United Plugins Bassment!

[cclarry]

Bassment is Electrum's bass counterpart. Its heart is an amp like no other which can be combined with more than 300 cab options to give you an unlimited number of real-life bass amp sonic options.  

Not just an amp

Bassment is also equipped with dynamic effects like a gate, classic analogue compressors, an automatic volume leveller to fine the performance, and a "sub" generator to add more body. The autowah and multi-modulation section will add funk juice to your grooves.

Get a FREE trial version

The best way to understand and experience Bassment is to grab the 15-days fully working trial version and play with the plugin. 

Bassment is compatible with the majority of VST/AAX/AU DAW applications on both Windows and macOS. The price is set at €129. But you may grab the intro price (85% off - €19) until the 5th of May.

https://unitedplugins.com/Bassment/

[John Maar]

Not that I really needed another bass amp sim, but this looked pretty cool for 19 €, so I picked it up. You can authorize it 3 different ways, including with the provided license file for offline use. One strange (?) thing is that I also received a purchase receipt from MeldaProduction, so there's some kind of connection there. Already added to my Gig Performer bass amp sim rackspace.

[mibby]

@John Maar you have just blown my mind with you Gig Performer setup!  What a great way to mix n match your favorite setups for recording or what have you.   As I said earlier, I NEED to check out GP! Can you use it as a plugin inside your DAW?  Or, if you're playing stand-alone, can you record a DRY and a WET output, say, into your Audio Interface?   Sorry, I have to get to work otherwise I'd look at it now!  WOW!   I assume you can put individual plugins befre/after the Amps, etc. (That STILL doesn't solve IK's stuff only being available INSIDE their eco-system, which is really unfortunate. But oh well, there are others...)

[John Maar]

9 minutes ago, mibby said:

@John Maar you have just blown my mind with you Gig Performer setup!  What a great way to mix n match your favorite setups for recording or what have you.   As I said earlier, I NEED to check out GP! Can you use it as a plugin inside your DAW?  Or, if you're playing stand-alone, can you record a DRY and a WET output, say, into your Audio Interface?   Sorry, I have to get to work otherwise I'd look at it now!  WOW!   I assume you can put individual plugins befre/after the Amps, etc. (That STILL doesn't solve IK's stuff only being available INSIDE their eco-system, which is really unfortunate. But oh well, there are others...)

Gig Performer is a VST host that runs standalone (Windows or Mac). It is not a plugin. What I showed was the Wiring View (the back panel) of the rackspace. The front panel is for widgets to control the specific variables of the plugin(s) you want live control over, not all available controls. You can then map those widgets to hardware or OSC sliders, knobs and buttons (on a keyboard MIDI controller, a MIDI foot controller like the Behringer FCB1010, or an OSC app on a tablet). You can create rackspace variations for each of the amp sim, so one variation for AmpliTube 5 (active; all others bypassed), one for Ampeg's SVT Suite (all others bypassed, etc), or you can create individual rackspaces for individual amp sims if the widget requirements are different. GP4 now has a global rackspace, so plugins used globally don't need to be duplicated in each individual rackspace. For example, MSuperLooper should be in the global rackspace. I haven't moved it there yet. There's a ton of other functionality, including a Rig Manager, that makes using different MIDI controllers with the same gig file a snap (think of studio vs. live).

The Gig Performer YouTube channel is your friend!

Gig Performer YouTube channel

[John Maar]

2 minutes ago, Brian Walton said:

If you are a new customer you can use my referral code to get another 20% off:   UP7895328

 

 

Too late for me. Still, 19 € is a good deal.

[Heath Row]

Well it's ok, better than a poke in the eye with a blunt stick, be prepared to bring your own CAB IR's.

If you have other bass amps, save your money, even at $19.

[MusicMan]

1 hour ago, John Maar said:

Gig Performer is a VST host that runs standalone (Windows or Mac). It is not a plugin. What I showed was the Wiring View (the back panel) of the rackspace. The front panel is for widgets to control the specific variables of the plugin(s) you want live control over, not all available controls. You can then map those widgets to hardware or OSC sliders, knobs and buttons (on a keyboard MIDI controller, a MIDI foot controller like the Behringer FCB1010, or an OSC app on a tablet). You can create rackspace variations for each of the amp sim, so one variation for AmpliTube 5 (active; all others bypassed), one for Ampeg's SVT Suite (all others bypassed, etc), or you can create individual rackspaces for individual amp sims if the widget requirements are different. GP4 now has a global rackspace, so plugins used globally don't need to be duplicated in each individual rackspace. For example, MSuperLooper should be in the global rackspace. I haven't moved it there yet. There's a ton of other functionality, including a Rig Manager, that makes using different MIDI controllers with the same gig file a snap (think of studio vs. live).

