Okay, I have a new favorite way to make ugly bass lines. Audio Blast just dropped the V10F yesterday, and it is a mono virtual analog inspired by the 1977 Kawai 100F. The Kawai 100F is one of those rare single-VCO machines from the late 70s that almost nobody clones, so this one immediately stood out from the Minimoog tribute band crowd.
Single oscillator, saw and square plus noise, but the rest of the signal path is where it gets mean. Four filter modes including a 24 dB low-pass, and you can modulate the filter at audio rate, which is exactly the kind of thing that turns a bass line into a grinding wall. There is a sub oscillator too, with octave control and the option to route it pre or post filter, so you can keep the sub huge while the main osc gets chewed up. And there is a distortion unit on board for when the filter alone is not nasty enough.
The 64-step host-synced arp sequencer is the sleeper feature. Eight patterns, and you can randomize notes, scales, pattern length, note range, root note, even rest probability. I set up a sequence, let the randomizer do its thing, and recorded forty minutes of industrial B-sides without touching a key. Three chainable FX slots on the back end too: delay, phaser, their "synth verb", chorus, flanger.
Two envelopes with ADR, AD, and AR modes, three LFO waveforms with delayed vibrato, portamento. 512 factory presets if you want to skip the sound design part. Honest caveats: it is monophonic, so basses, leads, and sequences only, no pads, no chords. And that is fine. This thing is a weapon, not a workhorse.
Price is $72 USD intro (77 euro on the vendor store) through October 30, then it goes up to 129 euro. VST2, VST3, AU, and AAX on both Windows and Mac. Go bother it: audioblast.me/product/v10f