Toontrack EZbass

Meet Your New Bass Player.

Toontrack is proud to introduce the market’s first bass software of its kind. One that goes above and beyond a traditional sample library to deliver not only pristine sound but also fundamental features that effortlessly let you to add bass to your songs.
In addition to its wealth of songwriting features, EZbass also includes two fundamentally different bass sound libraries, both captured with the at- tention and level of detail that has made Toontrack spearhead the sampling industry for 20 years and counting.

Welcome to the world's most streamlined bass production tool for songwriters. Meet your new bass player: EZbass.

• A BASS PLAYER - Use drum or keyboard MIDI and have EZbass automatically create matching basslines.
• GRID EDITOR - Alter the performance or the subtler details of the MIDI using the built-in Grid Editor.
• SONGWRITING - Arrange, compose, change, and rearrange - without leaving the software.
• AUDIO TRACKER - Audio to MIDI conversion based on the same technology found in Superior Drummer 3.
• MIDI - Comes with bass MIDI for a broad range of styles.
• TWO BASSES - Two carefully sampled bass guitars – one vintage and one modern.

Adding Bass to Your Songs Has Never Been Easier.

The concept of our EZ Line products has been clear since day one: to give you, the songwriter, not only products that make your music sound great, but also the tools you need in order to create music. Creativity is the hallmark at the front and center of the EZ Line design. EZbass, of course, is no different.

Add Groove Button

Simply click the 'Add Groove' button to get a basic rhythm going, set the chords for your song, and start crafting your performance in the 'Grid Editor' or find a playing style in the included MIDI to apply to your chord progression.

Tap It In

Tap in the rhythm you want your bass to play using the ’Tap2Find’ feature and then have EZbass list all matching variations from its included MIDI library.

Play It Yourself

Of course, you can always take advantage of the matchless playability of EZbass and perform the bassline yourself using a MIDI controller.

Use Drum or Keys MIDI

Use the drum or keyboard MIDI in your song to have EZbass automatically create a matching bassline.

Audio To MIDI

Use a previously recorded guitar, bass or rhythm performance
and then have EZbass convert the audio to MIDI with its built-in ‘Audio Tracker’ feature.

The Bassics

The ‘Bass’ view is the default screen that launches when you start the program. It gives you the visual representation of your selected instrument, a real-time display of the bass notes being played in your performance as well as access to the ‘Effects’ and ‘Tuning’ controls.

The ’Song Track’ is static regardless of which view you’re currently in but can, of course, be collapsed and hidden away completely. This is your MIDI hub for anything related to organizing the layout of your song or bass performance. From here, you can also access several fundamental features, such as:

• Pointer, Pencil, and Split tools - Write, slice, dice, and arrange.
• Transition - Easily add seamless transitions and slides between chords.
• Add Groove - Instantaneously add a groove of pumping eighth notes.
• Replace MIDI - Keep the chords in your selected block but replace the MIDI with what you select in the ‘Grooves’ browser.
• Add/Edit Chords - Add and/or change any highlighted chord(s).
• Edit Play Style - Change octave, velocity, damping, note length, or the overall complexity of your rhythm using the ‘Amount’ knob.

Grooves

At the heart of EZbass is the MIDI. It includes a wealth of different playing styles for all common genres and was designed to give you the broadest possible palette of options. Ultimately, you decide how the bass performs on your song. Of course, all included MIDI can be infinitely customized – without you having to leave the program.

Grid Editor

Simply double-click a MIDI block in the ‘Song Track’ to enter the ‘Grid Editor.’ From there, you can alter articulations, adjust timing, fine-tune velocities, manually write parts, and much more.

Drums & Keys

Have a drum or keyboard MIDI file that you need
a matching bassline for? Just drag and drop it in EZbass and it will automatically create a matching performance. This is extremely powerful for getting a good starting point, quick and easy.

Audio Tracker

The ‘Audio Tracker’ was designed to mainly handle monophonic guitar or bass audio, but it also has a deep understanding of rhythmic material. In effect,
this means you can use an already recorded guitar, bass, or percussive performance, import it to EZbass, and have it seamlessly ‘translate’ it to MIDI that you can continue to perfect using the tools available in the software. You can even record your own audio, right inside EZbass!

