Darkglass Ultimate
The iconic Darkglass sound - now the ultimate creative platform for bass.
Overview
The Darkglass sound has defined modern bass tone for more than a decade, with its powerful low end, clarity, and unmistakable character.
In 2018, we brought that sound into the digital world with Darkglass Ultra, capturing the essence of the B7K Ultra and Vintage Ultra preamps inside a plugin.
Built on that foundation, Darkglass Ultimate delivers a complete creative platform for bass. From subtle warmth to aggressive drive, it adapts to any musical context while preserving the authority, clarity, and character that define the Darkglass sound.
We proudly present to you, Darkglass Ultimate.
The Darkglass sound, fully unleashed
Darkglass Ultimate builds on the iconic Darkglass preamps and cabinets, evolving them into a truly complete creative toolkit for bass. Surrounding that foundation is a collection of effects and creative tools developed by Neural DSP to help you experiment, refine, and expand your sound.
Effortlessly create tones, explore new textures, and turn ideas into finished, record-ready sounds, all in one place.
Key features
Darkglass Ultimate brings the iconic Darkglass sound into a complete creative environment for bass, combining legendary tone with a full signal chain and creative tools in one place.
Dual Ultra preamps
B7K Ultra and Vintage Ultra, the two circuits that shaped modern bass tone.
Pre and post effects
Compressor, Auto-wah, Octaver, and Fuzz before the amp, with Chorus and Delay after, for complete control over dynamics, texture, and space.
Darkglass cabinet simulations
DG210C 2x10 and DG810ES 8x10 cabinets with flexible mic positioning, Sub Kick, and Bass Reflex options.
Bass-focused EQ
A 9-band graphic EQ designed specifically for shaping bass tone.
Creative tools and presets
Transpose, metronome, tuner, and a curated selection of production-ready presets.
Designed for any bass context
From tight modern aggression to warm vintage character, Darkglass Ultimate adapts to virtually any genre and playing style.
Dual Ultra preamps
At the heart of Darkglass Ultimate are the B7K Ultra and Vintage Ultra, two iconic Darkglass circuits that shaped the sound of modern bass.
B7K Ultra
For more than a decade, the B7K Ultra has defined the sound of modern driven bass. It became the benchmark for aggressive yet controlled low end, shaping countless recordings.
Its distortion ranges from subtle grind to massive saturation while remaining tight, articulate, and transparent. Even at higher gain settings, the identity of your instrument remains unmistakable.
The Grunt and Attack switches control how low and high frequencies enter the clipping stage, shaping the weight and bite of the tone at its foundation. Tighten the response for focused articulation, or push more low end into saturation for thick, colossal drive.
In Darkglass Ultimate, the B7K Ultra returns at its full potential with its unmistakable dynamic feel, harmonic complexity, and commanding modern voice.
Modern voice
A tight, aggressive character that helped define contemporary driven bass tones.
Focused low end
Maintains controlled, punchy bass response even at higher gain settings.
Cutting articulation
Clear upper mids that keep the bass present in dense mixes.
Vintage Ultra
The Vintage Ultra draws inspiration from the rich, softly driven bass tones that defined recordings from the 70s through the 90s. It captures the warmth and depth of classic tube amplification while remaining clear and controlled.
Its saturation is smooth and musical, moving from gentle warmth to thick harmonic drive. Notes bloom naturally, with subtle compression that enhances sustain and depth while preserving the dynamics of your playing.
The response feels organic under the fingers, translating touch and playing intensity directly into tone. Like all Darkglass designs, the Vintage Ultra remains remarkably transparent, enhancing the character of your instrument while letting its voice shine through.
In Darkglass Ultimate, the Vintage Ultra delivers its full harmonic richness, responsiveness, and unmistakable tube-like feel that made the original a modern classic.
Vintage character
Warm, rounded drive inspired by classic tube bass tones.
Smooth response
Adds sustain and fullness while keeping your playing expressive.
Touch-sensitive feel
Responds naturally to the dynamics of your playing.
Core controls
Drive: Adjusts the amount of saturation in the overdriven signal, ranging from subtle grit to full-bodied distortion.
Level: Sets the volume of the overdriven signal.
Blend: Mixes the clean input signal with the overdriven signal, letting you retain low-end clarity while adding drive.
Master: Adjusts the overall output level of the unit.
Attack switch: Determines how much treble content enters the saturation stage, shaping the bite and definition of the tone.
Grunt switch: Controls how much low-frequency content feeds the saturation stage, moving between tighter response and heavier low-end weight.
Four-Band Active EQ: Bass and Treble controls with selectable Low Mid and High Mid frequencies provide detailed tone shaping across the most important bass ranges.
Pre effects
Tools for taming a legend
Built around the unmistakable voice of the B7K Ultra and Vintage Ultra, this collection of effects pushes the Darkglass sound into new territory. Set the foundation of your tone with effects that shape dynamics, expression, and character from the very first note.
Compressor
Keep your tone tight, controlled, and consistent. Inspired by classic 1176-style compression, it delivers a fast, responsive feel that evens out your playing while preserving the natural character of your instrument.
