3 Tips For Perfect Sub Basses

[@monomagnus8738]

Nice video! I'd actually stay away from saturation, amps and filters on the sub itself, as it often kills the fundamental and/or introduces unwanted offsets and phase shifts. Better to get your harmonics at oscillator level if you can, and Serum is perfect for it since you can get all the harmonics you need into one perfect osc cycle, giving it more predictable phase and easier for any physical speaker to play. Better to add presence on a separate sub layer with distortion etc. that's highpassed as the last step and mixed in gently to complement the sub. You should also be aware that the MG filter in Serum introduces DC offset as part of its sweet, sweet sound, so you actually kill 2-4db of headroom by using it rather than the normal filter. I recommend using the Filtered Saw wavetable that comes stock with Serum in Osc 2 instead if you wanna add harmonics. Try watching your waveform through scopes like Vengeance or Melda (both free) switching filters and you'll see the difference is pretty severe. Some advanced tricks in Serum I wanna throw it out here in case it helps anyone (assuming you know Serum basics) : First understand the principle of using bins to create your own oscillator waveforms. Create a primary sub sine using bins, a secondary an octave above, adjust volume to taste, and a third going either a major 3rd over, or a perfect 5th. This is going to be the deep sub that goes down to C1, so play C1 notes and adjust the upper partials/harmonics so they're audible on smaller systems. Now, make another window in the wavetable editor, and make the same combination of bins - only this time play bright C2 notes and adjust the upper partials to not give that intrusive bright sub feel. Now select both and edit - morph spectral to get a smooth transition between them. You can now adjust the amount of harmonics in your osc (and it's cycle perfect, so no worrying about different oscillators going in and out of phase) using the WT Position knob, having perfect sub from one oscillator. Now assign the keytracking modulation (lower right corner by velocity) to the WT Position (you might have to tweak the curve) and your sub harmonics is now getting lowered as you play higher notes! This way you can go as deep as C1 and still be audible on smaller systems, and you can control that feeling of sitting inside a vacuum when the pitch goes higher. I prefer to assign the keytracking to the Osc volume as well, so the volume lowers a little when the moves go up. Again, tweak the keytracking curve so you don't lose any power around your fundamental key. If you want to take it even further, you can actually make a third wavetable with a C0 on it that keytracks in, so you start filling in the lower end when you play higher notes. The principle is like a Shepard tone, like a spiral for sound. Or you can AM (amplitude modulation) a C2 with a C1 to fake the movement of C1, getting a slight C1 feel. SORRY FOR WALL OF TEXT FOLKS

[@sheeepman]

thanks so much for this, maybe you could do a tutorial?

[@benbraceletspurple9108]

Very helpful thanks.

[@fernandojaviermanqueo5890]

A tutorial would be great 🙏🏼🙏🏼

[@ArlyExperience]

I did not find the wavetable "filtered saw" or you mean a saw

[@axelnussbaumer]

Dude, that is dope. People would kill for a video of this.

[@garrett6240]

The buzzy saw/sine sound you made in the saturation section was because when you add non-factory waveforms into Serum, for whatever reason a lot of times it chops off a little part of the first cycle, giving that cycle a buzzy sound every time it happens , hence only the first cycle having that buzz, then smoothing out in the second cycle.

[@ZIMOBASSMUSIC]

Make sure to pull down the random knob on the OSC so that the phase starts at the beginning of each midi notes. In this instance, the re-sampled wavetable phase was offset.

[@theorrymusic]

I mean you could sidechain...

[@musaire]

Yeah but you cut the sub at that place and if the cut is sharp, the sub is ruined, and if it isn't sharp you wait for the sub til next morning

[@junioresnc]

sidechain is gonna be done anyways but if you don't decide what is important in the mix it is not going to work..

[@showmethem5ney]

@@junioresnc What is Sidechain?

[@bluefire9113]

@@showmethem5ney a sound's volume ducks down when a vocal or drum is played on top of it

[@liamobrien6044]

what about sidechaining a certain frequency range with an eq?

[@allcapsbeats]

You're a great teacher man. Very informative.

[@collint7375]

My first time seeing your vids, great job!

