A proper low-end remains the key to any quality track, no matter the genre. Boosting the bass is especially essential in electronica and dance music. Well, let Rob Papen come to the rescue with a new version of his SubBoomBass plugin.
SubBoomBass 2 Features
- Excellent and Versatile Bass Sound
- Synth Architecture with 2 Oscillators, 2 Filters, 2 Effect Units and Amp
- 128 Waveforms, including Percussion and a String Model
- Easy to Follow User Interface
- Powerful Sequencer
- Effects, X-Y Pad, LFO, and Envelopes Oh My!
- Includes Presets from the Original SubBoomBass and More
- Supports Most Popular Plugin Formats
- Available at a Street Price of $99
If your electronica mixes lack enough bass response, consider picking up SubBoomBass 2. Its sound quality, ease of use, and host of features make it a worthy addition to the Rob Papen stable as well as your library.
A Familiar Rob Papen User Interface
The SubBoomBass 2 interface makes any veteran Rob Papen product user feel right at home. We previously reviewed Predator 2 and found no problem getting around in the new synth. There is even an “easy mode” which pares down the number of controls to a manageable amount. This is likely useful for live situations.
SubBoomBass 2 in action. Photo by author.
You manage presets and global settings at the top of the interface. The meat of the SubBoomBass2 interface lets you tweak the two oscillators, two filters (with 20 filter types), LFO, and amp. All controls are self-explanatory to anyone familiar with subtractive synthesis.
An X-Y pad adds to the real-time sound mangling functionality. This is especially fun to play around with on a laptop with a touchscreen.
The Play Mode and the two independent effect sections (with 28 different effect types) lie on both sides of the Multipage. Just like Predator 2, the Multipage lets you manage the sequencer, as well as the settings for the envelopes, LFO, modulation matrix, and string physical model. The latter being one of the major updates to SubBoomBass 2 compared to the original.
A Boombastic Sound
Simply dive into the hoard of presets to get a feel for the sonic range of SubBoomBass 2. Of course, bass sounds with a deep low-end are the focus, but other classic synth timbres lurk within. As per other Rob Papen products, the sound quality and preset design are both exceptional.
A special shout out to the versatile sequencer is warranted. In addition to playing the current patch, you are also able to trigger some of the oscillator waveforms on the fly. These include a host of samples suitable for percussion as well as leveraging the new string physical model. In short, this allows you to compose some pretty badass drum ‘n’ bass rhythms.
The same programmable X-Y pad we loved in Predator 2 is part of the SubBoomBass 2 package. Once again, this is perfect for real-time sonic manipulation – even using a finger on a touchscreen! A deep modulation matrix also serves to add a sense of motion to synth patches.
SubBoomBass 2 is available in VST, AU, and AAX plugin formats. At a street price of $99, it belongs in the collection of anyone producing electronica, cinematic, or dance music who needs some low-end. Boom!
