Future Audio Workshop SubLab Review (40% OFF @ Plugin Boutique)

Plugin Boutique offers a 40% OFF discount on the popular SubLab (€37.45 on sale) bass synthesizer plugin by Future Audio Workshop.

SubLab is a bass virtual synthesizer geared towards music styles such as trap, grime, future bass, and hip-hop.

There’s nothing quite like the feeling of the rumble in your chest caused by a massive set of subwoofers in a club, stage rig, or even on a home sound system. If you’re a fan of hard-hitting 808s and thick bass drums, you’ll really enjoy the SubLab.

SubLab gives you access to three simple yet powerful audio building engines that you can layer to create stunning bottom-end dynamics:

• Synth: The first engine offers a selection of three single-oscillator waveforms; a Sine, Saw, and Triangle wave. The synth has an eight-octave pitch range. The synth engine also gives users full ADSR control of this synth layer and a filter and volume knob for blending purposes.
• Sampler: The SubLab sampler engine comes stocked with over 250 one-hit samples from various classic drum machines and synths, including the Roland 808, Korg Volca Series, and the Befaco Kickall. Users can also import their samples directly into the interface for layering with a seamless drag-and-drop action. You can adjust your sample parameters like the start time or distortion level, and there are sample-loop controls to help you add or remove sustain on your sample.
• X-Sub Oscillator: The X-Sub engine is the fundamental element behind SubLab’s powerful low-end. This unit generates two low-frequency synths between 30Hz and 260Hz. There is gain control for content between 30-65Hz, and another for the sub-harmonics between 65Hz-260Hz. You can set alternate notation for each respective sub-signal to ensure your bottom end stays in the right harmonic region.

SubLab features a visualizer that gives you real-time feedback on your three bass engines’ individual frequency responses.

Three color-coded parametric EQ graphs run simultaneously, allowing you to accurately mix your signals for distinct and full bass tones. This feature is handy for clearing out muddy parts of your lower end so that you can achieve maximum punch and warmth within the overall signal output.

In addition to the visualizer and layering engines, the SubLab also boasts a built-in compressor with a few understated capabilities. The auto-sidechaining feature lets you implement quantized volume automation that adds some serious punch and swells to your bass phrasing.

What’s particularly interesting is that you can do this without routing an actual kick drum or aux signal into the plugin, and you can adjust the rate at which the sidechaining occurs. That’s an easy way to get the “sidechain pumping” bass without the hassle of setting up an actual sidechain compressor.

A distortion unit rounds up the FX devices that come with the SubLab bass synth. This feature works much like a distortion or fuzz pedal does and is terrific for introducing some extra color to your overall tone.

There are four types of distortion to choose from – Darkdrive, Overdrive, Grunge, and Tube – each with its own unique set of saturating properties. The distortion device has its own visualizer, which shows you where and how the effect is being applied on your overall frequency spectrum.

At the end of the SubLab’s effects chain is a stereo-widening function. This feature fattens up your bass tone’s stereo width without sacrificing any of the strength or clarity of its mono signal. This technique is a bit of a trick on the ear and makes your bass tones sound fatter without letting them overwhelm other parts of the stereo image.

Future Audio Workshop has included six free 808 packs with their download of the SubLab plugin. This collection is perfect for finding reliable analog quality samples on the fly while writing or arranging. These files range from smooth deep subs to crushed and distorted ones for a more abrasive low-end sound.

For any producer that enjoys making music with visceral bass dynamics, SubLab is an absolute dream. The interface is beautiful and simple enough for novices to navigate. The generous selection of stock samples offers a terrific variety of kicks and one-hits ideal for building impactful drops and thumping backbeats.

The SubLab plugin is compatible with Windows 7 or higher and macOS 10.10 or above. It’s available in VST2, VST3 AAX, or AU formats.

More info: SubLab (40% OFF @ Plugin Boutique)

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Last Updated on May 3, 2021 by Tomislav Zlatic.