Codwaves has released BassXtend, a psychoacoustic bass enhancement plugin for macOS and Windows, priced at €14.99.
BassXtend helps kicks, basslines, 808s, bass guitars, and drum groups translate to phones, laptops, earbuds, and other playback systems that cannot properly reproduce the lowest frequencies.
As most of us have learned the hard way, simply boosting the sub-bass does not solve that problem. It consumes more headroom while the tiny speaker still fails to reproduce the boosted frequencies. BassXtend takes a different approach by generating a tuned series of harmonics above a user-defined crossover point.
Those upper harmonics provide the ear with enough information to perceive the missing fundamental, even when the playback system cannot reproduce it directly.
Codwaves also stresses that BassXtend is not a subharmonic generator, standard saturator, or EQ. It needs some usable low-frequency information in the source to do its job.
The interface is pretty straightforward. Root sets the crossover frequency from 32 Hz to 256 Hz, while Intensity controls the level of the generated harmonics across a wide range of -24 dB to +24 dB.
Gain Trim provides up to 30 dB of attenuation for level matching. Low Band In/Out is quite handy because it temporarily removes the original low-frequency band, so you can hear the generated harmonics on their own while adjusting the effect.
Codwaves says BassXtend uses ISO 226:2003 equal-loudness. At the neutral Intensity setting, the generated harmonic series should remain within 1.8 dB of the original low band instead of impressing you through extra loudness.
The plugin is zero-latency and has no lookahead or oversampling. Its harmonic series is capped before it can alias toward the Nyquist limit, and the processing supports mono and stereo sources while preserving the input balance.
Codwaves recommends placing BassXtend after corrective EQ and dynamics for the most predictable results. However, you can put it before a compressor when you want the generated harmonics to influence the compressor’s response.
Subtle settings are also possible on buses or a complete mix, though BassXtend is primarily intended for individual bass-heavy sources.
We previously covered Codwaves’ WaveBalance automatic gain-staging plugin and the developer’s Seaquake techno rumble generator, which recently became permanently free.
BassXtend is available in VST3, AU, and AAX formats for 64-bit Windows and macOS 10.13 or newer, including native Apple Silicon support. Codwaves offers a seven-day free trial, and the plugin can be activated online or with an offline license file.
Download: Codwaves BassXtend (€14.99, seven-day free trial available)
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Last Updated on September 2, 2026 by Tomislav Zlatic.