[@buckyflex1]

Extremely informative. Essential information no matter what daw software you're running

[@MattShockley]

Do you think there should only be one instance of sub bass plugin used in a song? Or can it be used more than once? Should it only be used on kick or bass or what about master buss? What do you think they are doing on post Malone “circles” ? Only on kick or drum bus?

[@coldprojectofficial]

I don't usually comment on vids but nice one. You explained something that has been plaguing me for a while when i write a specific genre. Thanks dude.

[@Skiroy]

What about ADSR. What you want slow attack do kick punches through? And does Sub bass have short release to keep tight like a kick?

[@NinjaDeathTeddy]

Simple and effective, I like it. I think if I was going down to some of those lower 'no-go' sub frequencies for a while, I would automate those higher harmonics to be a bit louder so that even though the full punch of the sub wouldn't be there, the progression would still be audible. In music the brain fills in the gaps surprisingly often.

[@shivanshseth5334]

Please be Echo......hell yeah

[@chillpanic]

STG Music I was thinking the same thing 😂 😂 😂

[@sirloin7241]

Always first thought after clicking on ADSR videos...

[@brianjohnson9802]

I assume you produced the beat that starts at 9:21 ? The subs sound super clean and professional as hell. Do you have any vids showing your workflow from start to finish? That mix sounds really nice and it would be extremely helpful to get to see your process.

[@danielkisel5661]

Hate spring reverbs ? Try Softube one. Pan first one 100% left and other one with slightly different settings 100% to the right and you will have just great atmosphere...

[@Hexspa]

Oh ya I forgot to mention this. Spring reverbs are the shit! Guitar Rig has some sweet ones. They're great for snares when the arrangement leaves space for them to ring. They don't all 'boing' either. Very versatile sound which shouldn't be overlooked; especially if you want to lofi something.

[@rufian2630]

Softube shit is soo good!

[@nathanelias-kocivar1656]

I cringed when he said he didn't like spring reverb. Can't give away all the secrets I guess. Or maybe he was just talking about on sub bass specifically.

[@KrishnenduHari]

My sub bass creates a lot pressure to the ear. I want to reduce the pressure. How can I reduce the hardness?

[@mgmthegrand]

Tip 4. Add stereo widening to the higher frequencies of the sound.

[@ГавлицкийАндрей]

With the notes, with the sub notes you saved me. Thank you, oh really thank you

[@dayzrustream]

Thank you for pointing out that sub bass key thing. If anyone would tell me this couple years ago, I would not believe it. But all my mobile dj experience is telling that it's pretty much true.

[@michaelhausted]

Hi bro ! First, thanks for this tutorial. Second. I’ve actually struggled a lot with this subject. A lot of times I have Made a clean sub, and layer a bass on top of it to make it audioable on phones etc but I’m afraid it Can get messy layering the lowend. So - maybe this is a better Way. Would you always go for saturating the sub instead of layering it with a bass?

[@EliteMusicSM]

ADSR the best. From Guatemala

[@Keroser1983]

Thank you man, simple and to the point. I am totally amateur trance producer, actually not even close to the commercial standards but I strongly think that SUB can push to 80ish Hz. At least that is how I treat it. Other than that it is crystal clear. All the best. Thank you.

[@skygazer3696]

Hey bro, Thanks for the tutorial.. Very well explained.. Worth it!

[@SamSilk]

This is some twisted dark magic, the whole distortion thing is very well known but the way you resample the waveform in serum is some serious shit!

[@DJRAFIK]

learned something from this, but since in the context it's important: the note at 5:14 is not F# but A#. Quite high and more easily audible even without harmonics. Great video anyways

[@jacklyons6063]

If say you track was in f minor and you bass was hitting the note f would it be OK to have your sub underneath hitting the note g

[@ayMillmusic]

Your voice is so mesmerizing

[@trentmiller6123]

Please do Tips for a Perfect Sidechain!! I waste so much time A/B’ing various SC Comps against LFO Tool just trying to find the best settings on every track I do. So inefficient and there has to be an easier way to quickly dial in settings to get the bass out of the way of the kick, and do it transparently!

