Roundup
The Best Bass VST Plugins for Sub, 808, Reese and Growl Bass
Updated 2 min read
The best bass VST depends on which bass you need. Wavetable and hybrid synths such as Xfer Serum, Vital and our Hydra handle the widest range, from clean subs to growling dubstep basses. For 808s, use a synth with legato glide or a drum synth. For bass guitar, a sampled instrument like Spectrasonics Trilian beats any synth.
Best bass VSTs by sound
Sub bass
- Good picks
- Any synth's sine, Vital, Nova (ours)
- What matters
- A clean sine, mono, no stray harmonics
808
- Good picks
- Thump (ours), Hydra (ours) in Legato, Serum
- What matters
- Glide between notes, drive, a long decay
Reese
- Good picks
- Serum, Vital, Hydra (ours) Reese table, Nova (ours)
- What matters
- Detuned saws, slow movement, a low-pass
Growl and talking bass
- Good picks
- Serum, Vital, Phase Plant, Hydra (ours)
- What matters
- Formant movement synced to the beat, heavy distortion
Acid
- Good picks
- A 303 emulation, Nova (ours)
- What matters
- Resonant filter, accents, slides
Bass guitar
- Good picks
- Spectrasonics Trilian, Native Instruments Session Bassist
- What matters
- Real recorded articulations
Best synth for dubstep, riddim and tearout bass
Heavy bass music is built from three moves: a rich source (wavetable or FM), a moving formant or band-pass filter that makes the sound "talk", and lots of distortion, often in several stages. Serum and Vital do all three with LFOs and their effects racks, and Phase Plant lets you chain as many distortions as you like.
Hydra puts the talking part first. Its formant mouth sits inside every voice, and Speak turns a typed word (YOI, WOW, RAAH) into vowel steps synced to your tempo. Rage distorts each voice before or after the mouth with Warm, Fuzz, Fold, Crush or Rectify, and the Growl, Vocal and Reese tables are made for bass.
Speak
YOIBite
Mouth
Size +25%Rage
Motion
The real plugin engine, running in your browser: same DSP code and presets as the VST3/AU/AAX.
Best 808 VST
An 808 needs three things: a tuned body that follows your notes, glide between notes, and saturation so it's heard on small speakers. A drum synth such as our Thump gives you a gliding 808 inside a full kit; a synth like Hydra in Legato mode with Glide, the Sub table and Warm drive gives you a playable 808 with a long sustain and a pitch bend range of up to 24 semitones.
Bass mixing tips that matter more than the plugin
- Keep the sub mono. Below about 120 Hz, stereo width only causes phase problems.
- Pick one owner of the low end. Kick or bass, per moment: sidechain one to the other or carve them with EQ.
- Distort the mids, not the sub. Parallel or band-split distortion keeps the sub clean while the growl cuts through.
- Check on small speakers. If the bass disappears on a phone, add upper harmonics with saturation.
Free bass VST options
Vital (free tier) and Surge XT are both excellent free bass synths. Your DAW's stock synths, such as Ableton's Operator and Wavetable or FL Studio's 3x Osc, can also make great subs and reeses. Every Hydra preset plays free in the browser, and our online synth lets you play it with a MIDI keyboard.
FAQ
What is the best VST for bass?
For electronic bass, a wavetable or hybrid synth such as Serum, Vital or Hydra covers the most ground, from clean subs to growls. For 808s, a dedicated drum synth or a synth with legato glide works best. For realistic bass guitar, use a sampled instrument such as Spectrasonics Trilian.
How do you make a growl bass?
Start with a harmonically rich wavetable or FM tone, sweep a formant or band-pass filter through it with an LFO synced to the beat, and add heavy distortion. Hydra does the filter movement for you: type a word into Speak and its formant mouth walks through the vowels in time.
Should bass be mono?
The low end should be. Keep everything below roughly 120 Hz in mono so it translates to club systems and phones, and let only the upper harmonics of a bass spread in stereo. Most synths, including Hydra, let you keep unison width for the top while the sub stays centred.
What's the difference between an 808 and a sub bass?
An 808 is a tuned, decaying kick-drum tone, often distorted and slid between notes. A sub bass is a sustained, mostly sine-wave tone that sits under the bassline. In trap, the 808 usually plays both roles; in house and dubstep a separate sub sits under a mid-range bass.