But there’s thousands of free VSTs out there. Which ones are good for bass? We found all the best ones so you don’t have to dig. Here’s our 10 favourite free bass VST plugins that will give you bigger, better bass. Steinberg – Model E. The Model E is a useful 3 oscillator bass station capable of pumping out some nice.

TROUBLESHOOTING

If your CPU load climbs too high, you will hear clicks, pops or stuttering in the live audio. This is known as a buffer underrun. The good news is, CPU load be lowered if you take the time to make some adjustments to FL Studio as shown below.

Why do underruns happen? - Live audio is pre-rendered in small chunks that are then sent to your audio interface. The Buffer length decides how long these chunks are. The purpose of pre-rendering is to even out momentary spikes in CPU load, when your computers ability to generate audio is slower than 'real-time'. In this case, some of the buffered audio can be used while real-time processing catches up. If the buffer runs out, because your CPU can't keep up with real-time for too long, then your audio device will start crackling or stuttering.

Underruns only matter during real-time playback - Loading projects and plugins will cause underruns and so the total count should not bother you. Underruns also can't occur in exported wave or mp3 files as the render process can take as long as it needs to generate audio. If you do hear glitches in an exported audio, then it's a plugin behaving badly. Further information is available in the FL Studio Optimization YouTube playlist.

First settings and things to check

Some very important settings are located on Options > Audio:

1. Audio settings (drivers)
   • Windows, one of the most important settings is to select an ASIO audio device driver from the Input / output menu. Look first for the native ASIO driver that installed with your audio device OR if one is not available use the Image-Line FL Studio ASIO. Whichever driver you use, download the latest from your audio device manufacturer.
   • macOS - Try Aggregating your audio interface. This can improve unsolvable crackling issues, particularly during recording.

   NOTE:Do not connect your audio device through a hub. Use a direct USB port connection.

2. Increase the audio buffer length - For Windows and macOS, make sure the Buffer length setting is not less than 10 ms (441 samples). The Buffer length setting is found on the Audio settings page. For Windows you will need to click the 'Show ASIO panel' button there, to see the settings if you are using an ASIO driver (as you should be!). Starting from 10 ms (441 samples) keep adding 5 ms (220 sample) increments until you notice a drop in CPU usage. But there are limits, buffer lengths over 40 ms (1764 samples) make live playing difficult and will probably not help CPU usage. NOTES:

   The graph shows why very short buffers are bad, and very long buffers don't help - In this example the minimum time needed to generate audio for the project is 50% of real-time. That is, no matter how long the buffer, the computer needs half the buffer-time to generate the audio to fill it. Longer buffers don't come for free, as more audio needs to be generated to fill them. Short buffers are a problem because there is a minimum time that can't be crossed without the CPU falling behind real-time. As the buffer is reduced, processing overheads become an increasingly large proportion of the workload and the CPU meter climbs rapidly, usually below 10 ms, as the theoretical minimum buffer length is approached. Conversely, longer buffers simply converge on the minimum possible buffer-fill-time, in this case 50%.

   NOTES: The graph is based on the assumption the processing overhead is 1 ms and the buffer-fill-time is 0.5 x Buffer Length (ms). For an explanation on how the FL Studio CPU meter is different from the OS CPU meter, see here. Quoted sample latencies assume a sample rate of 44100 Hz.

