Amplitube or Helix if I want a plugin that has specifically an Ampeg amp sim that's IR friendly. What percentage of the ampeg sound comes from the amp vs the cab? If it's just the cab I could just use Darkglass or Nembrini with Ampeg cab IRs.
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Amplitube is great for what it is for an all around solution but as a bassist I'm pretty dissapointed you cannot utilize your own IR files with it. You're locked into theirs.

Otherwise I actually very much love brainworx and Amplitube because they are still very decent.
 
#13
Bonsist said:
Amplitube is great for what it is for an all around solution but as a bassist I'm pretty dissapointed you cannot utilize your own IR files with it. You're locked into theirs.

Otherwise I actually very much love brainworx and Amplitube because they are still very decent.
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I thought you could bypass the cab section in Amplitube? At least that's how it was in 3 and 4.

Edit: You definitely can.
 
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#14
Kameo said:
I thought you could bypass the cab section in Amplitube? At least that's how it was in 3 and 4.

Edit: You definitely can.
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Oh well then there you go, just insert an IR loader afterwards and you're good to go. If anything I thought Kuassa had most bang for your buck. Because you got something pretty decent for a pretty low price.

I'm just a huge fan of everything in one plugin, especially all on one screen if possible. I don't like having to load too many plugins in my chain if I don't have to but IR loaders are light so it's all good.

But I did enjoy Amplitube for what it was when demoing it with the 4th release. Haven't tried the 5th one yet.
 
#15
Bassforge™️ Hellraiser

hellraiser_1080x.jpg
 
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#20
Whereas Kris Crummett only used the Ampeg SVT-II for all his presets, Will Putney used the Ampeg SVT Classic, the Orange AD200B MKIII, and the Mesa Boogie Strategy 8:88. As for the STL Bass Pack, which was made by Paolo Campitelli, it contains even more amps such as the Ampeg SVT-3Pro, the Ampeg SVT-VR, the Gallien-Krueger 800RB. I think the STL Bass Pack is honestly the most varied of the three. Crummett focuses on clean and low gain bass tones with a few exceptions, Putney focuses on high gain overdriven bass tones with a few exceptions, and Campitelli tries to cover everything from low to high gain.
 
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