We finally have a first beta version of MIDI Bass 3!
Let me start by saying that real-time, polyphonic MIDI from bass strings is difficult: The combination of low notes, low latency and polyphony is fundamentally at odds. Roughly, an octave drop means double latency and polyphony (ie. no hex-pickups) means maybe another doubling. If that wasn’t bad enough, bass guitars produce more fret noise and much more energy slushing around those thick strings.
So this isn’t for everyone. But I believe these bass models are our fastest tracking models yet, on par with the monophonic guitar tracker, but adds full range, MPE, and even some polyphony!
That’s from a jack connection. There is another case for hexaphonic bass pickups, and that’s going to be part of the next HEX update.
Download for Mac and Windows:
MIDI Bass 3 is part of the MIDI Guitar 3 distribution while BETA testing. Download it here.
Additionally, MIDI Bass 3.0.61 also available for Macs in TestFlight,
It’s free to use in this TestFlight version, but you need a forum account to download it here.
Unlike MIDI Guitar 3 and most audio software, this MIDI Bass 3 is sandboxed on Mac. This is a requirement by Apple in order to be in TestFlight. Sandboxing gives you the highest level of safety, but it also means that 3rd party plugins which are not sandbox-safe (or attempts to write a file where it hasn’t got your permission), will fail to load inside MIDI Bass 3, or even crash it.
The MIDI Guitar 3 distribution isn’t sandboxed (but still enables as many security entitlements as possible), and will include the MIDI Bass 3 tracking models in the near future.
I have been biting my tongue for fear of being annoying. THANK YOU for this news! I’m dying to try MIDI Bass 3! I have no Mac but I don’t care! We finally have news! YAY!!
Very true, but would the principles applied to tracking bending not apply to fretless bass, where slides and wide vibrato are very common, even a “raison d’être” as a point of difference between fretless and fretted bass?
I updated to 3.60 today and I can now confidently say that you did it, you magnificent bastard, you did it!
The bass tracker is already miles ahead of anything I’ve ever tried thus far—it just performs much better, with less latency and more precision, than any alternative I’ve tried. Add to that the fact that the hex input will support low tunings… this is the way, and the only reason for me not dump my hex pickups in the trash.
Absolutely incredible work. What a thrill to witness it unfold.
If you were signed up for the MG3 beta, you would have already been notified of the release a few days ago via Apple’s TestFlight. The MIDI Bass 3 tracker is a selectable in MG3’s settings.
I understand now.
Thank You!
I’m watching the test flight.
I’m currently using the midi guitar 3 with a 5-string bass guitar, and I’m “up it two octaves” with the PD Guitar Synth before Mg3. It works perfectly.
A couple of questions:
I’m fidddling around with the latest beta (3.0.63) in Cubase 14, and I notice, that when playing a note MG3 sends out an enormously amount of midi pitchbends with a value of 0. (I’m using Midi 1.0 legacy and no bends)
I’m triggering a Kontakt instrument (Cremona stradivarius violin) that is using notes from C-2 to B0 as key switches to change patch, and MG3 is triggering those notes, when I use the low strings on the guitar. I don’t see them in the MIDI monitor.
It might be possible to have a sort of “Key Switch Transposer Module” down to C-2 (that a open low E equals C-2) that is not routed to the audio/MIDI output of MG3 and only active when a CC command is given e.g. momentary footswitch. Then a played note could switch the preset. Not sure how praticable that is during performing.
Maybe something like this where the in- and out-put note is selectable and when activated via footswitch the note goes out but doesn’t generate a sound inside MG3 (can have more fields if necessary):
Well, I just need some kind of filter, that stops MG3 from sending those low notes. But I don’t understand what’s going on, because I don’t see them in the midi monitor
@Mads
The issue with your VST is that the Key switch range is from C1 to E2 but somehow Kontakt lowers the MIDI input by one octave and the lower notes played on the guitar will activate the keyswitches. You can’t see this in a MIDI monitor because it happens Kontakt internally. Therefore you must insert a transposer in MG3 (or transpose it in Kontakt or on your DAW track) and set it to +1 octave. Now the playable range is from G2 to F6.
