Being a bass player I still often grab VSTs during conceptual work or song writing e.g. when the key is not yet fixed. Quite often I'm surprised how well it does in that respect (NI Rickenbacker most definitely, other Kontakt bass libs are also OK).
 
You need to play what a bass player would play, though, not guitar stuff ... especially, in terms of timing and also how many notes you allow ;-) I don't mean to be patronizing by any means but IMHO that's more often the problem than the bass sound. Quantized straight eights will sound like s*** even using the most realistic bass lib. Never ever quantize a bass, that's a cardinal sin. Even with a keyboard, play until you are in the pocket and fix individual notes at most.
 
 

For best results, bite the bullet & get a real bass. I know, I know.... But even a beat-up cheap from out of the local pawn shop will yield usable results and be much less hassle.

I lucked out big time & scored one of the old Korean made Squier P basses for dirt cheap.

bdickens
For best results, bite the bullet & get a real bass. I know, I know.... But even a beat-up cheap from out of the local pawn shop will yield usable results and be much less hassle.

I lucked out big time & scored one of the old Korean made Squier P basses for dirt cheap.

Agree, even a cheap bass is going to sound more like a real bass.  Using a guitar to simulate a bass, doesn't really catch the realism of a real bass.  One plays bass differently than a guitar, with shorter neck and lighter strings.  Guitar players tend to over play.  Bass is all about timing, finding the groove and holding the pocket. 

+1 for the real bass. We're musicians playing music, why not get the real experience? 

I use GR4 octave peddle in combo with GR4 bass amp sim. Before the signal goes into amp, I tend to use Sonar's tube emulator FX...Very cool. Most of the time I will then use a tasty compressor...either Wave's Pye or Wave's Fairchild. After amp sim I tend to use Wave's Kramer Helios EQ and finally Wave's NLS summing amp. :) oh and on occasion I will double the electric bass guitar sound with a 303 sound. I do this by using Audio Snap pallate and extract midi notes, so both instruments are in sync...I then tend to feed the bass out into a drum aux where I will EQ the summed mix and place a tape emulator - Wave's J37 - over the top. This is then fed into a drum buss lol, where I put a final compressor over the lot...either a. Wave's Comp, a Fairchild or Sonar's SSL emulation. And for those thinking that is a stupid amount of FXs and processing...what I'm doing is emulating an analogue signal path...so everything is fed out to a virtual tape aux, then fed back into a desk or buss for final mixing. When using virtual summing amps, it's important to follow a strict signal chain.

Ben

BenMMusTech
I use GR4 octave peddle in combo with GR4 bass amp sim. Before the signal goes into amp, I tend to use Sonar's tube emulator FX...Very cool. Most of the time I will then use a tasty compressor...either Wave's Pye or Wave's Fairchild. After amp sim I tend to use Wave's Kramer Helios EQ and finally Wave's NLS summing amp. :) oh and on occasion I will double the electric bass guitar sound with a 303 sound. I do this by using Audio Snap pallate and extract midi notes, so both instruments are in sync...I then tend to feed the bass out into a drum aux where I will EQ the summed mix and place a tape emulator - Wave's J37 - over the top. This is then fed into a drum buss lol, where I put a final compressor over the lot...either a. Wave's Comp, a Fairchild or Sonar's SSL emulation. And for those thinking that is a stupid amount of FXs and processing...what I'm doing is emulating an analogue signal path...so everything is fed out to a virtual tape aux, then fed back into a desk or buss for final mixing. When using virtual summing amps, it's important to follow a strict signal chain.

Ben

 
That thought did cross my mind, yes....

Just in line with the rest, if the same person plays all the parts it often shows. This is ok if you are the artist who used to be Prince, or Jerry Garcia, but for most of us, inviting other talent into the studio helps.

If using a real bass is good, using a real bass and real bass player is better.

+1 on the real bass suggestions.  I went through all this years ago, trying to use a guitar as a bass, all kinds of creative gyrations - basically working my ass off in my studio chair.  I gave it all up the moment I heard a 75 dollar beat up Ibanez DI'd to my sound card.  All my machinations couldn't even match an ugly pawn shop bass completely dry.  
 
It's a complete waste of valuable time in my ever so humbled opinion.  Congrats if you can pull it off, but playing real bass is kinda fun anyway and you know how ladies love bass players.

Voda La Void
....... and you know how ladies love bass players.

Guys watch the guitar player and play along air guitar.  The ladies dance and groove to the Bass.     
 
On another note, I play in the worship band, when Bass and Drums stop playing, people tend to stop singing.  
 
 

michaelhanson

 Guitar players tend to over play. 

 
-Every- time. 
 

gswitz
using a real bass and real bass player is better.

 
Every time.