The year is 1963. A legendary German company specializing in making strange electro-mechanical instruments and accordions set out to create something missing in accordion orchestras: a bass voice. They called it the Basset. It was the first solid-state bass synthesizer ever made. It made rooms shake. And now, it can shake yours, too.
Like the Moog Taurus bass pedals that followed it nearly ten years later, it does one thing: an earth-shaking, mind-blowing, chest-punching super sub. Every. Single. Time. Sampled through an all-tube signal path, direct to tape, Nisko captures this rare instrument in its best light. Get ready to discover your highest point on the low end.
Like a punch in the chest (in a good way)
By today’s standards, the Basset is a simple instrument. Its beautiful plastic shell cases a single oscillator, which you can set to a sine (super fat!) or sawtooth (gnarly!) waveforms, a two-octave keyboard, and a little light bulb lights up when you press the key. The light is then captured by an optical sensor, which uses it to shape the output volume.
The Hohner Basset sampled from Nisko.
If you have ever used an 808-style bass, you know how effective a good sub can be. Whether you’re laying it under an orchestra or a trap beat, it helps create the weight and tension your work deserves.
Nisko is the super sub on steroids. Playing it makes my entire studio vibrate. And the more it vibrates, the more I smile. It’s as simple and as punchy as basses get. What else could you wish for?
Analogue warmth out of the box
Nisko was recorded directly to analogue tape on a Studer A62 reel-to-reel through an all-tube signal path to deliver the warmth, bigness and oomph you’d expect from an analogue bass synth. All with exceptional focus and class.
Felt Instruments Nisko was recorded directly to analogue tape.
give it a listen →
The sound was then expertly crafted using legendary Klangfilm mastering EQs and Rohde & Schwarz U23 limiter to fit into the groove without further processing. Sit back, press a key, and feel the rumble deep in your chest.
High end low end
The solid low end starts with a solid sound. Create a solid sub-bass that sounds great everywhere, every time. Spend less time mixing and start creating with massive, production-ready sub, with no need for further processing. Or enjoy your windows rattle for the sheer joy of it, as long as you keep a key pressed.
The unique F! knob presents you with deeply sampled distortion, crafted by smashing the instrument through a vintage LOMO preamplifier, followed by a 1950s Presto tube limiter, allowing you to dial in as much filth as you please. Approach with caution. Or joy.
The interface
An intuitive and creative interface invites exploration. Stay in the flow and get things done, fast. All functions are presented at a glance, giving you an instant overview of what’s going on. What you see is what you get.
And since hands-on control is so much fun, all parameters are ready to be automated and MIDI-mapped for use with your controller of choice.
Requirements
347MB installed, twice as much required for setup.
Windows (10 or newer) and Mac (10.11 or newer). 8GB of RAM and an i5 or better CPU required. 64-bit only. The download and setup are handled by Pulse, which makes it easy to manage all your Felt Instruments. The fiels are watermarked to you.
The plugin works in every major DAW that supports VST3, Audio Unit or AAX plugins, like Ableton Live 10 or newer, Logic, Pro Tools, Cubase, FL Studio, Studio One, Reason 12, Reaper etc.
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