The Gig Performer YouTube channel is your friend!

Gig Performer YouTube channel

I looked at Gig Performer and almost picked it up when Plugin Alliance forgot to exclude it in one of their sales 🤣

But I kept on thinking that I can just do the same in Cubase. You seem to know GP well, so it would be great to hear your perspective on some of the benefits over a regular DAW to host Sims/IRs/etc as you could be able to point out some benefits I might have missed 🙂

[Yan Filiatrault]

1 hour ago, Heath Row said:

Well it's ok, better than a poke in the eye with a blunt stick, be prepared to bring your own CAB IR's.

If you have other bass amps, save your money, even at $19.

Thanks, I’ll pass or else it would stay in the Bassment

[Brian Walton]

7 minutes ago, MusicMan said:

I looked at Gig Performer and almost picked it up when Plugin Alliance forgot to exclude it in one of their sales 🤣

But I kept on thinking that I can just do the same in Cubase. You seem to know GP well, so it would be great to hear your perspective on some of the benefits over a regular DAW to host Sims/IRs/etc as you could be able to point out some benefits I might have missed 🙂

If you are using it live (not needing the ability to record in the same computer) the benefits are basically:

Lower Latency - you can certainly run more stuff at a lower latency setting without blowing up the CPU

Stability  - as long as you are watching the CPU it seems less prone to crash than a DAW is.

Front end interface to create your own layout for the knobs that are important to adjust in an performance

If you use a midi controller to switch things on/off, etc it might be better in GP depending on your workflow.

New Gig Performer version offers a set of global always on set of plugins.  This can be helpful if you are switching other things out in the rig but some always stay the same.  Possible to do this kind of thing with busses in a DAW but depending on how much stuff you are turning on and off and switching between GP can be a more elegant solution.

In my mind the main real setback is that you can save these elaborate rigs, but then can't use them as a VST plugin in the daw you want to record in.  You have to either run 2 computers or get into more complex routing.  

This isn't a program I'd pay retail for personally, but with heavy discounts it beats the free options such as Element for interface and live use.

 

[GaleOm]

Almost same price at PB

https://www.pluginboutique.com/product/2-Effects/53-Multi-Effect-/8897-Bassment

but with Virtual Cash can be lower.

[ALC]

1 hour ago, Heath Row said:

Well it's ok, better than a poke in the eye with a blunt stick, be prepared to bring your own CAB IR's.

If you have other bass amps, save your money, even at $19.

At least with Electrum, it's cab section is all algorithmic so any IRs would have to be from disabling the cab section and following the plugin with an IR loader.  Not ideal if you want any post cab FX.

[MusicMan]

15 hours ago, Brian Walton said:

If you are using it live (not needing the ability to record in the same computer) the benefits are basically:

Lower Latency - you can certainly run more stuff at a lower latency setting without blowing up the CPU

Stability  - as long as you are watching the CPU it seems less prone to crash than a DAW is.

Front end interface to create your own layout for the knobs that are important to adjust in an performance

If you use a midi controller to switch things on/off, etc it might be better in GP depending on your workflow.

New Gig Performer version offers a set of global always on set of plugins.  This can be helpful if you are switching other things out in the rig but some always stay the same.  Possible to do this kind of thing with busses in a DAW but depending on how much stuff you are turning on and off and switching between GP can be a more elegant solution.

In my mind the main real setback is that you can save these elaborate rigs, but then can't use them as a VST plugin in the daw you want to record in.  You have to either run 2 computers or get into more complex routing.  

This isn't a program I'd pay retail for personally, but with heavy discounts it beats the free options such as Element for interface and live use.

 

Hey Brian that makes sense. I can see how that would also be a useful alternative. Agreed that it's a little unfortunate that you can't use as VST as some of those chains could become quite elaborate and end up being some  signature sounds. Maybe in some of the future updates they will look at that. Rewire was somewhat handy for similar external situations, but I see that support for that looks to be getting dropped by a number of companies lately.

I might skip this for now, but keep an eye on how it develops. Thanks for explaining.

[John Maar]

58 minutes ago, MusicMan said:

Hey Brian that makes sense. I can see how that would also be a useful alternative. Agreed that it's a little unfortunate that you can't use as VST as some of those chains could become quite elaborate and end up being some  signature sounds. Maybe in some of the future updates they will look at that. Rewire was somewhat handy for similar external situations, but I see that support for that looks to be getting dropped by a number of companies lately.

