Start Playing with Virtual Bassists!

Before we look at things in more depth, let’s first explore how to play with Virtual Bassist plug-ins, as that may be all you need for now. 

The top half of the Virtual Bassist Series window is dedicated to the musical performance – in other words: what is played. 

By default, Virtual Bassist is set to Player Mode and the interactive keyboard reflects that.

The basic principle is simple:

• When you press keys from C3* upwards, the Virtual Bassist plug-in will start playing a phrase with the chord determined by the notes you play. When you release the key(s), playback will stop. 
• MIDI notes below C3 don’t represent musical keys but select the phrases of your player in real-time. This is a powerful way of making your performance interesting and dynamic.
• By turning the Pitchwheel, you can gradually adjust the force your player exerts on the string, in other words: play softer or harder.
• By switching to instrument mode using the top-center switch on the user interface, you turn Virtual Bassist into a Virtual Bass, i.e. you can play it like an instrument, note for note. The interactive keyboard will adjust accordingly. Try it!

If you know these things and can switch presets, you know all you need to start producing with Virtual Bassist plug-ins.

*C3 is middle C. The MIDI note number is 60. Some DAWs refer to it as C4