The Sounds

EZbass includes two fundamentally different instruments, both picked to complement one another and paint the broadest possible sonic scope. Each bass was sampled with the same attention to detail and quality that has made Toontrack spearhead the drum sampling industry for 20 years and counting.

The Modern Bass

The ‘Modern’ sound library features an Alembic* bass, a high-end American brand endorsed by many top players around the world. It was captured with both fingers, pick, and slap options.

"When we started the EZbass project, we were looking for an instrument that could produce the most versatile and well- rounded tone possible," comments Magnus Melkersson, EZbass lead R&D technician. "We scoured the market and tried dozens of basses before we finally landed on this one. I have played bass all my life and I have personally never come across an instrument more dynamic, expressive, or full of life than this one. It truly is a beautiful instrument that embodies the entire frequency range you need in a bass. It was the perfect choice for the 'Modern' library."

One thing that particularly sets this instrument apart from other basses is the pickups – single-coils with an active hum-canceling coil mounted in between. This gives the instrument the tonal single-coil characteristics but leaves out any inherent noise. Both the bridge and neck pickups were sampled separately, allowing you to use each pickup separately or seamlessly blend between them. In other words, it’s literally like having two basses in one.

The Vintage Bass

The 'Vintage' library features a classic Fender* Jazz bass, an instrument used across all genres since the 1960s and one that still to this day remains one of the world’s most iconic bass guitars.

"As a contrast to the 'Modern' bass, we wanted an instrument that was fundamentally different in all aspects – from tone, frequency range, and pickups to overall feel," says Ulf Edlund, one of the lead EZbass sound designers. “This bass has a completely different set of harmonics compared to the ‘Modern.’ Although it sits perfectly in any pop, rock or even metal track, it truly shines in any context that calls for something more mellow. I would pick this bass over anything else for a jazz, blues, or country song."

This bass was hot-wired to offer the same type of flexibility with the pickup options as the 'Modern' bass, meaning you can use each pickup separately or seamlessly blend between them.

Articulations

EZbass delivers the most all-encompassing set of articulations you need in order to produce stunningly real performances for anything from subtle jazz to extreme metal. The main tools of the ‘Modern’ bass include fingers, pick and slap while the ‘Vintage’ bass includes fingers and pick.

• Auto-Alternate Fingers
• Index Finger
• Middle Finger
• Ghost Note
• Harmonic
• Percussive Right Hand
• Tapping
• Slap/Pop
• Ghost Slap
• Percussive Left Hand

Presets

With EZbass, a great tone is merely a mouse slap away. The presets in EZbass cover a broad range of expertly crafted tones based on amp and cab simulation as well as on the same complex network of effects used behind the scenes in all EZ Line products.

Each preset has a number of controls that you can use to fine-tune the intensity of the processing. First, each pickup on the selected bass has its own continuously variable level control, allowing you to define the perfect balance between the neck and bridge pickups for your mix. Second, the preset-dependent processing controls give you the flexibility to dial in the overall tone of the bass sound. These seemingly simple controls are linked to any number of sound processing actions behind the scenes, meaning that multiple EQ adjustments, dynamic characteristics, and other effects can all be tied to a single knob for the user. In addition, each control offers ‘MIDI Learn,’ ‘MIDI Learn Reversed’ and ‘Bind to CC’ options. This will allow you to automate and customize the bass sound throughout the course of a mix.
Already have a favorite bass signal chain in your DAW? Simply use the DI (direct in) presets and take advantage of the multi-sampled detail that EZbass provides with your series of chosen processors.

Sub-Bass

Another powerful and not-so-subtle option in terms of sound is the ’Sub-Bass’ control. This knob adds and controls the levels of two synthesized sine tones to each note and was implemented in order to add both fullness and definition to the overall tone of the instrument. This can also be routed out on a separate track for individual processing in your DAW using the ‘Multi-Out’ option. The same routing option applies to the DI tone, giving you full flexibility to shape, mold, and hone your tone using any chain of processing.