[@eyeiaye]

A quick sidechain tip (as a tool for your kick to cut through, not really as a heavy pumping effect) is to find the length of your kick sample in ms (most software will let you find this) and set your sidechain release to the length of the kick. Set the attack to 0 ms and turn the ratio all the way up. Then, adjust the threshold to your liking. Basically this allows you to duck whatever is being sidechained for the exact length of the kick sample to the exact volume you want it to lower to

[@calvinthomas2556]

Great video, up to you saying "I hate spring reverbs" lol.

[@Martin-vj7zx]

really really good Video. this is what i am looking for. understanding it. what is the name of the spectrum you use?

[@jamalalsenady3144]

Super helpful tips with the sub frequencies, thanks man!

[@juliang3627]

Always put reverb on ur sub

[@LuizFernando-ff4ip]

lol

[@CrimewavBeats]

Sike lol

[@markomarko9254]

And Delay :)

[@mrrafsk]

The natural harmonics are 2nd at one octave & 3rd at 1+5th of an octave. Adding saturation is a dirty way of doing this, but lacks control. If you remove the fundamental 1st harmonic you get the psycho-acoustic illusion on bass, i.e. bass on laptop speakers. Watch the philosophy of bass video on KZbin

[@JoeDillingham]

"Emotionality" is a perfectly cromulent word. Keep on using it.

[@JoeDillingham]

Also! is that Serum skin available for DL somewhere? The light mod section makes it a bit easier to read. Thanks!

[@ravenwav]

Helpful video! What are you using to record your voice, the screen and the computer audio?

[@nathanbryers]

Check out MR bills tutorial on subs with the oscilloscope 👍🏼

[@cyntelsince.8886]

that chekky little resample to oscilator B was the business my g. good trick

[@Jonoroxat]

although testing that the range from G1 range for ableton is in the 90hz range not deep enough

[@jhdrummer4815]

I would believe the optimal frequency range for sub bass as you described, but I find lot of tracks lately on EDM that go down to C0, for example check out SHM Heaven takes you home. So I’m questioning, is really that bad too go lover then E?

[@georgeg.6841]

Dont these upper harmonics muddy up other areas of the mix? I typically have two separate instruments for sub and bass. I tend to leave just a little bit of crossover frequencies around 90hz. Typically for me, above 100hz is just the bass instrument and below 70 is just the sub. I m concerned that if the sub instrument occupies frequencies above 100hz, its gonna start interfering with my bass and muddy up that area.

[@Adsrsounds]

Hey George! Yeah that can be a concern or issue, you shouldn't saturate to a point where the sound doesn't seem like sub. You know you've gone way too far if you hear a hardstyle sub hah. But the harmonics added via the saturation will usually be a little higher than just 90-100hz. I guess some people refer to this as a "exciter". Think of it kind of like a kick tick. With FF Saturn for instance, I can make a quick bit of saturation that only occurs on my attack phase of the sub bass and then tails off during the sustain. I can also pick which frequencies to apply the saturation to. That way the frequencies don't interfere with other basses like top basses. But in a song that doesn't use a top bass, like a hop hop track where it's just sub/808 and a kick, saturation can be really helpful in getting the sub to sit right in the mix.

[@avulsion3543]

They totally do.

[@georgeg.6841]

ADSR Music Production Tutorials I see, maybe just some saturation is fine then :3 . Thanks for the reply!

[@Implantedsoul]

george g. Щщщщщщ

[@DeefexNYC]

I think that's where an EQ would come in hamdy

[@Frobbl]

I am working on a song in c# but the subbass has a lot of power at around 65hz and it seems to work pretty well so I don't know about that chart you provided on which notes work in sub frequencies and which ones don't.

[@benjaminfrolich3661]

In EDM is the kick the important thing .. or the sub ?

[@biancobeats3579]

Ur tutorials are great, but your HAIR is much greater!

[@youngtoeter3290]

The song 'Take u there' by Jack u is in C .

[@Heinrich2awsome]

Is d sharp/ e flat still good?

[@TheArtinium]

In what frequency range and on what octaves is the sub-bass??? (EDM) (20-150 Hz)

[@TheMrbombastic8]

usually the frequency for low ends on EDM are 30 - 160 hz, the lowest key you might play is a E minor

[@marcobee11]

Thank you, this video helped me out 😊

[@bourianboubbov9937]

Great work dude!

