Upright Bass

[belbin]

Hi Everyone,
How does Larry Seyer's upright bass compare to more recent libs? Is there a newer/better upright library that I can get by itself (i.e. w/o buying JABB)?
Would the VSL pizz from solo strings work? This is in a jazz context, in case you're interested. It needs to be convincing, and I can see that happening, given that pizz bass is not likely a hard instrument to sample well (relatively speaking, of course). Correct me if I'm wrong.

Advice Appreciated.

Belbin

[aplanchard]

That library will always hold up, as it is superbly recorded and programmed. All of Larry's work is first rate! The only adjustment I would make is to use the editor to adjust the velocity at which the bass sounds like the player is digging in (i.e., the buzz against the fingerboard that is so often used for intensity in jazz bass playing -- think Gomez, et al.)

The uprights in Trilogy are great too. Don't ask me to choose. LOL!

[clonewar]

I've never used the Larry Seyer library but I've heard excellent things about it. I do use Trilogy and the uprights are awesome.. the electric basses are equally as impressive and the synth basses are good also. If you really only need upright and Larry's library is much less $$ (don't know how much it's going for now) then at least you won't be paying for something you won't use.

[David Ferris]

Bardstown Audio's THE BASS was sampled from an instrument with gut strings, if you want a mellower sound.

[belbin]

Thanks for the replies. I know Larry's work is great-hope I didn't miscommunicate that-I was just concerned that it may not be first rate, as it was programmed to be used on machines with much more limited resources than we have today. You've confirmed my suspition (sp??-OMG-I'm usually pretty confident in my spelling in general...:o ) that this library would hold up against newer competitors.
I'll have a look at Trilogy as well.

Thanks again,
Belbin

[Bruce A. Richardson]

Hi Everyone,
How does Larry Seyer's upright bass compare to more recent libs? Is there a newer/better upright library that I can get by itself (i.e. w/o buying JABB)?
Would the VSL pizz from solo strings work?

The VSL pizz won't really work for much that you'd consider in a pop/jazz vein of expression. It's not mic'ed nearly close enough to get that kind of sustain.

Of all the acoustic bass libraries I've used, I do like Larry's the very best. No worries as to its longevity vs. recent libraries. Like all of his work, it is meticulous, and there is more material there than some fresh-off-the-press libraries!! It has nice release samples, and a great set of mutes and harmonics as well, which are easy to access from the sustain pedal. For sure, it's the most detailed library in terms of being able to create a part that sounds like a bass.

It's in your face, with a lot of sustain. You can roll off quite a quantity of mids and highs, and change its tone dramatically, but it will still hang right in the mix.

[Steve_Karl]

I really like the Larry Seyers upright.
I'm totally satisfied with it for many uses, to the point I don't consider looking for an other option.
One of the real perks of it is how it feels under my fingers on the keyboard.

Steve