3. Is your CPU running at full speed? Do you have some wimpy energy saving/CPU throttlingmode engaged. If you are serious about your music production then you will be prepared for, at least, some melting of the polar ice caps. See:
   • Windows - 'Start > Settings > Control panel > System & maintenance*** > Power Options'. *** Whether or not this sub-menu shows depends on your windows settings. Set your power management to 'High performance mode'. If you are running a Laptop/Tablet CPU and experiencing unexpected audio glitches or CPU spikes, try Advanced Settings and set Minimum / Maximum processor state to 99%. This can prevent the system going into turbo CPU mode, and then thermal throttling which causes issues. Finally, ALWAYS use a laptop connected to the power supply.
   • macOS - Open 'System Preferences > 'Energy Saver' > (available option depends on your Mac model) Set 'Computer sleep' slider to 'Never' OR Check the box 'Prevent computer from sleeping automatically when the display is off'. Un-check 'Put hard disks to sleep when possible' and 'Enable Power Nap'. Laptops: Open System Preferences > Energy Saver > Un-check automatic graphics switching. Finally, ALWAYS use a laptop connected to the power supply.
4. Problem plugins - Check the Plugins behaving badly page in the manual. You may be able to identify CPU intensive plugins with the Plugin performance monitor.
5. Bridged plugins - Make sure you are not bridging plugins unnecessarily. There are two common causes:
   • VST library mismatches - Make sure you are using plugins that match your version of FL Studio (32 or 64 Bit). Some people switch to FL Studio 64 Bit while their VST library is still 32 Bit OR they unnecessarily run the 32 Bit version on a 64 Bit system with mainly 64 Bit plugins. If FL Studio can't find 64 Bit equivalents of the plugins it will bridge 32 Bit versions to 64 Bit mode and vice versa. This uses more CPU than 32 Bit plugin on FL Studio 32 Bit or 64 Bit plugins on FL Studio 64 Bit.
   • Incorrect Wrapper settings - Make sure you don't have Wrapper Processing > Make bridged activated where it is not needed or intended. The wrapper remembers settings, so deselect it for each plugin with Autosave activated. Bridging uses about 2% extra per plugin, so a couple won't matter but 10+ definitely will. Bridged plugins may also just behave badly causing pops, glitches and possibly crashes. Make sure to install 32/64 Bit versions of ALL plugins to match FL Studio. For more details see FL Studio 32 vs 64 Bit FAQ
6. Time stretching > Mode > Stretch - If you have a lot of Audio Clips set to this mode, they will consume far more CPU than when set to Resample. Generally, you should only use 'Stretch' mode for Clips that span a Tempo change. Otherwise, use offline stretch modes.
7. Multithread support - Make sure Multithreaded generator processing and Multithreaded mixer processing are selected on the Audio Settings panel AND if you are using VST plugins, 'Allow threaded processing' is selected on the Wrapper.
8. Smart Disable - Enable Smart disable on the Audio Settingsand then run the Tools Menu > MacrosSwitch smart disable for all plugins. This will disable effects & instruments when they are not making any sound and can decrease CPU usage significantly. If this global option causes issues with any plugins it can be disabled for those individual plugins using the wrapper menu setting 'Smart disable'. NOTE: Smart Disable is active only during live playback, it is temporarily disabled when rendering.
9. Create multi-core compatible projects - Make sure that your highest CPU using plugins are routed to independent Mixer Tracks without shared 'Send' Channels. Multi-core CPUs need computational tasks that can be run simultaneously and so split across cores. Each Mixer Track represents an 'opportunity' to create these independent, parallel, processing paths. Each unit in the audio chain from the instrument through to the Mixer track and the effects must be processed in sequence on the same core. If one mixer track is linked to another, then all the instruments and effects on both Mixer Tracks now have a dependency and can't be split across cores efficiently. Symptoms of this situation are audio glitches as individual cores max-out and cause underruns while the overall CPU load still appears to be low.

Optimization Checklist

Quick reference list for CPU optimization..