[@buckyflex1]

My subwoofer box is tuned to 32hz I would say the scale is more like between 30 and 60 30 and 70hz & below that's what my high pass cut off is set at on my crossover

[@cowbless]

That's really sad to hear, that there isnt even a whole octave to work with. I suppose it's not the end of the world if you push it a bit on the high side though.. I did notice its hard to work with subs when I'm in C. Now I know why, thanks

[@108077854]

On serum with just a init sine g1 is one octave up at 98 hz but with nexus g1 is 49hz. So serum is off by 1 octave up by default? i have to shift down 1 octave to get 49hz in serum which in the piano roll is G0

[@MrLbcKid]

I was wondering the same shit. I even checked. no way its g1

[@re-birth8865]

if u are doing this does it alter the original sin wave that is the sub frequency? i heard a woofer can struggle moving sub frequencys that are not a sin

[@trevorkeller1559]

If ur saving u cant go lower then 40 hz to get a good sound How do they munipulate the sub to have a deeper/almost lower octave with the same animation of a melody with out changing the over all tone Are they running multiple midi tracks changeing the eq and saturation of the octave as the track progresses or am i missing something

[@Hexspa]

Nice. Want to add: you can definitely go outside this sub range. I know you mentioned this but Team Sleep's "Foreign Flag" is a perfect example. I think the song is in E but they hit a fat B0 during the chorus. I think B0 is about as low as you want to go but I'll agree you probably don't want to use that as a Big Room drone.

[@jojomarino7327]

I agree, if the next harmonic above the fundamental is as loud as the fundamental you can still filter everything below 30 hz and it still sounds massive. A square saw combo is my favourite waveform combo when making stuff in D for example. I agree though that when using that range, especially the higher notes, it's easier to make basslines that translate on small speakers.

[@SuperTWIY]

So whats the problem if my "sub" bass is above 62 hz?

[@Paradroidx]

do one on psytrance bass, tricky asf

[@MattVrbeta]

With adding those extra harmonics aren't you gonna be cutting those frequencies out anyhow to make room for the kick? What is this talk about a "mid sub" Could you elaborate on that as well.

[@gurindersingh7933]

how to remove initial click sound from sub bass

[@felipepina9485]

Really helpful! Thank a lot !

[@ivanlara6790]

very useful , thanks!

[@BrooseWayniac]

but what does saturation give me for a real subbass that is highcutted at 70 to 80hz... do i still got advantages of a distortion?

[@h4rdedge105]

Maaaan, thanks for your videos :) i really improved a lot

[@dennismiller4250]

alan walker faded is in f# major

[@ZajaOfficial]

Great video!! Thanks!

[@sidude8795]

Very helpful, thanks...

[@feyzorecords1913]

Great video

[@dannyd1224]

wow I didnt know you could resample post effects! thats cool!

[@Hexspa]

Serum looks so sick. I can't wait to try it. I'm still back in 2007 :(

[@anotherguy3554]

still Massive ?

[@Jupiterson]

I would separate these into two layers.. one for low and one for high, then glue them together. Just a thought.. good tutorial though.

[@benbraceletspurple9108]

Sub bass with kicks is pretty even in Trap, especially like mambo from tropkillaz. BAM OOOOO vs. Like Alone Marshmallow which is baOOOOOM baOOOOOOOOOM. or like Arby's Burial BAM oooom BAoom , BAoom BAMbooom. But again, some of the best are even kicks with subs (bam is kick boom or ooo is sub bass wuuuuuh). Like for example Monxx Paradise and some other stuff; BAM BOOOOM BAOOOM BAOOOM BAOM BAOM BAOM BAOM BAOM BAOM BOOM, BAOOOOOOM BAOOOOOM BAOOOOM ETC.. or another dubstep, Louder from flux pavilion. Just thought I'd say this.

[@bourianboubbov9937]

Simple, to the point

[@elaniamusicofficial]

very useful! thanks a lot for this video :)

[@kasoy]

whats the beat at the end ?

[@curtwaters6569]

Nice upload

[@anand10ful]

great one

[@scalop3838]

when i bounce the sub in audio file , it gives quick mid range attack sound on starting of each note although i have cut all mid & high freq. how to fix this?