Blend in parallel compression to add weight and sustain without sacrificing clarity or dynamics.
Auto-wah
Bring movement and expression to your playing with a bass-tuned envelope filter that responds directly to your dynamics. From subtle funk to aggressive, vocal-like sweeps, it tracks your touch while keeping the low end intact.
Shape the feel of the filter with Attack and Release, and control its response using the Compressor.
Octaver
Add depth and weight with warm, analog-style sub-octaves inspired by the legendary Boss® OC-2®. Thick, synth-like tones sit beneath your signal, expanding your sound without losing its character.
Blend in one or two octaves below your original signal, with fast, accurate tracking that keeps every note clear and defined.
Fuzz
Unleash massive low end and saturated character with a bass-friendly fuzz inspired by the Russian® Big® Muff®. From gritty drive to thick, sustaining walls of sound, it adds weight and texture without sacrificing clarity.
Blend in your dry signal to keep your low end focused while layering in rich harmonic saturation and sustain.
Cabinets that bring your tone to life
Give your tone weight, depth, and physical presence with Darkglass cabinet simulations. Capture the punch and clarity of real bass cabinets, with flexible microphone positioning to shape how your sound sits in the mix.
Dial in extra edge and attack with the Tweeter control, or add deep, chest-hitting low end with the Sub Kick. Both cabinets pair seamlessly with either Ultra preamp, and support third-party impulse responses for even more tonal flexibility.
Darkglass DG210C 2x10
Balanced, tight, and articulate. The DG210C combines girth and clarity with custom Eminence® ceramic drivers and a carefully tuned crossover, delivering definition without harshness.
Position seven virtual microphones freely across the speaker cone to dial in the perfect response.
Darkglass DG810ES 8x10
Massive and commanding. The DG810ES delivers huge low end with the punch and clarity needed to cut through dense mixes.
Choose from nine virtual microphones and engage Bass Reflex mode for even greater depth and impact.
Precision EQ for final tone control
Dial in the details of your sound with a 9-band graphic EQ tuned for the key frequency ranges of bass. Shape the weight, presence, and clarity of your tone with control, whether you’re tightening the low end or bringing definition to the mids.
High-pass and low-pass filters give you control over the extremes, helping you clean up the low end, smooth the highs, and place your bass exactly where it needs to sit in the mix.
Post effects
Add space, width, and movement to your tone, shaping how it sits and evolves in the mix.
Chorus
Add width and movement with warm, analog-style modulation inspired by the classic Boss® CE-2. The low end stays focused and centered while the upper frequencies widen and shift, creating a rich, immersive stereo image.
Enhance your tone with subtle motion or push it further for lush, expansive textures, all while maintaining punch and clarity.
Delay
Introduce space and depth with warm, organic repeats inspired by classic analog circuits. Shape the character of each repeat with drive and modulation, or use ping-pong mode for a wider stereo field.
Used with intention, delay adds space between phrases, reinforces rhythm, and brings subtle movement to your tone without losing definition.
Built for a seamless workflow
Darkglass Ultimate is designed to keep you focused on playing and creating, with everything you need in one place.
Global Lock
Keep input, gate, transpose, and output settings consistent while browsing presets, so your core setup stays exactly where you want it.
Transpose
Shift your bass up or down by up to 12 semitones, making it easy to explore different tunings instantly.
Tuner
A clean, responsive tuner is always available at the bottom of the interface for quick reference while playing.
Metronome
Practice with flexible timing controls, including time signatures, accents, and note values (Standalone mode only).
Presets
Featuring 30 presets from the Neural DSP team and 110 curated presets from artists such as Adam “Nolly” Getgood, Clayton King, Forrester Savell, Jacob Umansky, and more.
Preset Explorer
Quickly find and organize your sounds with searchable presets, tagging, favorites, and easy access to recent tones.
Tooltips
Hover over a parameter to see helpful tooltips displayed in the bottom utility bar.
Standalone
Play instantly without a DAW. Run Darkglass Ultimate as a standalone app and start shaping your tone with no additional software required.
System Requirements
Darkglass Ultimate is available in 64-bit VST2, VST3, AU, AAX, and standalone formats.
Compatible with the latest versions of Windows and macOS, including native Apple Silicon support.
For full system requirements, visit our support page.
Requires a free iLok License Manager and iLok account.
Getting started with bass plugins
Bass plugins bring amps, cabinets, and effects into your computer. Connect your bass through an audio interface and start playing with professional, studio-ready tones instantly. Much of modern music is recorded this way.
Darkglass Ultimate works both as a standalone app and inside recording software (DAWs).
Download a 14-day free trial of Darkglass Ultimate
For more information, see our guide on downloading, installing, and activating plugins.
Connect your bass to your computer through an audio interface
Plug your bass into your computer using an audio interface. If you need help choosing one, see our guide on choosing an audio interface for bass and connecting a guitar to a computer.
Launch the plugin and start playing
Open the standalone app to play immediately, or load it inside a supported DAW to record. Make sure your audio settings are set up correctly.
New to bass plugins? Start here!
Our getting started guides will help you learn everything you need to know about using plugins.
Getting started with plugins