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Unglued Harmonic Bass Machine: Clean Sub, Dirty Mids
Unglued Harmonic Bass Machine turns one MIDI note into a locked sub, harmonic mids and note-tracking distortion. Specs, rivals and $45 Plugin Boutique price.
T
Theo Nakamura
November 6, 2026 · 7 min read
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Harmonic Bass Machine is a monophonic bass instrument from drum & bass producer Unglued (Josh Brown). One MIDI note drives a centred sine sub, a second oscillator locked to an exact harmonic of that note, then note-tracking multiband distortion and a final clip so the low end stays clean while the mids take the damage. It is the bass chain he kept rebuilding in his own sessions, turned into a plug-in. At Plugin Boutique it is $45 from $69 (34% off until 30 November 2026). Unglued's own store lists it at £59.
At a glance: monophonic VST3/AU bass synth, two phase-locked sine oscillators (sub + harmonic H1–H20), 12 distortion shapes, six noise characters, 24 factory sounds, free 90-second demo with pause intervals, macOS 12+, Windows 10+, Linux VST3. $45 at Plugin Boutique until 30 Nov. Built for DnB and bass music producers who want that chain without stacking Serum, a clipper and a multiband rack every time.
What is Harmonic Bass Machine?
Most bass patches in a generalist synth ask you to build the sub, the mid harmonic content, the distortion and the final clip yourself. Harmonic Bass Machine hard-wires that order. The sub stays mono and centred. The upper oscillator can only sit on an integer harmonic of the note you play, so it cannot drift or beat against the sub. Distortion sits on a band whose left edge follows the played note, which keeps the fundamental clean while the mids get pushed.
A sister plug-in, Harmonic Bass Effects, runs the same idea as an audio effect for samples and existing synths. Both landed on Plugin Boutique in Unglued's intro sale window.
How the signal chain works
Two sine oscillators. Oscillator one is the sub at the fundamental. Oscillator two locks to an integer harmonic from 1 to 20. Levels, octave and glide are available, plus an Extra Sub path for more clean weight that can bypass the first clipper.
Stage-one clipper. A protective hard clip shapes the combined oscillators before noise and the main distortion. Unglued states the curve stays linear until it actually clips.
Noise layer. Six characters — Motor, Hiss, Radio, Tape, Hum and Crackle — with level, stereo width, filter handles, and an envelope follower so the texture breathes with each note.
Note-tracking multiband distortion. Twelve shapes across clip, fold and character groups (hard/soft/smooth/square clip; sine/tri/skew/saw/xtreme fold; rectify, valve, diode). Drive, dynamics, bias and mix control how hard the band is pushed. Hit Auto to lock the band edge back to the note after a manual drag.
Final clip. Hard or soft final clip with its own drive and a crossover that can let the low band through clean. Master Trim sets the output.
Simple and Advanced views. Simple gets you playing fast. Advanced opens every stage in signal-flow order. Both edit the same sound. There is also a constrained randomiser, A/B compare, undo/redo and self-updating installs.
Harmonic Bass Machine specifications
| Spec | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Monophonic bass instrument (last-note priority, glide, pitch bend) |
| Oscillators | Two phase-locked sines: sub + harmonic H1–H20; Extra Sub option |
| Distortion | 12 shapes; note-tracking crossover; drive, dynamics, bias, mix |
| Noise | Motor, Hiss, Radio, Tape, Hum, Crackle with follower |
| Presets | 24 factory sounds + INIT |
| Formats | VST3 (macOS, Windows, Linux); AU (macOS) |
| Systems | macOS 12+ (Apple silicon and Intel, signed and notarised); Windows 10+ x64; Linux x64 VST3 |
| Demo | 90 seconds from first MIDI note, then 15-second pauses |
| Licence | One-off purchase, no subscription; updates install inside the plug-in |
| Current version | 1.2.3 (1 November 2026) |
Harmonic Bass Machine vs Serum 2 vs Massive XL
| Harmonic Bass Machine | Serum 2 | Massive XL | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price today | $45 until 30 Nov ($69 list); £59 at Unglued | See Plugin Boutique / Xfer | $99 intro (list $199) |
| Role | Focused monophonic bass chain | General wavetable synth | Flagship wavetable synth |
| Sub behaviour | Dedicated centred sub, harmonic-locked upper oscillator | You build it | You build it |
| Distortion | Note-tracking multiband + final clip built in | FX rack / warp | Integrated effects including new Raum, Replika Shimmer, Tape Wobble |
| Best for | Fast DnB / bass patches with clean lows | Sound design across genres | Broad wavetable work and Massive X library |
Which to pick: if your job is "fat, clean-sub bass with dirty mids right now," Harmonic Bass Machine is purpose-built for that and costs less during the intro sale. Serum 2 and Massive XL remain the better buy when you need a full synth for leads, pads and design work beyond bass — see our Massive XL first look and best synth VST roundup. Many producers will keep a generalist synth and add Harmonic Bass Machine for the bass lane.
Who Harmonic Bass Machine is for
Buy it if you write drum & bass, dubstep or other bass-heavy electronic music and keep rebuilding the same sub-plus-distortion chain; if you want a demo you can try without an account; or if $45 until 30 November is an easy add next to Serum or Massive.
Skip it if you need a polyphonic synth, wavetable import or a full FX suite in one window — this is a monophonic bass instrument. Skip the instrument and look at Harmonic Bass Effects if you already have the oscillator and only want the distortion chain on audio. And if you are happy designing the same patch in Serum in a few minutes, you may not need a dedicated tool.
How much does Harmonic Bass Machine cost?
- $45 at Plugin Boutique from $69, 34% off until 30 November 2026.
- £59 on Unglued's own store (Harmonic Bass Effects is £79 there; the PB listing for Harmonic Bass Effects is also in the same 34% intro sale window).
- Free fully functional demo: 90 seconds of play, then 15-second pauses, until you buy.
- No Best Service or Thomann listing at the time of writing.
Our Harmonic Bass Machine plugin page tracks the price.
Buy now or wait? The Plugin Boutique intro is already a third off and runs to 30 November. If you know you want the chain, there is little reason to wait out the sale.
FAQ
Is Harmonic Bass Machine only for drum & bass?
It is built by a DnB producer for that workflow, but any genre that wants a clean mono sub under distorted mid harmonics can use it. It is still a monophonic bass tool, not a general synth.
Does it run on Linux?
Yes. Unglued ships a manual VST3 bundle for Linux x64 alongside macOS (VST3 and AU) and Windows (VST3).
Harmonic Bass Machine vs Harmonic Bass Effects — which do I need?
Buy the Machine if you want the oscillators and the chain from MIDI. Buy Effects if you already have a bass sound and want to run audio through the same distortion and clip stages. Some producers own both.
Is there a demo?
Yes. No account is required. The demo runs for 90 seconds from your first MIDI note, then pauses for 15 seconds, and repeats that cycle until you purchase.
Verdict
Harmonic Bass Machine does one job and does it on purpose: clean centred sub, harmonic-locked mids, note-tracking dirt and a final clip, with a Simple view for speed and an Advanced view for the full chain. At $45 until 30 November it is an easy specialised add next to Serum 2 or Massive XL, not a replacement for them. Try the free demo on a bass loop; if the chain matches how you already work, the sale price is the time to grab it.
