How to Program Sick MIDI Bass

Hey everyone!

If you're looking for some great 'how-to' content on programming SubMission Audio bass in your DAW, check out the videos below in use. Simen Sandnes, a very talented drummer and music producer will take you on a deep dive into how to use our virtual bass guitars, and in general, programming MIDI.

"How can I make my MIDI bass sound real and musical using velocities?"

This is a question we get a lot.
At 100% velocity in your piano roll, Ermin hit the strings as hard and consistently as possible, so you're going to get a hard picked note every time, which isn't how bass is played at all, unless you have machine arms or think playing bass is an opportunity to hit the gym.

Our recommendation is to start your velocities at 50% and work your way up or down from there. Something you should also keep in mind is that the lower register notes are not going to be as 'bright' as the higher notes. So it would be ideal to place differing velocities between the low and high end of your virtual bass guitar. Experiment and see what you like - your ears will be your best friend. It's important to remember that there is no 'one size fits all' solution, because every mix is unique. However, we generally recommend the following: 

Higher notes = Use a Lower Velocity
Lower Notes = Use a Higher Velocity

Check out Simen altering the velocities here (video starts at 6 mins):

"How do I use the Articulations to make cooler bass performances?"

Our bass plugins: DjinnBass, EuroBass II and PunkBass all use the same piano roll switches for different articulations. These Articulations are real, and each one was recorded by Ermin sliding up, down, dead muting, harmonic muting etc. Place them as you would in a real performance and play around to see how a different articulation can make or break it in the mix.

Here is a list of them: 

What is the process for creating MIDI bass?

Open up your favourite SubMission Audio bass guitar and follow along with Simen while you watch his videos:

• Setting it to the right BPM.
• Enabling alternate picking to the most relevant note length, 1/1, 1/4, 1/8, 1/16,
• Program your bass in the MIDI piano roll.
• Enter Keyswitch Articulations.
• lastly, set all velocities to 50% and play around until you find the sweet spot for the register you're playing in.

And with the above, you’ll have SICK sounding MIDI bass. Program MIDI bass like a pro and replace your bassist with a better one here.