IK Multimedia Modo Bass $299

The masters of software amplification have poured their modelling expertise into this virtual bass guitar – have they strung it up right?

For the computer musician looking to use electric bass in their productions, the only options to date have been to either record the real thing or fire up a sample-based instrument. With their new alternative, IK Multimedia are claiming a world first: eight years in development, Modo Bass (VST/AU/AAX/ standalone) puts physically modelled emulations of 12 classic electric bass guitars at your fingertips, along with the techniques a bassist would employ to play them. The big question, then, is whether the malleability of physical modelling in this case comes at the expense of sonic realism…

A la Modo

Being a synth, Modo Bass doesn’t require anywhere near the hard drive space devoured by the average muilti sampled library – the installer is a svelt 170MB. The majority of the interface is taken up by a representative graphic of the bass being modelled, or the amp and pedal board, or the key switching layout, depending on which of the six tabbed pages you’re on. The control array at the top changes to reflect the currently selected tab – MIDI CC-assignable parameters in the Control tab, for example, or pickup and tone shaping options in the Electronics tab.

At the bottom of the GUI, the interactive fret board and keyboard enable moused play and show the left hand fingering and string plucks in real time. You can let Modo Bass make left hand string/fret choices for you, or use the keyswitches at the top of the keyboard to force your own.