IK Multimedia Announces MODO Bass

IK Multimedia announces MODO Bass, the first physically modeled electric bass virtual instrument for Mac/PC.
Publish date:
Updated on
Image placeholder title

IK Multimedia is pleased to announce MODO BASS, a breakthrough physical modeling technology that brings a completely new level of realism and playability to the world of virtual bass instruments.

MODO BASS is a completely customizable physically modeled virtual bass that recreates the electric bass and how it's played - from the physical instrument and everything that makes it sound the way it does, to the human technique of how the instrument is played and its sonic performance, to the entire sound signal chain - no detail is left out.

This pioneering approach to virtual instrument technology recreates the dynamic interaction between the player, the bass, effects chain and amplifier that until now has never been realized nor recreated with traditional virtual instruments. This intense evaluation and modeling process gives players and producers access to a limitless universe of bass sound, an unmatched level of playability and the most realistic, lifelike sounding dynamic performance. No other bass virtual instrument can even come close to offering what MODO BASS provides.

Eight years in the making and developed in collaboration with one of Europe's oldest universities, MODO BASS utilizes a breakthrough technology to breathe life into bass tracks. Unlike traditional sample-based virtual instruments, MODO BASS utilizes modal synthesis technology and an ultra-optimized sound engine to model each string as a nonlinear resonator where the string's acoustic behavior is determined by its physical parameters as well as by the interaction of the string with fretboard, body and pick-ups of the instrument.

The action of the player is then modeled as a nonlinear physical interaction with certain areas on the string surface. Then using IK's cutting edge analog modeling expertise, the amp and effects rig of the electric bass is added to the sound chain.

All of this gives MODO BASS the ability to create sound in real time based on the construction and components of the bass combined with the player technique, finesse and the ever-changing dynamic interactions between the two. In short, MODO BASS brings - for the first time - ever-changing, hyper-realistic, living-breathing bass sound and performance to the world of virtual instruments. And since it doesn't use samples, MODO BASS has an extremely small memory footprint.

The foundation of MODO BASS is a collection of 12 physically modeled iconic electric basses that span the history of bass sound in recorded music - more bass models than available in most other virtual instruments. Bass models include "60s P-Bass" based on an Alder body '60s era Fender Precision Bass, "70s P-Bass" based on an Ash body Fender Precision Bass, "70s J-Bass" based on an Alder body Fender Jazz Bass; "Modern J-Bass" based on an Ash body Fender Jazz Bass, "Devil Bass" based on Gibson EB-0; "Bass Man 5" based on Music Man StingRay 5-string; "Rick n' Bass" based on Rickenbacker 4003; "Studio Bass" based on Yamaha RB5; "Violin Bass" based on a Hofner Violin Bass, "Thunder Bass" based on a Gibson Thunderbird, "Japan Bass" based on an Ibanez Soundgear, and "Flame Bass" based on Warwick Streamer.

Every detail of each bass has been meticulously analyzed and modeled to capture the true sonic character of the original basses - the shape and type, the wood used for the body and neck construction, the hardware components like bridge and tuners, the original onboard electronics and controls - every aspect and detail has been modeled and recreated to provide the highest degree of sonic authenticity of the original. But the sounds available with MODO BASS extend far beyond the 12 modeled basses; with the available customization features, users can craft virtually every electric bass sound imaginable.

Watch the video below to find out more.

MODO BASS will be available in November, 2016 for $/€299.99 and $199.99 crossgrade price. MODO BASS for Mac/PC is available now for pre-order from the IK Online store at a special introductory price of only $/€149.99.

For more information on MODO BASS, please visit modobass.com.