I might skip this for now, but keep an eye on how it develops. Thanks for explaining.

The primary thing making parallel work with a DAW difficult is not having a multi-client ASIO driver. But GP has a nice audio recorder. You can record and save your work in GP and then import the audio to your DAW.

[MusicMan]

2 hours ago, John Maar said:

The primary thing making parallel work with a DAW difficult is not having a multi-client ASIO driver. But GP has a nice audio recorder. You can record and save your work in GP and then import the audio to your DAW.

That helps bridge that gap for sure. Can you import a backing track, or stems to play along with so you can record down just the guitar part?

[John Maar]

3 hours ago, MusicMan said:

That helps bridge that gap for sure. Can you import a backing track, or stems to play along with so you can record down just the guitar part?

Yes you can. GP also has an audio player. From section 10.9 of the Gig Performer 4 manual (section 10 is for built-in plugins).

It allows you to load and play up to eight audio files (in AIF, FLAC, MP3, OGG or WAV
formats), either one at a time or simultaneously. You can use this plugin as a backing track
player or for looping short samples, switching seamlessly from one to another while running.
Up to eight audio output channels are available, singly or in pairs.
The Audio File Player plugin provides eight "lanes" for playback. You can think of these as
roughly equivalent to tracks on a DAW although each lane could have an entire song on it.
Its editor provides controls that enable the following operations:
1. Single/Multi - allows you to switch between playing back one audio file at a time
versus multiple files simultaneously.
2. Loop - turns looping on or off for all lanes.
3. Go To Beginning - allows you to instantly go to the beginning of all audio files.
4. Time/Tracks display - displays the current time, in hours/minutes/ seconds/hundredths
of a second, as well as the number of tracks (channels) loaded with audio files.
5. Play/Pause - allows you to start or pause file playback. The "pause" function does not
return the file to the beginning - it simply pauses it wherever it is. Clicking on the
button a second time resumes playback from the point at which it was stopped.
6. Sync - when turned on (lit green), Gig Performer will play and pause the Audio File
Player automatically when its button is engaged. This allows you to begin playback of
audio files at the same time you start a drum machine emulation plugin, for example.
7. Load Full Directory - loads a full folder of audio files at once, up to the number of
available (empty) lanes. If, for example, you have six empty lanes and you try loading
eight files using this button, only the first six files will get loaded, into lanes 3 - 8. With
this feature, you can create a directory with all of the files you will need, then load the
entire player with them at the gig by invoking only a single command.
8. Metronome - clicking on this icon provides a number of additional controls that allow
you to create a MIDI click track in sync with the tempo of your Master track. See the
MIDI metronome chapter for more details.
In addition, the Audio File Player editor offers the following lane-specific controls:
9. File name - displays the name of the file currently loaded in the lane.
10. Play/Silence this lane - enables or mutes playback of the file loaded into the lane.
11. Load New Audio File (file cabinet icon) - click this to load an audio file into the lane.

