We take a look at UJAM Slap Virtual Bassist and check out how well it performs in our UJAM Slap review.
Developed by the German VST masters Ujam, this plugin offers up both a player and an instrument in one funky bundle. They say this product drives your song with character and soul and that this is the ever energetic creative live wire you need in your production pocket.
Contents
Ujam Features At A Glance
- 30 Styles with over 350 individual phrases
- Both Slap and Finger style playing techniques
- More than 100 Presets & 30 Finisher Multi-Effect Modes
- MIDI Drag & Drop, Resizable User Interface
We liked the ability that UJAM allowed us to run a midi sequence into the plugin and from this, a riff can be generated and get a funky pattern spat out again.
The intelligent riff engine takes the creativity blocks away from the producer and replaces them with a multitude of ideas for inspiration.
- Instrument Section: When switched here, the plugin will act as an instrument, playing your midi pattern.
- Player: When player is selected, the plugin will play the patterns chosen
- Character & Tone: Various settings here produce differing tones and output depending on the selection criteria
- Finisher Section: The Finisher section adds the final polish to the sound
- Presets: Plenty of Presets to choose from
How does it sound?
As per the normal process when we review plugins, we have run this plugin as part of a production to see what features can be used to help improve.
After all, that’s why we search audio plugin deals to buy plugins – for their features (right?!). So the sound is obviously an important aspect of this.
I was pleasantly surprised on the quality of the output. With some use of the built in presets, there was an array of options when it came to picking the sound I wanted.
Normally on a track I’d lay down some drums and some chords over the top to begin. This time, I wandered around the fretboard of the funky bass riffs on offer and used that as a foundation for a track.
Storage Warning
shouldn’t really be surprised to the quality of the sounds and tone though, because the footprint of this plugin package is not small.
On a Windows 10 install there is around 7.5Gb of data that comes in as part of the installation and so keep this in mind when finding the time to download.
It is a big download and obviously takes up a chunk of space on the hard drive, however the space vs reward balance is on point and the quality of the files are worth it.
Ujam Slap Presets
The presets on offer really help with getting to learn the product functionality and the variety of styles help get the sound being searched for.
Ujam themselves note that SLAP will energize any production with electric bass lines, but it’s particularly great on Pop, Funk, Jazz and Rock tracks.
They comment that highly rhythmical patterns and up tempo styles are its forte. With this in mind, and if not your forte, you may want to investigate other products in the virtual bassist range.
For me, this product offers inspiration and creativity when the mind blocks happen. A product which is certainly one to trial and experiment to see which new heights your sound can be taken to.
