Modular Synthesizer
The second spawn of the Berlin Modular project, Bazille is a large polyphonic modular system with digital (PD, FM based) oscillators, multimode filters and plenty of modulation options. With so much connectivity to explore, patching in Bazille should keep you fascinated for many years – it’s definitely a “geek machine”!
Screenshots
Demo Tracks
Videos
Kevin Schroeder. 
’; $PLAYER_URL = ‘https://media.u-he.com/bazille/Bazille_by_KevinSchroeder_021014.mp3'; ?>
’; $PLAYER_URL = ‘https://media.u-he.com/bazille/ES_BazilleMasterDemo.mp3'; ?> showcasing some of the factory presets. Additional drumloops.’; $PLAYER_URL = ‘https://media.u-he.com/bazille/NedFX_PetriDishRomance.mp3'; ?>’; $PLAYER_URL = ‘https://media.u-he.com/bazille/Faber_Bazilleum.mp3'; ?>“About four years ago I started to work on a new synthesizer. The idea was to build a virtual modular system much like the first modular system I ever used in 1986—an old and hilariously out of tune Roland System 100M. I totally loved that thing. It stood in a room in my grammar school, and I spent hours and hours patching it up.
“Over the last couple of years I built a little modular synth based on Doepfer’s Eurorack modules. It has become a nice and inspiring hobby, but it’s also quite expensive and for me (as a software user) really difficult to work with. I’m used to being able to save patches, I’m used to having multiple instances of my synth, and I’m used to play chords. All these things are simply non-existant in an analogue modular system. On the other hand you have that tactile thing with the hands-on experience. Plugging cables, turning real knobs and all that is very rewarding compared to just pushing a mouse.
“Nevertheless, I have always kept the idea of a software modular system in the back of my mind. Recently some other ideas somehow nicely aligned with that concept, and the Berlin Modular project experienced a massive boost in pace!
“Of course the name Berlin Modular is meant to be reminiscent of the Berlin School of electronic music, and expecially of the bands and artists I listened to when I was a teenager. Those guys e.g. Tangerine Dream and Jean-Michel Jarre inspired me to make electronic music my hobby, and in the end they also inspired me to develop synthesizers. So what could be more obvious than dedicating a synth to their style?
“The idea is easily explained: Imagine you have a modular system in a rackmount enclosure with a couple of oscillators, a couple of filters and envelopes. Now imagine you have three or four of these systems with different types of modules. That’s the basic concept: Similar systems based on different modules. They are already nicely put together and ready to make some noise!
“A while ago I demonstrated a prototype of the first system within Berlin Modular. I call it Bazille, which is German for bacterium. It has become quite a crazy fellow! Bazille combines 4-oscillator FM-synthesis and Phase Distortion with the depth and flexibility of modular patching …”
Bazille is highly unusual for a modular synth.
Although the filters are traditional analogue models, the oscillators are unashamedly digital: They combine the two technologies that made digital synthesis affordable (and analogue synths suddenly unfashionable) in the 1980s – FM (frequency modulation, more correctly ‘phase modulation’) and PD (phase distortion).
In Bazille, each oscillator panel has five distinct sections: Pitch, Phase / FM, Phase Distortion, Fractal Resonance, and the Outputs, each with a modulation input.
Since the 4 main oscillators have a frequency range which starts at zero Hertz, they can be used as synchronized or unsynchronized LFOs or also adopt custom shapes thanks to Bazille’s mapping generators. The oscillators are also capable of all kinds of FM sounds by plugging an audio-frequency source into the phase modulation input.
One of the most interesting features included in Bazille’s powerful oscillators is an unusual process we call Fractalize (fractal resonance). This can be used to create very bold sounds from tame waveforms, with a similar result to the classic cutting sound of the sync effect.
The pair of Mapping Generators can be used for a variety of purposes: To reshape modulation sources, to define per-MIDI-note offsets or to step through values e.g. for round-robin effects … There are 4 modes available, and both generators can have maps with up to 128 steps. They are very flexible, allowing custom shapes thanks to the drawing tools and presets accessible with a right-click of the mouse.
The little multiple" modules you can find in most analogue modular systems are simple mix/split devices. As Bazille’s output sockets can accommodate several cables, the humble multiple underwent a serious redesign, emerging as something so flexible that we had to rename it Multiplex. The 4 units are very “general-purpose”: They can be used as signal mixers, cross faders, ring modulators, amplitude modulators, and more …
The onboard modulation sequencer lets you set up much more complex movements than are available with a regular LFO. It can be divided into 2, 3 or 4 sections, two of which can also be used as a per-voice note sequencers (steps can trigger envelopes). Also present is a modulatable Rotate control, which lets you morph between up to 8 different sequences.
Would you prefer all controls on a single page?
Bazille ships with a larger but more compact skin called GearPorn which dramatically alters the user experience. Ideal for Bazille experts, the skin of choice for ambitious novices.
To enable the skin, just right-click on Bazille’s interface and select it from the menu.
2010 – Editor’s ChoiceComputer Music
2014 – Sonic Joy Award Audionewsroom
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MPE Update
Fixed: VST3 producing stuck notes in Digital Performer
Fixed: VST3 crashes in Digital Performer related to plugin GUI
Fixed: VST3 synth plugins falsely reported inputs to host
Fixed: sustain pedal held just one note of a chord if MPE was active in Bitwig
Fixed: dialogues could appear behind plugin GUI in Cubase (Windows only)
Fixed: Windows UI scaling was messing with dialogue positioning
Fixed: using CMD+A in dialogues made the GUI disappear in Logic
Version
1.1.3
(rev. 16518)
– Released
August 27, 2024
Release notes
Please be aware the Linux versions of our plug-ins are still considered beta. While the plug-ins are stable, we are not able to provide the same level of support for these products as we do for the macOS and Windows versions. Support is provided via the Linux and u-he communities on our forum.
macOS (10.10 or newer)
Windows (7 or newer)
Linux (glibc version 2.28 or newer)
* This plug-in requires host software (DAW)
** AAX requires Pro Tools 10.3.7 or newer
