Bass City is a free collection of synthesized bass samples created by Chad Beckwith from PatchArena and Tomislav Zlatic from 99Sounds.

The Library

Bass City features a set of 26 classic analog and FM bass patches that are multi-sampled from three different hardware synthesizers. You’ll notice that this sample library is quite different from the previous 99Sounds releases. Sampling hardware synthesizers is something I enjoy doing in my free time, so I’ve been planning to publish a synthesizer sample library such as this one on 99Sounds for quite a while.

Recently I got in touch with Chad from PatchArena and we both agreed that we should join forces in order to create an elaborate electronic bass sample library by sampling some of our favorite hardware synthesizers.

So, Chad recorded several great sounding bass patches from his Korg EX-800 analog synthesizer and added a touch of FM flavor to the library with the legendary Yamaha TX81Z module. I jumped in with my trusty old Korg Poly-800 synthesizer, which is quite limited in terms of features but still capable of producing some warm bass sounds. The audio signal was passed through a small tube preamp on its way to the audio interface, adding a bit of saturation on top. And that’s how the Bass City sample collection came about!

If you use these samples in a tune, or (even better) if you’re in the mood to create a demo track, post a SoundCloud link in the comments section below and we will feature your tune on this page. We’d love to hear how you used these samples in your music!

This sample library was a true labor of love and we hope that you’ll enjoy using these samples in your tunes. I would like to thank Chad Beckwith once again for publishing his fantastic bass samples on 99Sounds and for all the brilliant work he has done so far on Patch Arena.

The Collab Artist

Chad Beckwith is an experienced sound designer and synthesizer connoisseur from Vermont. He is extremely passionate about synthesis and sound design. He also loves coffee and collecting vintage samplers. You can check out more of his sample packs and other audio related works on his fascinating website PatchArena. I highly recommend his SFZ Flukelele sample collection, as well as the lovely Contact SPACE Kalimba library.

Technical Details

Bass City contains 399 individual 24-bit WAV samples which form 26 multi-sampled patches in total, covering a wide range of classic analog and FM electronic bass sounds. The library also contains SFZ patches which were compiled by Chad Beckwith and Kontakt 5 instrument patches created by Tomislav Zlatic. The custom Kontakt 5 interface features simple filter and volume envelope controls.

Users who load the SFZ patches in Plogue sforzando will notice that Chad has also included filter controls on the instrument panel. Nice touch!

A tip for NI Kontakt users – increase the envelope release settings if you encounter clicks while playing the instrument. An updated version of the library will be released soon, with new default settings that will solve this problem.