About

Roadsoul Bass Lite is a streamlined version of the full Roadsoul instrument, focusing solely on the powerful and characteristic bass sounds of the Crumar Roady. The original Crumar Roady, released in 1980, was renowned for its warm and diverse sounds, including a rich bass section.

For this HALion / HALion Sonic instrument, we’ve meticulously sampled the bass section of an original Crumar Roady, capturing its unique analog warmth and character. Roadsoul Bass Lite offers you the essence of this vintage bass sound in a compact, easy-to-use package.

While the full version of Roadsoul includes additional piano and vibes sounds, along with expanded features, Bass Lite concentrates on delivering that iconic Roady bass tone. It’s perfect for producers and musicians looking to add authentic, vintage bass textures to their productions without the complexity of a full suite of sounds.

And yes, that dried rose you might spot on the illustration of the original Roady? It’s been a faithful companion to our sampled instrument for years, adding a touch of whimsy to its analog charm.

Note: Roadsoul Bass Lite is a sample-based instrument inspired by the sounds of the Crumar Roady. It is not an official Crumar product and is not affiliated with the Crumar brand or its rights holders. Crumar is a registered trademark of its respective owners.

Installation

Prerequisites

• Required Software: Steinberg HALion Sonic (free). HALion Sonic can be downloaded here: https://www.steinberg.net/vst-instruments/halion/sonic/
• System Requirements: As specified by HALion Sonic. The instrument itself requires approximately 50 MB of storage.

Installation Steps

1. Download the ZIP File: After purchase, you will receive a download link for a ZIP file. This file contains the user manual and a .vstpreset file, which is your instrument.
2. Extract the ZIP File: Locate the downloaded ZIP file and extract its contents to a convenient location on your computer.
3. Install the Instrument:
   • Locate the .vstpreset File: In the extracted folder, you will find a file with the .vstpreset extension.
   • Install via Steinberg Library Manager: Double-click on the .vstpreset file. This will automatically open the Steinberg Library Manager, which will handle the installation of the instrument.
4. Launch HALion Sonic: Open HALion Sonic in your DAW or as a standalone application. The new instrument should now be available in your preset library.
5. Verify Installation: Load the instrument within HALion Sonic to ensure that it has been installed correctly and is functioning as expected.

Troubleshooting

If the instrument does not appear in your preset library, ensure that HALion Sonic is up to date and that the .vstpreset file was correctly installed via the Steinberg Library Manager.

By following these steps, you should have your new instrument installed and ready to use within HALion Sonic. Enjoy your creative experience!

User Interface

Bass Section

VOLUME: A large knob for adjusting the level of the bass. Note, this level adjusts what is going into the effect chain. For adjusting the main volume (what comes out of the effect chain) use the knob in the Quick Controls or HALion’s volume knob at the top of HALion itself.

SUSTAIN: A toggle switch for deactivating sustain on the instrument completely. While it might seem superfluous on the Bass Lite, it’s included as a nod to the full instrument’s functionality. Think of it as a sneak peek into the expanded possibilities of the complete Roadsoul experience!

A word about the sustain: The original Crumar Roady has a quirky sustain behavior - it only works if you press the pedal before hitting a note. We’ve faithfully recreated this unique characteristic in Roadsoul Bass Lite, capturing the instrument’s distinctive personality that adds a touch of vintage charm to your playing technique.

Performance Options

On the right, you’ll find two performance enhancers:

Velocity A slider to enable velocity sensitivity. The keyboard of the original instrument is not velocity sensitive. Hence why it defaults to off.

Key Range A slider to expand the playable range of the instrument. By default this is turned off and reflects the key range of the bass sound of the original instrument.

Effect Chain

The lower half of the interface houses a four-slot effect chain. Each effect slot has an on/off toggle switch for quick enabling or bypassing. To change the type of effect click on the name of the current effect on the top right of each slot.

Remember, don’t be afraid to experiment with these controls. Here’s the fun!

The Sounds

Bass

Roadsoul Bass Lite focuses on the essence of the Crumar Roady bass sound. With carefully sampled recordings of the original instrument, it offers:

• Warm, round bass tones that fit perfectly into any mix.
• Characteristic analog coloration that adds depth and vintage charm to your productions.
• 15 carefully crafted presets ranging from classic bass sounds to experimental soundscapes.

Each tone has been captured with attention to detail to preserve the unique personality of the Crumar Roady bass.

The full version of Roadsoul includes, in addition to the bass, also the vibes and piano sounds, as well as additional effects.

Effects

Roadsoul Bass Lite comes equipped with 4 effect slots, each hosting interchangeable effects. This versatile setup invites you to craft both classic effect chains and venture into the realms of the weird and experimental.

Here’s your toolkit:

• Enable/disable an effect slot: Toggle the red button on the top left of each slot. Simple, like flipping a vintage switch.
• Change the effect: Click on the name in the top right of each slot. Mix and match to your heart’s content.

Pro tip: The effects are chained in series from left to right, just like the signal flow in those beloved analog rigs. Use the Quick Control “Drive” to push your FX chain a little hotter - sometimes, a touch of overdrive is all you need to find that sweet spot. And if your experimentations lead to excess brightness, the “Tone” control is there to tame those high frequencies.

Remember, there are no wrong choices here - only new sonic territories to explore. Happy knob-twiddling!

Service

Maintaining your instrument is as straightforward as dialing into a rotary phone: Just hop over to phasenpunkt.de whenever you remember it exists. With the luck of finding a working payphone in 2024, you might just catch an update — if the stars align and the internet gods are in a good mood.

Jokes aside, you’ll receive an e-mail with a new download link whenever an update is released.

Version History

Version 1.1.0

• Pitch Perfect: All samples have been adjusted to their correct pitch.

Version 1.0.0

• Initial release.