English Bass

English Bass by Ben Osterhouse turns a 150-year-old upright bass into five distinctive sampled instruments. Built from over 2,000 recordings, it moves beyond traditional bass parts into expressive textures, rhythmic patterns and acoustic sound design. Longs focuses on sustained articulations and dramatic swells, while Clouds layers pizzicato and col legno recordings into prickly, evolving beds of sound. Rhythms provides material for ostinatos, and Percussion brings together snap pizzicato, col legno and drum sounds crafted from the bass body. Effects adds manipulated recordings and extended techniques for layering with the other instruments. Included MIDI clips for the Longs, Percussion and Rhythms patches offer starting points for arrangements. This upright bass collection suits producers and composers looking for organic movement, unusual percussion and characterful textures in cinematic, ambient or experimental music.