Session Bassist Upright Bass KONTAKT Library

Upright Bass combines a pattern-based bass library with a sophisticated set of multi-samples, designed to provide authentic bass lines, patterns, and riffs for songwriting, music production, and scoring. The samples have been recorded using an extraordinary upright bass, built at the renowned violin making school in Mittenwald, Germany. It features a unique back construction: a flat back glued in a curve over the contoured ribs and soundboard. The result is the rich, mellow character of a curved back, coupled with the direct response and definition of a flat back.

The instrument was recorded using high-end vintage condenser and dynamic microphones in multiple microphone configurations, as well as a Balsereit pickup through SPL Gainstations and vintage Universal Audio 610 preamps. The signals were then converted by an SPL Madison A/D converter and fed via MADI to an RME MADIface XT, both externally clocked by an Antelope Audio 10MX Rubidium atomic clock.

A total of 224 loops, single notes in many different picked articulations, round-robin variants and velocities in multiple positions over a range of three octaves, as well as additional sample content such as a bowed articulation and percussive playing styles, were performed live by professional bassist Andreas Schmid. The loops and phrases are grouped into song presets, each containing four patterns and a matching sound preset. Patterns can be selected using keyswitches and played as chords on a MIDI keyboard. Playback is always in sync with the host sequencer. Phrases can also be dragged and dropped into the DAW for MIDI editing.

You can customize the sound of the instrument by choosing between three distinct microphone setups and an additional D.I. signal with tone control. The 39 carefully curated sound presets consist of up to seven effects. These include various equalizers, reverbs, tape emulations, compressors and more. A notable addition is the Split FX module, which lets you set up send effects such as reverb or delay.

The key feature of Upright Bass is its revolutionary playback engine. You can seamlessly switch between patterns, and change dynamics in real time to create true-to-life musical performances. Since Upright Bass preserves all of the nuances of the original performance such as exact timing and dynamics, you will notice that the instrument feels very natural and organic. All built-in patterns can be played at any tempo in superb sound quality.