1. Update to the latest version of FL Studio. We made some dramatic improvements to CPU load starting with FL Studio 20.0.4 and more since then.
2. Set these Audio Settings to ensure maximum performance:
   • Buffer length - Make sure your buffer is not less than 10 ms (441 samples). We recommend between 10-40 ms.
   • Playback tracking - If not already set, try Mixer, Hybrid and Driver. Mixer can help particularly in cases where there is a misalignment between the audio and playback position or strange playhead jumpiness.
   • Mixer Interpolation - Should be set no higher than 24 point sinc (lower is better).
   • Sample rate - Set to 44,100 Hz (or 48,000 Hz if that is not available). Sample rates such as 192 kHz and 96 kHz, will use significantly more CPU than the recommended default of 44.1 kHz.
   • Reset plugins on transport - Make sure 'Reset plugins on transport' is disabled as this can cause significant glitching on start/stop events when using VST plugins.
   • Priority - Set to 'Highest' and deselect 'Safe overloads' (don't worry, an 'unsafe' overload will just lock up interface controls momentarily).
   • ASIO Options - Try the Mix in buffer switch and Triple buffer options. NOTE: If these do not help, make sure to deselect them again before proceeding.
3. Smart Disable - Enable Smart disable on the Audio Settingsand then run the Tools Menu > MacrosSwitch smart disable for all plugins.
4. Consolidate patterns - Check for your highest CPU usage plugins using the Plugin Performance Monitor and use the Playlist Track (header) Right-Click menu option 'Consolidate this track' to convert your highest CPU usage patterns to Audio Clips.
5. PPQ setting (Pulses Per Quarter note) - The PPQ setting sets the 'event' resolution for the project. That is, how finely the Piano roll and Playlist grid is divided for processing by FL Studio. This affects the smallest movements and so sampling of notes, clips and automation. Settings above 192 PPQ can have a significant impact on CPU load. Generally use 96 PPQ unless you need the extra temporal resolution.
6. For projects heavy with audio-tracks - Turn OFF 'Keep on disk' for any Sampler and Audio Clip channels. This ensures samples are pre-loaded into memory avoiding underruns caused by disk-to-RAM swapping delays OR zoom out the Playlist, (Ctrl + Right-Click) on a blank area, so all Audio Clips are visible prior to pressing Play. This forces Audio Clip data to be cached into RAM.
7. Reduce the plugin count - Try to reduce the number of plugins (instrument and FX). These are the most CPU hungry parts of the program.
8. Limit Polyphony - Use the maximum polyphony setting to reduce the maximum polyphony of channels (see MiscellaneousChannel Settings). This often reduces dramatically CPU usage in complex melodies. You can still set FL Studio to ignore the maximum polyphony settingswhen exporting to wave/mp3 file (see Exporting to .wav/.mp3/.mid).
9. Disable MIDI - Disable all the 'Enable MIDI..' options using the Options menu as MIDI processing uses CPU resources even when not in use.
10. Playlist sluggishness - Try disabling 'Playlist menu > View > Keep labels on screen'. Mac users see here.
11. Plugins behaving badly - See this section of the manual.

System related issues

• Competing & background programs - Close all non-essential programs that may be competing for resources, e.g. Instant messaging programs (AIM, MSM/WLM, Skype, Yahoo! Messenger), torrents, web browsers, audio/video players, etc. If you experience intermittent issues, check for scheduled activity like virus scans, backups, windows updates, disk defragmentation, even Wi-Fi & Blue-Tooth adapters have been known to cause issues, particularly if they are constantly re-making flaky connections.
• Hardware issues - Unplug unused HDMI, USB, BlueTooth & FireWire devices if you are experiencing unexpected CPU spikes and glitches to discount these as causes. Also don't overlook cooling issues and thermal throttling of your CPU. When was the last time you blew the dust out of your computers cooling ventilation system/s?
• Driver issues - Update your Audio driver, Video driver and Motherboard BIOS in that order, checking each time if the issues go away. Make sure to use the latest driver from the manufacturers website for your operating system.
• Extend your memory - Check the manual page on the CPU & Memory panel. Adding more physical RAM can improve responsiveness where data was previouslysaved in the Page File. This is only likely to help if you are using 4 GB or less.
• CPU performance check - Search for your CPU's performance score on CPU Benchmark. Here's how we grade scores:
  • Weak - 4,999 or less.
  • Medium - 5,000 to 9,999.
  • Strong - 10,000 to 14,999.
  • Very strong - 15,000 or more.

  If your CPU is in the 'weak' or 'Medium' categories, show it respect, don't throw 30+ high-cpu load plugins at it and wonder why it chokes. Audio processing, as performed by DAW software, is one of the most CPU intensive tasks done in real-time on computers today. It's more CPU intensive than 3D games, that offload a lot of work to the video card GPU. Each audio stream needs real-time calculation of at least 44100 samples PER second multiplied by the number of plugins you are running multiplied by their own internal shenanigans. But, all hope is not lost, limitations breed creativity, work with what you have and rejoice in the democratization of modern music production. If you would like to upgrade your system, we have a detailed Knowledge Base article here on Building an Audio Production ready computer.

Psychology Reality Check

Having the lowest Buffer length setting is not a competition. If you are happy with 20 or 30 ms then that's great. Remember, the lower the buffer length setting, the higher the CPU load. We strongly recommend 10 ms (ASIO mode) as a minimum setting. At lower settings than 10 ms, most people don't experience improved 'responsiveness' and the CPU load climbs rapidly. To put 10 ms in context, the delay between touching a key on a real piano and the hammer hitting the strings for a 'pianissimo' note can be well over 100 ms (Touch and temporal behavior of grand piano actions; Goebl, Bresin & Galembo [2005]), something to ponder.