[@harrysouter2304]

just swell in the sub a bit on the audio clip

[@harrysouter2304]

you probably won’t want an attack on the sub to give the kick space anyway

[@kaim3ra17]

i dont get it, so are we never supposed to make songs in the other keys in red? don't all songs require a sub? or no

[@drumboy940]

If you go too high it's gonna sound boomy and if you go too low it does not blend well. And no I don't think it's mandatory but it enhances a lot the main bass. Actually there are two kinds of subs: the subtle one layered with another bass and the main sub that is the bass of the song.

[@Meow-ew3pm]

whats the name of the outro song?

[@TheRickysee]

Will start used "saucy" as a descriptive word also.....😂 But seriously nice quick tip vid....as usual you always get it right

[@didzisberzins1221]

So if my fundamental is a D I'm pretty much screwed?

[@TheSadMusician]

No the bass still good Sounds pretty weird but as long as it sounds good for you don't worry about it :3

[@theorrymusic]

Always have your sub in the same key of your track. It sounds off putting to other producers trained ears and regular listeners

[@macrondo5852]

You know what they say, only tracks in G# make hits. Duh.

[@saledellaterra]

Can I blend a true bass-guitar sound and a sub bass? 🤔

[@die.go.die.go.die.go.die.go99]

Yes

[@ALLiTiZ]

Damn that worked! Thank you!

[@EmeraldPixelGamingEPG]

Sub Bass = 32Hz highest. So low enough to not tell what the note is but to feel a rumble and hear a noise

[@nisheshthapa1]

link of app

[@deadlinkofficialartst5592]

i do D# Note

[@ifthebeltiscrackedor]

THX!!!!!!!

[@harijariwala7472]

this is magic!!!

[@Adsrsounds]

😎

[@TheRickysee]

I'm considering emotionality a word. From here on

[@Hexspa]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emotionality

[@grannypotproduction]

Kool bro thank yu

[@daemoniumvenator4155]

Mood... is the word your looking for

[@druwzzz4383]

how to design serum to echosoundwork?

[@Adsrsounds]

www.adsrsounds.com/product/courses/xfer-records-serum-bible/

[@fatcabin]

hey

[@NickGveles]

Well that makes sense :)) thx

[@vand3st20]

Tips 2 in French plz

[@amenist]

6:18 pirates of the carribean lmao

[@bigmoomusic]

tip 4: buy a subpac

[@Hexspa]

ugh I want

[@1lxu]

=]]]

[@siabumarundi4088]

BIGMOO I’ve got tons of samples, but as the goal of being an “artist“ becomes more and more important to me, using a sample in place of something I could’ve very easily create myself is becoming less ideal

[@joybeats2425]

i dont think he meant samples he meant that backpack with a subwoofer like speaker so you can test how your sub sounds and feels mimicking a cars speakers

[@Jonoroxat]

can confirm

[@steviemightdoit]

thank you chris from prank invasion

[@nicolaypimentalima7232]

Can you recreate a bass like the one in Ella Mai - Breakfast in bed?

[@JoeyAndersonMusicProducer]

Oh and I must say that I am in no way taking away from this being a good mix tutorial. It's a great one. I just commented hoping to inspirrore "Billie Jeans" instead of "Closers".

[@Adsrsounds]

Haha I love Closer! But billie jean is an all time favorite. And no I didn't know they settled on the 2nd mix, that's crazy! But I guess there's something to learn from that as well

[@cortnysellers]

I'd say B0 is as low as you can go

[@nathanwasnthere]

sidechain

[@PaulEubanks]

Could not disagree more about saturation on subs. Clean sine wave fundamental w/o saturation is how to keep a clear low end. Maybe you can add an additional 1-2 harmonics above fundamental and get away with it, but generally adding fuzz to your low end is a sure fire way to cloud it up and make your mix sound muddy very fast. And in fact with Serum you can disable both oscillators A&B and just use the sub-oscillator for the cleanest sounding low end. You can layer a bass on top of it for movement around the low end, but you don't want to do this with your sub-bass. Make sure you meter your subs to make sure that wave form isn't dancing all around, should just be a solid hump with no movement.