Bassmith
Bassmith is a bassline generator plugin that writes house basslines as MIDI in any key and scale, in eight styles from deep house to UK garage. Generate a pattern, shape the groove, lock the bars you love, and drag it onto whatever bass sound you want. $45 launch price (reg. $59). One-time license, no subscription.
Windows 10/11, 64-bit: VST3, signed installer. macOS 11 or later: VST3 and AU MIDI effect, universal for Apple Silicon and Intel; in Logic Pro it sits in the MIDI FX slot. Try the free demo: everything works in 25-minute sessions; exporting needs a license.
Pick a style. Get a bassline.
Choose from Deep House, Tech House, Bass House, Afro/Latin House, Techno, Melodic/Progressive House, UK Garage/2-Step and Electro House. Set your key, pick a scale (major, minor, harmonic minor, Dorian, Phrygian, Mixolydian, Phrygian dominant, minor pentatonic and more), choose 1, 2, 4 or 8 bars and an octave, and hit generate. You get a bassline on a 16th-note grid, built from that style's own grooves, before you touch a single knob.
Grooves, not random notes.
Random note generators give you random notes. Bassmith starts from a library of more than 100 groove templates and fills, 12 to 15 per style, with real phrase structure, velocity grooves, ghost notes and fills across the bars. A variation engine then mutates the rhythm within bounds, crosses templates and adds passing tones, so pressing generate again gives you something new that still belongs to the style.
Groove knobs.
Push the pattern where the track needs it: density for how busy it is, swing, syncopation, note length, velocity range, octave spread, rest probability and randomness.
Lock what works.
Love bars 1 and 3 but not the rest? Lock them and regenerate around them. Lock the knob settings you want to keep, too, and roll everything else. This is how you get from "close" to "that's the one" without starting over.
MIDI out, two ways.
Drag the MIDI clip straight onto your bass track in any DAW, then load your favorite sub, 808 or Reese and make it yours. In Logic Pro, put Bassmith in the MIDI FX slot of a software instrument track and the bassline plays that instrument directly.
MIDI only, on purpose.
Bassmith has no built-in synth, and that is a feature. It writes the notes; you pick the sound. Your bass chain, your sound design, your mix. Nothing to fight, nothing to replace.
Specs
- Format: VST3 (Windows and macOS), AU MIDI effect (macOS, Logic Pro MIDI FX slot)
- Windows: 10 / 11, 64-bit, signed installer
- macOS: 11 or later, universal (Apple Silicon and Intel)
- Hosts: FL Studio, Ableton Live, Logic Pro, Cubase, Studio One, REAPER, Bitwig and other VST3 hosts. Not GarageBand (no MIDI FX slot). No AAX (Pro Tools).
- Styles: 8 (Deep House, Tech House, Bass House, Afro/Latin House, Techno, Melodic/Progressive House, UK Garage/2-Step, Electro House)
- Patterns: 1, 2, 4 or 8 bars on a 16th-note grid, any key, 9 scale choices
- Library: more than 100 groove templates and fills with a variation engine
- Controls: density, swing, syncopation, note length, velocity range, octave spread, rest probability, randomness, bar and setting locks
- Output: MIDI only (drag and drop, or live through Logic's MIDI FX slot)
- Demo: free download, same installer, 25-minute sessions with GENERATE, every control and live MIDI out; dragging the MIDI clip out needs a license
- License: one-time purchase, one license for Mac and Windows (up to 3 of your own computers), offline activation with a license key, no account required
- Delivery: license key emailed after checkout with your download links
FAQ
Does Bassmith make sound?
No. It writes MIDI. Point it at any bass instrument you own, from a stock synth to your favorite 808.
Does Bassmith work in my DAW?
In FL Studio, Ableton Live, Cubase, Studio One, REAPER, Bitwig and other VST3 hosts, load Bassmith on its own empty track, generate, and drag the MIDI clip onto your bass track. In Logic Pro, it lives in the MIDI FX slot above the instrument. GarageBand has no MIDI FX slot, so Bassmith does not run there; write in Logic or another DAW and bring the MIDI over.
Is there a Mac version?
Yes. Universal VST3 and AU for Apple Silicon and Intel, macOS 11 or later. The Mac build is not notarized by Apple yet, so macOS asks you to approve it one time under System Settings > Privacy & Security > Open Anyway. After that it loads like any other plugin. Step by step on the Support page.
Is this a subscription?
No. Pay once, own the license. No account, no recurring charge, nothing that expires.
Does one license cover Mac and Windows?
Yes. One purchase, one key: use it on your Mac and your PC, up to 3 computers of your own.
How does activation work?
Offline. Paste the key from your purchase email into the plugin and you're done. No internet connection required on your music machine, ever.
Can I use the basslines commercially?
Yes. Every bassline you generate and shape is yours, royalty-free, in any release.