Getting a powerful low end bass on your beats can be a difficult task. Many think it is as easy as throwing on a couple 808’s or synth bass. Unfortunately, its not that easy. Getting good bass is easy, but it takes a little bit more than just loading a few samples or a plugin. For this tutorial we are going to use an 808, a kick drum, a synth bass, and a distortion plugin.

For this tutorial I am going to assume that you already have a beat in progress. If not, create part of a beat and put it on loop. Perhaps a 16 beat loop.

Getting Your Kick Drum Right

First lets start with the kick drum you are using for your drums. Are you using a kick that is already loaded with bass? Do you have an effects on it boosting the bass (EQ or bass booster). If so, it is time to remove them and replace them. With your main kick drum you want something that is not loaded with low end. You want a mid heavy kick with a lot of punch and pop to it. If you don’t have a nice mid kick you can take a standard kick drum and do some slight EQ adjustments to it to get that mid kick sound we are looking for.

Don’t worry, the big sounding bass is coming soon enough. Once you have your kick sound picked out replace the original kick parts you had in your drum pattern.

Stacking Your Kick With 808

Now we want to grab our favorite 808 drum sample. I like something that has a little sustain but not to long. The next part comes down to preference but I will tell you what I like to do. Look at the pattern you are looping and see where you anticipate your bassline changing. You may already have a bassline in it if this is a beat you have already constructed. Now you want to place your 808’s at each change in the bassline. You also want to change the pitch of your 808 to match your bassline as you go.

Note: Before you do this you want to make sure your 808 sample is tuned. This way you can match the notes of your bassline in the piano roll exactly. Tune it once to C and then you can drag it around in the piano roll to any note you want. You may even consider saving it as a new sample for future use. Here is how to tune your kicks and samples.

Now that you have a nice tuned 808 sample, match your bassline with you 808. You also want to make sure that you have your mid kick from step one hit at each 808 sample. This will give you the punch of the mid kick and the deep bass hit of the 808 sample.

Creating A Synth Bass Part For Your Beat

Were almost there now. For this part you want a very deep synth bass. I like to make one using the 3xOsc in FL Studio. Here is How to make a Sub Bass with 3xOsc in FL Studio.

Replace your existing bass line with this low sub bass sound or create one matching the notes you used with your 808 samples. I like to hold the notes out throughout the entire section. So there will be synth bass throughout the entire loop.

EQ The Bass For Your Beat

Now we want to do some EQ adjustments to finalize the bass and kick. You want to use your ears as you make EQ adjustments but here are some good starting points. We are going to be doing some filtering.

Synth Bass – Filter somewhere 40 Hz and below using a high pass filter. This will get rid of the frequencies that won’t add anything to the sound. 40 Hz might be to high so adjust as necessary but anything below 20 Hz can most definitely be filtered out. You also want to filter out anything from 100 to 200 Hz and above. Start your low pass filter around 200 Hz and slowly bring it down until you hear it impacting your sub bass part. Once, it does slowly bring it back up until you hear no effect on the sound.

808 – I will treat the 808 similar to the synth bass with filtering. I may leave a little more on the high end if it feels like it needs it. I might also make a slight boost here and there to get the exact sound of the 808 I am looking for but not much.

Kickdrum – For the mid kick I will filter everything below 60 Hz for sure and possibly higher. I will slide my high pass filter up slowly until I hear it impact the kickdrum. Filter out the high end somewhere around 500 Hz using the same methods as before with a low pass filter.

Now we should have a pretty clean, tight, and punchy sounding low end. If you really want to add some punch to it grab your favorite compressor. We will save compression on the bass for a later tutorial.

Steam api dll missing download. Note: Using this method you are removing almost all of the high end on the sub bass which is good in most situations. However, you might find it useful to also double your mainbass line with a higher instrument to make sure it transitions well to all stereo systems such as headphones. A lot of headphones and earbuds can’t give that low response of the sub bass.

Another way to achieve it is by duplicating your synth bass and adding some slight distortion to it. This can be accomplished with something as simple as the standard distortion effect in FL Studio. With these doubled parts you want them low in the mix. You shouldn’t really notice them there until you are using headphones that need them. They are there for support when the deep bass cannot be heard.

Hopefully you have a good idea of how to create great low end bass on your beats now. If you have any questions or want further demonstration leave it in the comments below and we will go more in depth.