Bass sound design has always involved a certain amount of sonic surgery.
Producers working in bass music, hip-hop, EDM and club genres regularly layer multiple synth instances, split signals into frequency bands and run parallel processing chains, striving to sculpt a sound where the sub stays clean and impactful while the mids and highs do something more musically interesting.
UVI's Rumble, described by the company as the first multiband bass synthesizer, squeezes that entire workflow into a single instrument, and it marks a significant moment for the company: this is UVI's first standalone synthesizer since the almighty Falcon was released a decade ago.
How does it work?
The fundamental idea is simple, but no synth plugin has been based on it before: Rumble generates sound per band. Its engine is divided into three layers, Body, Character and Air, and each one is a dedicated synthesis engine in its own right, with its own oscillator, distortion stage, effects slot and independent gain and pan controls.
Rather than designing a singular sound and then carving it up with EQ, you design the sub frequencies, the mids and the highs separately from the start, using different tools for each layer.
There are tons of tools to choose from, and every module in Rumble has been designed specifically for bass sound design. Each band offers nine oscillator models, covering analogue, wavetable and FM synthesis alongside more unusual options like Phonem, a bass-only sampler and a dedicated kick model.
Ten distortion types with per-band AM injection and ten effects (spanning cabinet, reverb and delay through to the aggressive Neuro and Smasher processors) handle the dirt and space, while six filters, including models inspired by the ARP 4023, Oberheim Xpander and Korg MS-20, can be used to shape the tone.
Modulation options are extensive too: you get 16 Macros, four LFOs, two MSEGs, three random sources and a set of envelopes, all brought together by a full modulation matrix with two slots on almost every parameter.
Once the three bands come together at the output stage, they’re processed by a master section featuring a three-band compressor aligned with Body, Character and Air, and a four-band parametric EQ with real-time spectrum analyzer; this means final sonic tweaks can be applied to produce a release-ready sound without leaving the plugin.
Presets from Virtual Riot, Venus Theory and more
The preset library is a fantastic example of what all this architecture can do in practice.
UVI enlisted a roster of artists and sound designers with distinct sonic signatures, from the internationally recognized Virtual Riot and Venus Theory to the boundary-pushing Enzalla, Snakes Of Russia and Nömak, alongside Devin Belanger, Carlo De Gregorio, Inuka, Alix Labbé and Marula Music.
The result is a memorable collection of presets with a distinct character of their own, rather than a generic library designed to please everyone.
UVI’s Falcon is a vast and semi-modular environment that does almost everything, but with Rumble, the company has taken the opposite approach: build one instrument with one job around a creative and complex architecture no other synth has attempted. It’s an exciting and genuinely innovative release and we’d recommend anyone producing bass-heavy music checks Rumble out for themselves.
Rumble is out on June 10, priced at an introductory $99/€99 until June 28 (regular price $199/€199), in VST3, AU, AAX formats and standalone on macOS and Windows.
Visit UVI's website to find out more and hear Rumble in action.
