Top 5 Bass Guitar VST Instruments of 2021: 3,113 Producers Voted

Comparing software instruments focused on realistic bass guitar

Our survey series: 7,526 music producers responded
Here, we present the top five third-party bass-guitar instruments from our survey.

Of the 7,526 respondents, 3,113 used third-party bass-guitar instruments. A further 3,281 said they did not use bass-guitar sounds in their productions.
We suspect many of those producers record a real bass or mainly use synth bass instead.

As in the rest of this series, we look beyond the ranking to compare each product's sound, features, and functions, helping you choose an instrument.
We also recorded a real bass guitar so you can compare it with the software instruments.

Respondents who used several bass instruments were asked to select the one they liked best.

5th: Native Instruments SCARBEE RICKENBACKER BASS — 58 votes; ¥13,400 in 2021

4th: Toontrack EZbass — 99 votes; €155 in 2021

3rd: Ample Sound Ample Bass — 132 votes; $119 in 2021

2nd: Spectrasonics Trilian — 700 votes; $299 in 2021

1st: IK Multimedia MODO BASS — 1,197 votes; €299.99 in 2021

Sound comparison

Let's listen to the different instruments.
For the real-bass recording, we invited studio musician okamu. to perform.
We asked him to play something that, from a bassist's perspective, would be difficult to recreate through MIDI programming.

Real bass guitar

The recording setup was as follows.

• Bass guitar
  Freedom Custom Guitar Research Dulake 5st
• Effects
  CONISIS Elegant Beast BA001 (buffer)
  ORIGIN EFFECTS Cali76-CB (compressor)
  YUKI Kyukyoku (preamp)
  AMATERAS LINETRANCE0001 (transformer)
• DI / preamps
  AKIMA & NEOS Multi Tube Direct Injector
  RUPERT NEVE DESIGNS SHELFORD CHANNEL

For the programmed phrases, we applied timing quantization and did not make detailed velocity adjustments.

5th: Native Instruments SCARBEE RICKENBACKER BASS

4th: Toontrack EZbass

3rd: Ample Sound Ample Bass

2nd: Spectrasonics Trilian

1st: IK Multimedia MODO BASS

Models and presets

MODO BASS stands out here: its physical modeling lets you freely adjust the sound characteristics.
Its effects section also includes IK Multimedia's popular amp-modeling technology, helping create a more realistic bass sound.

As mentioned above, Trilian includes upright-bass and synth-bass sounds as well as bass guitar.
These sounds are also high quality. In this comparison, Trilian was our clear choice for anyone wanting all of those bass categories in one instrument.

EZbass has fewer underlying bass models, but offers a wide selection of presets based on them.
Even if you have little experience shaping a bass tone, you can select a sound you like and start using it.

Ample Bass and the Scarbee range offer separate products for different bass models.
You expand your collection by buying the models you want.

Playing techniques and articulations

Let's examine the articulations that are important for realistic bass-guitar performances.

All of the instruments can handle basic playing techniques. In our 2021 comparison, however, Trilian—already more than ten years old at the time—offered less convincing slide expression.
Slides are used frequently in bass-guitar phrasing, so this stood out to us.

SCARBEE RICKENBACKER BASS focuses on picked playing, reflecting the sampled model. For other playing styles, you would need another instrument in the Scarbee range.

EZbass includes a dedicated MIDI editor, which we found particularly effective.
It makes it easy to specify a variety of playing techniques and can greatly speed up production.

The ability to choose which string plays a note is another important consideration, particularly for slap bass.
In the versions compared here, MODO BASS and SCARBEE RICKENBACKER BASS let you select strings. MODO BASS therefore scored strongly in this area, too.

Sound editing

MODO BASS also led our sound-editing comparison, including customization of the virtual bass itself.
Some options are highly detailed: you can change pickup positions as well as pickup types, for example. Beginners may initially find this level of detail confusing.

One limitation in the Ample Bass products compared here was the lack of pickup switching, which can substantially alter a bass's tonal character.
Trilian likewise did not offer this control in our comparison.

EZbass was the only instrument in this comparison with a built-in phrase feature, letting you bring a wide range of prepared bass phrases into your song.
Although it did not provide an editable effects section in the version compared here, its extensive preset collection included processed sounds.

This applies to all the products: to shape a tone as a bassist would, you will often combine the instrument's internal processing with plugin effects in your DAW.

What did you think?
The different instrument types and tonal characters make this a surprisingly deep and interesting area.

For detailed expression and sound quality, MODO BASS stood out to us.
EZbass, meanwhile, showed a real commitment to helping beginners, with many thoughtfully designed and distinctive MIDI-editing features.
Its lower price also made it an appealing option in this 2021 comparison for users just starting to learn bass programming.

We hope these differences, along with your budget, help you choose the instrument that suits you.

Next in the series is another category many of you may be curious about:
guitar-instrument rankings. Stay tuned!

Which bass instrument is most popular? Our top five and feature comparison
Our survey series: 7,526 music producers responded
We reveal the ranking of third-party bass instruments and compare their sounds, characteristics, and features.

Read more: https://t.co/VczceO5NrT #DTM #Bass pic.twitter.com/kvmrGTis34

— SLEEP FREAKS (@SLEEPFREAKS_DTM) July 5, 2021

Frequently asked questions

Q1. What matters most when choosing a software bass instrument?

Consider your genre, desired tone, ease of use, and budget. In our 2021 comparison, Trilian was a good fit for upright-bass sounds, MODO BASS for expressive flexibility, and EZbass for beginners who wanted help with MIDI programming.

Q2. What is the difference between physical modeling and sampling?

A sample-based instrument plays recordings of an actual bass. Physical modeling generates sound by calculating the instrument's physical behavior. Modeling offers advantages in articulation and freedom to edit the sound.

Q3. Which bass instrument did this guide recommend for beginners?

Toontrack EZbass was our beginner recommendation in this 2021 comparison. Its features help users who lack confidence with programming or phrasing, while its internal articulation and phrase controls can reduce the time needed to build a bass part.