Kurzweil Bass Gallery CD-ROM for Kurzweil V.A.S.T. Series Instruments

Kurzweil Music Systems is proud to offer the Bass Gallery CD-ROM for Kurzweil V.A.S.T. Series instruments. This CD-ROM features over 600 meg of incredible bass samples, taken from 17 different basses! The CD-ROM includes both electric and acoustic basses. All the basses have been sampled with a variety of different articulations, depending on the type of bass, including Finger, Pick and Slap. In addition, there are many extras, including hammer-ons, ghost notes, harmonics, pulls, slides and double-stops.

In addition to the tons of outstanding samples, our soundware engineers have created a wide variety of programs, using the incredible capabilities of V.A.S.T. to give you programs which feature powerful real time control, a wide variety of timbres and many unusual sounds. If you are looking for that special bass sound to add to your music, you will find it here. The Bass Gallery makes extensive use of the Macro feature in the K2 Series. Macros are small files which automate loading of other files. This allows us to offer files in a variety of sizes. You can then choose a file based on how much sample RAM you have available. All basses and all articulations are offered in at least 3 different load sizes. This gives you a great deal of flexibility when you are limited for RAM space but still want a specific bass sound.

The CD is compatible with any version of the K2600, K2661, K2500 or the K2vx. For the K2000, v3 or later is required. We recommend having PRAM and 32 meg of sample RAM for the most flexibility when using the CD.

Instruments found on the Bass Gallery CD-ROM

Washburn AB20 acoustic bass guitar
Something of a cross between an electric bass and an acoustic guitar, this bass lends itself particularly well to the "unplugged" sound. It has pronounced low-mids with a slight midrange dip.

Alembic Series I
This bass was at the forefront of the state-of -the-art revolution in bass guitar making. It has a balanced sound with a punchy attack, crisp highs and emphasized lows. The Alembic is well suited to a variety of musical styles.

Guild Ashbory
Dubbed the "rubber band bass," the Guild Ashbory is a short-scale bass with silicon rubber strings and a piezoelectric pickup. The sound is best described as something between an upright and an electric bass. The Ashbory can be used to good effect on a folk or jazz track. Its unusual timbre also can be used to create very interesting synth or hybrid sounds.

BC Rich Eagle fretless bass
BC Rich made their mark on the high-end market when they appeared on the scene in the late 1970's. Their guitars are noted for their intricate electronics and exotic woods. The Eagle features the signature midrange "growl" which defines the sound that most listeners associate with the fretless bass guitar. This bass is very useful in an ambient, pop or world music setting.

Custom fretless bass
This "no-name" bass was custom built for its owner. It has a flatter midrange than the BC Rich Eagle and works well in a jazz, pop or world music setting.

Guild Pilot 5 string bass
The fingered articulation has a low end emphasis with flat mids and highs. The slap articulation has a very strongly percussive attack with rapidly decaying sustain envelope.

1963 Fender Jazz Bass
The Jazz bass has been a staple for bassists across countless musical genres. Its warm tone with contoured mids has been heard on countless jazz, rock, pop, funk, world, punk and reggae recordings, to name just a few. This venerable bass, favored by such greats as Jaco Pastorius, John Paul Jones, Noel Redding and Marcus Miller, is at home in almost any musical setting.

Jerry Jones Longhorn
A reissue of the famous Danelectro Longhorn bass, the Jerry Jones has a very pronounced high end and produces an almost guitar-like tone, especially when played with a pick. It is excellent for surf, punk or rockabilly applications. It also functions quite well in a country music setting and can be used to effectively emulate the sound of a baritone guitar.

Customized 1977 Fender Jazz Bass played by Marcus Miller
Famed session bassist Marcus Miller has played on countless jazz, rock and R&B recordings. Some of the greats he has played with include Miles Davis, Aretha Franklin, Donald Fagen, George Benson, Natalie Cole, Bill Evans...the list goes on. Marcus' highly customized Fender Jazz bass with it's tight, focused lows, crisp highs and contoured mids has become an integral part of his sound. The Marcus Miller Jazz Bass is a good addition to almost any track, especially funk, fusion, soul and modern R&B.

1965 Fender Precision Bass
Over the years, the Fender P Bass has earned its reputation as a workhorse and is considered by many to be the Rock and Roll bass. James Jamerson, the legendary session bassist for Motown Records, recorded with his '63 P Bass almost exclusively. Staying true to the classic 60's Fender Precision sound, we recorded a '65 P fitted with flat wound strings through a Fender Bassman tube amp to capture its characteristic raw, rumbling low end.

1979 Fender Precision Bass
As the 70's came to a close, the P Bass continued to be one of the defining sounds in rock bass. There are two versions of this bass included on the CD. The first was played through an Ampeg SVT tube amp. The Fender Precision-SVT combination is highly prized by Rock, R&B and Blues bassists for its tube-driven, aggressive tone with boosted mids. This is the bass sound heard on countless, rock, disco, punk, new wave, R&B and pop records from the late 70's and early 80's. We have also included a direct-to-tape version of this. Recorded using an Alembic F2-B tube preamp, the character of this recording is more subdued, with sharper highs and more pronounced lows.

M.V. Pedulla MVP 5 string bass
Pedulla has a reputation for producing contemporary, state-of-the-art basses. The MVP, with its high quality materials and electronics, provides a modern sound with emphasized lows and upper-mids. This instrument is useful in the context of contemporary jazz, latin and pop settings.

Guild Pilot 5 string bass

The fingered articulation has a low end emphasis with flat mid and highs. The slap articulation has a very strongly percussive attack with a rapidly decaying sustain envelope.

Rickenbacker 4001
This is the bass made famous by Geddy Lee, Chris Squire and Paul McCartney. Along with the Fender bass, the 4001 has established itself as an instrument of choice among rock bassists. Also recorded as played through an Ampeg SVT, the Ric features a distinctive, overdriven sound with sharp upper-mids and a strong attack.

Ken Smith BT 5 string bass
The Smith, a high-end, hand-made bass, is similar to the Pedulla in its contemporary character, but has more distinct highs and throatier mids. This bass is suitable for contemporary styles of soul, jazz, latin and pop.

Steinberger XL-2D
The Steinberger bass was first introduced in 1979. Innovative in their one piece carbon-graphite composite design, Steinbergers are recognized for their stable, even tone with clear highs and consistent mids.

1890's Tyrolean 3/4 size upright bass
This German-made bass was sampled in stereo in order to preserve the subtleties of the instrument, as well as to capture the character of the room it was recorded in. Its open, ambient qualities and rich low end make it ideal for any jazz, blues or country track.