AltBass Coming soon
Bass amp & drive plugin

AltBass

A bass amp, a FET-style compressor and a parallel grind channel, built into one battered pedal.

Coming soon Hear it
VST3AUAAXStandalonemacOS
The AltBass plugin: input, compressor and output controls along the top, and a dark pedal with Drive, Grind, Bass, Treble, Presence and Scoop knobs.
How it's built

Grit on top, a solid bottom underneath

AltBass squeezes your bass through a fast FET-style compressor, then into a bass-driver amp voicing. A separate grind channel works only above 581 Hz and blends in underneath, so the low end stays clean and tight however hard you push the top. Every control does one obvious thing.

Input→ Comp4:1, ~280 µs→ Ampfull range Grindabove 581 Hz → Scoop480 Hz→ Output→ Cab6 kHz shelf
Hear it

Before and after

A real bass DI, dry and then through AltBass at its default settings. Flip between them while it plays.

Default settings

Clips are level-matched, so you hear the tone and not just a volume jump.

Features

Everything a bass rig needs, on one panel

4:1 · ~280 µs attack

FET-style compressor

One knob sets the squash and make-up gain is automatic. An eight-LED meter and a dB readout show exactly how hard it's working.

4× oversampled

Bass-driver amp

A near-hard clipper between two EQs. The lows are cut before the drive and put back after it, so Drive adds grit without flubbing the bottom.

HPF 581 Hz · 24 dB/oct

Parallel grind

A separate overdrive that lives only in the upper range, blended under the amp. The power icon switches it off without losing your setting.

480 Hz · up to −10 dB

Scoop

A mid cut that clears room for kick and guitars. At 2 it's a gentle mix move; at 10 it's a full modern scoop.

−15 dB above 6 kHz

Cab sim

One switch rolls off the fizz like a speaker cabinet would. It's the very last thing in the chain, after Output.

.altbass files

Your own presets

Start from the factory sounds, then save your own. Each preset is a small file you can back up or send to a bandmate.

Controls

Every knob, switch and meter

Hover a number to find the control.

The AltBass interface with numbered markers on each control.
  1. 01InputLevel into everything, with an input meter on the left edge. Aim for peaks at the top green LED.
  2. 02CompHow hard the compressor squashes. Volume stays roughly matched.
  3. 03GR meterGain reduction: LEDs at 1 to 15 dB, with a live dB readout.
  4. 04PresetsFactory and your own presets. Save, load and step through them.
  5. 05BypassHear the dry signal for a quick A/B.
  6. 06TunerA bass tuner that takes over the panel and mutes while you tune.
  7. 07CabThe cab sim switch.
  8. 08Audio settingsDevice, inputs, outputs and sample rate, in the standalone app.
  9. 09OutputFinal level, with an output meter on the right edge.
  10. 10DriveFrom clean DI warmth to full bass-driver grit.
  11. 11GrindHow much parallel grind to blend in, plus its on/off switch.
  12. 12BassLow shelf around 200 Hz. Noon already adds a gentle lift.
  13. 13TrebleHigh shelf around 2.3 kHz.
  14. 14PresenceUpper-mid edge going into the drive: more bite and growl.
  15. 15ScoopThe 480 Hz mid cut.
Built-in tuner

Tune without leaving the plugin

Tap the fork and the pedal turns into a tuner. It reads from a five-string's low B, shows the note big enough to see from across the room, and turns green within ±3 cents. The output mutes while you tune, unless you switch Mute off.

The AltBass tuner showing E1, 6 cents sharp, on a cents strip.
Specs

Tech specs

Formats
VST3, AU, AAX, Standalone
System
macOS 11 or later, Apple Silicon
Compressor
4:1 · ~280 µs attack · ~50 ms release
Grind crossover
581 Hz · 24 dB/oct
Scoop
480 Hz · Q 1.0 · 0 to −10 dB
Cab sim
6 kHz high shelf · −15 dB
Oversampling
4× on amp and grind
Tuner
A = 440 Hz · low B and up
Window
Resizable from 70 to 200 %
Presets
Factory set plus your own, as files
Coming soon

Plug in and dig in

AltBass is in final testing for macOS, with Windows to follow. Email us and we'll tell you the day it's out.

Email [email protected]

[email protected]