Joining the excellent EZdrummer 2, EZkeys and EZmix 2, the new addition to Toontrack’s range of ‘EZ’ applications and plugins aims to give the computer musician everything they need to create convincing bass guitar lines in the proverbial box.
EZbass centres on two multisampled electric basses - a Fender Jazz (Vintage) and an Alembic (Modern) - which can be played and sequenced using your keyboard and DAW the usual way, or within the built-in Song Track and MIDI sequencer. The latter offers powerful tools for programming your own b-lines, including per-note assignment of ten articulations, automatic transitions between chord blocks, and a huge library of MIDI grooves to get you started. You can also drag in bass guitar samples to have them converted to MIDI, and automatically generate basslines to match imported drum or keyboard MIDI clips. A library of bass presets is in place too, each with its own adjustable effects. EZbass is out now, for £129. We’ll review it soon.