Patch Arena has released 12Bit SubBass, a free SFZ sample library featuring a set of sub bass sounds sampled from the DSI Evolver synthesizer and processed with the SCI Prophet 2000 vintage 12-bit sampler.
What happens when you sample a custom sub bass synth patch from DSI Evolver? Then re-sample it on a vintage 12-bit sampler SCI Prophet 2000. Then sample that back into a SFZ multi-sampled instrument?
I’ve been a fan of Patch Arena freebies for quite a while, especially their hardware synthesizer based sample libraries in SFZ format. This latest release lives up to that trend, bringing a uniquely gritty sub heavy bass patch with loads of crunchy character.
Although I almost exclusively use pure sine waves for the sub bass, it’s sometimes a good idea to use a sub bass sound which includes some harmonic content. After all, not all playback systems out there include a woofer which will play your sub 60 Hz notes.
The library contains two different sets of multi-sampled bass sounds. One of the included folders features the clean sub bass patch, with the original DSI Evolver sub bass sound. The other folder features the processed samples, sprinkled with that lovely gritty charm of the SCI Prophet 2000 vintage sampler. Each set of multi-samples comes with their own SFZ patch.
If you need a free SFZ player for your DAW, take a look at the brilliant sforzando plugin by Plogue (also included in our annual free VST plugin round-up). It’s a cross-platform freebie with all the features you may need in order to play your SFZ sound libraries. Another cool alternative is Zampler by Beat Magazine, with a built-in FX section and some additional controls.
Download
12Bit SubBass is available for free download via KVR Audio (10.5 MB download size, ZIP archive, contains 38 audio samples in 24-bit WAV format, 2 instrument patches in SFZ format).