12. Remove Audio File (trashcan icon) - click this to delete the audio file from the lane.
13.Master indicator - when lit, indicates that the file in the lane is being used as the
Master, determining the actual playback length of all other files. Note that this is not a
parameter that can be changed; instead, Gig Performer automatically designates the
lane loaded with the longest audio file as the Master. If you load other lanes with new
files, the Master designation may change accordingly (if the new files are longer than
the one in the currently designated Master lane).
14. Output assignment - allows you to set the output for that lane's playback. A stereo
file should ideally be set to a pair of outputs (i.e. Output 1&2, Output 3&4, etc.) but if
it is sent to a mono output, the two channels will automatically be mixed to mono.
Conversely, sending a mono file to a pair of outputs will result in the same signal being
routed to both outputs.
15. Level indicators - shows the current playback level for that lane.
16. Volume control - allows you to adjust the volume of the lane.
17. Oneshot on/off - allows you to turn looping off for that lane, even if the master Loop
button is on (lit). Clicking on the Oneshot button (causing it to light) during playback
will cause the file in that lane to play to the end and then stop. If you then turn
Oneshot for that lane off again, the file will resume playback when the file loaded into
the Master lane ends.
18. File duration - displays the duration in seconds and samples of the file currently
loaded in the lane.
To load audio files, do any of these:
· Click the Load New Audio File button in a lane and navigate to the desired file.
· Drag and drop the file from the OS X Finder or Windows Explorer onto the lane into
which you want it loaded.
· Click the Load full directory button and navigate to a source folder of audio files to be
loaded in the Audio File Player.
To play audio files:a) to play a single audio file, be sure the Single/Multi button is set to single and that the
lane is play-enabled, then click the Play/Pause button to start playback.
b) To play multiple files simultaneously:
i. Load all of the files you want to play.
ii. Set the Single/Multi button to Multi. This allows you to enable or mute multiple lanes.
iii. Set muting for tracks you don't want to hear.
iv. Click the Play/Pause button to start playback.
Things to note about the Audio File Player:
· The Audio File Player designates the longest file loaded as the Master, whether or not
it is play-enabled. The duration of the Master track becomes the loop length when loop
playback is enabled.
· The MIDI metronome is generated based on the length of the Master track, and
information you supply about the number of bars in the loop and the number of beats
in each bar.
· Lanes can be muted and enabled in real-time while the player is in playback. As this is
muting, not stopping playback, all files always stay in sync with the master track's
location, so if a lane is muted during playback and then enabled 10 seconds later, it
resumes playing 10 seconds later than the point at which it was muted.
· When a file is muted, you will still be able to see "ghost" meter activity for it.
· Beneath the file duration on the right of each lane is a progress bar that turns blue as
the file plays. The length of the bar represents the full duration of the file in that lane
and the progress through it of the play cursor. So, while working in Multi mode, in 10
seconds, the blue bar in a lane with a 20 second-long file is filled to one half, where as
the blue bar for a two-minute loop running at the same time in another lane is only
filled 1/12th of the way across, just a small chunk.
· To move the playhead to different locations in the Master file other than the start,
create a knob or slider widget and map it to the Playhead position parameter of the
Audio File Player.
· The Audio File Player allows files of different sample rates to be loaded into separate
lanes and played simultaneously.

Audio File Player parameters
The following parameters are available for the Audio File Player plugin:
· Play/Pause - allows you to start or pause playback.
· Play From Beginning - causes playback to start from the beginning in response to a
widget movement.
· Play From Marker - causes playback to start from the marker position (see the "Marker
position" below) in response to a widget movement.
· LOOP On/Off - allows you to turn looping on/off.
· Playhead position - allows you to change the playback start point from a widget. Using
a continuous widget (such as a knob or a slider) for this purpose enables you to seek
particular points or even to "scrub" one or more tracks while they are playing.
· Marker Position - allows you to change the marker position from a widget.
· Set Marker now - allows you to set the marker position "on the fly" from a widget.
· Click Generation On/Off - allows you to use a widget to turn the MIDI click track on or
off.
· Play Mode (single/multi) - allows you to use a widget to switch between Single and
Multi playback.
· Lane 1-8 Playing - allows you to use a widget to start playback from the specified lane
(1-8).
· Lane 1-8 One Shot On/Off - allows you to use a widget to turn the Oneshot mode on
or off for the specified lane.
· Lane 1-8 Volume - allows you to use a widget to adjust the volume of the specified
lane.
· Lane 1-8 Output Assignment - allows you to use a widget to change the output
assignment for the specified lane.
Note: we recommend the use of on-off widgets, such as one of the LED buttons, for realtime
control over most Audio File Player parameters. However, Playhead position, Marker

position, Lane 1-8 Volume, and Lane 1-8 Output Assignment are better controlled with
continuous widgets such as knobs and sliders.

Edited April 6, 2022 by John Maar

[John Maar]

This video shows how to feed audio directly from GP to Logic on a Mac. You can do something very similar on Windows using Voicemeeter (available in 3 different versions) from VB-Audio. It's free to use with a Donation possibility. I use Voicemeeter Banana (the middle version). I donated US$20 a long time ago. They also have a simple VB Audio Cable option.

Voicemeeter Banana

 

[Brian Walton]

6 hours ago, John Maar said:

The primary thing making parallel work with a DAW difficult is not having a multi-client ASIO driver. But GP has a nice audio recorder. You can record and save your work in GP and then import the audio to your DAW.

Yeah, it isn't that you can't record audio in it.  But that certainly isn't the same workflow as playing in the context of a mix without having to bounce from the DAW, etc. close the daw down, reopen GP, then export that audio and re open the daw again.  Sure it can be done, but it is also a pain.

 

While my card/drivers can run Cakewalk, Media Player, Youtube audio all at the same time.  I find it does not play well if you try to run two "real" audio applications such as GP and Cakewalk at the same time.  The 2nd one that opens effectively says the driver is in use.  I know there are some routing applications but that isn't ideal for sure.