Toontrack EBX: Session Player

Bass, Presets, and MIDI - All Tailored for Session Perfection

Including the model that has forever etched its name in music history as the bar-none pick for session players across all genres and styles, this EBX was designed to serve as the ultimate go-to expansion for EZbass.

Equipped with flatwound strings and recorded both direct in and through a custom flip-top-style amp, it will lend you a workhorse of an instrument with an enormous tonal span.

In addition to the instrument itself, the Session Player EBX also includes a wide array of mix-ready bread-and-butter presets and a basic collection of MIDI basslines inspired by a broad selection of general styles.

If you were ever on the look for a nose-to-the-grindstone type of bass that you can trust in any given scenario, this is it.

Regardless of whether you're looking to add bass to a subtle acoustic-style singer-songwriter track, a laid-back R&B beat, or a contemporary gospel song, this EBX will get the job done.

Features

• A vintage 1960s electric bass with flatwound strings
• Inspired by a broad range of styles and sounds
• Includes finger and pick options as well as slap and tapping articulations
• Offering a range from D1 to E4
• Includes a collection of presets covering a width of general go-to bass tones
• Comes with a custom MIDI library tailored for the instrument

The Instrument

Few basses have seen the inside of more iconic studios, graced more timeless records, toured more highway miles, or let alone, been played, revered, and trusted by more great players than the Fender Precision Bass.

Why? The simple answer is that it just works. Have a listen to the timeless grooves legends like James Jamerson, Carol Kaye, Sting, Pino Palladino and countless more have laid down through music history using the P and you'll hear it.

If there ever was one bass to cover all the bases, this is the one.

It can seemingly adapt like a chameleon in any given context and mold to the touch and style of any player that holds it.

Likely, for that very reason, it still to this day remains the first-pick workhorse bass for top session players around the globe.

Although hard to prove, it's highly likely that it's the most recorded bass guitar of all time.

The Sounds & Articulations

This EBX was sampled using two methods: the traditional finger-playing style and with a pick. This gives you two contrasting takes of the same instrument and a tonal palette that ranges from the round, warm and focused to the sharp, articulated and edgy.

For strings, flatwounds were chosen. In contrast to the predominant roundwounds, flats have reduced highs, giving them a more emphasized mid and low-frequency range – all of which are great qualities for an all-round session bass.

To add, the bass was recorded using split signals – one direct in (DI) and one through a classic flip-top-style amp.

The direct signal was run through a vacuum tube-driven DI box, giving you a rock-solid transparent tone with a full and rich frequency range.

The amp signal, on the other hand, offers a sharp contrast in tone with its saturated and deeply textured flavor.

Combined, you'll have the epitome of a bass that you can tweak to sit in any thinkable mix.

The instrument in question for this specific EBX heralds from 1963 – the golden era of the 1960s and the decade in which the Precision truly cemented its role as the standard.

The Presets

The included presets were designed to offer a broad range of transparent tones for use in any given context or style.

Don't expect overly saturated, distorted, or otherworldly out-there type of presets - rather a collection of basic and trustworthy sounds for your everyday songwriting needs.

Should you want to run the instrument through an external signal chain to tweak your own tones from scratch, however, 'DI' (direct in) and 'Multi-Out' options are included for both the 'Finger' and the 'Pick' libraries.

With these options, the sound-shaping possibilities are endless.