Writing The Brostep Bassline?

[Burgeamon]

Group all your basses together and multiband compress / limit them so they are all the same level then side chain it to your kick / snare with a super fast attack and quick release (just enough so the initial transient hits through) then you shouldn't have much of a problem. Add a sub that slightly ducks the kick and it keeps it pretty simple.

[Tiger Blood]

Group all your basses together and multiband compress / limit them so they are all the same level then side chain it to your kick / snare with a super fast attack and quick release (just enough so the initial transient hits through) then you shouldn't have much of a problem. Add a sub that slightly ducks the kick and it keeps it pretty simple.

will give that a try as well, thanks for all your help, you should finish that track!

is there any method behind picking the sounds them before you do that gel process above? or as long as they are all in key and follow the basic bassline length and notes...

[Burgeamon]

I start at the beginning of the bar, the first sound is almost always a prolonged bass sound maybe with a pitch bend. Then after that I'll add something with an LFO / Performer to give it some rhythm. That basically how I start and I'll carry on from there alternative longer bass sounds with LFOs.

Keep it simple to start with and you'll soon find yourself chopping between sounds a little quicker.

[Tiger Blood]

I start at the beginning of the bar, the first sound is almost always a prolonged bass sound maybe with a pitch bend. Then after that I'll add something with an LFO / Performer to give it some rhythm. That basically how I start and I'll carry on from there alternative longer bass sounds with LFOs.

Keep it simple to start with and you'll soon find yourself chopping between sounds a little quicker.

right ill try all this a bit later and post back a result hopefully. thanks!

[Tiger Blood]

had a quick so at this method, however i think the loop may have been to basic just ending up with my creating the problem i always have of just heres a sound, heres another, and another etc

Heres the original loop followed by my switched out version

Soundcloud

[Dustwyrm]

Just know where you're end goal is man. Loops and stuff like that taught me sooooo much about bassline structure so don't feel guilty about using them so long as in time you're bring in your own sounds, learning synthesis and making it your own.

Not to derail the thread, but seeing all this talk about loop packs -- Can anyone point me in the right direction on where I can acquire loop packs. I use FL.

Thanks

[Tiger Blood]

Just know where you're end goal is man. Loops and stuff like that taught me sooooo much about bassline structure so don't feel guilty about using them so long as in time you're bring in your own sounds, learning synthesis and making it your own.

Not to derail the thread, but seeing all this talk about loop packs -- Can anyone point me in the right direction on where I can acquire loop packs. I use FL.

Thanks

vengeance and loop masters are all you will ever need, but as i say i feel like im cheating when i use them.

back OT!

[Huts]

had a quick so at this method, however i think the loop may have been to basic just ending up with my creating the problem i always have of just heres a sound, heres another, and another etc

Heres the original loop followed by my switched out version

Soundcloud

I feel like you're trying to fit too much into each drop. Rather than taking 4 of your favorite sounds that might not mesh well with each other, pick 1 bass patch and slightly alter it to get the other sounds. Maybe the first hit (A) uses a sine as the LFO wave. While the next hit (B) uses a different wave for OSC 1, and a triangle for it's LFO etc etc. I also think space is just as important as the bass sounds, leaving a bit of dead air in between hits can do wonders as opposed to 16bars of constant slamming of sounds. This isn't dubstep, but check out the first 20mins of this video as he does exactly what you're looking for.

[Tiger Blood]

had a quick so at this method, however i think the loop may have been to basic just ending up with my creating the problem i always have of just heres a sound, heres another, and another etc

Heres the original loop followed by my switched out version

Soundcloud

I feel like you're trying to fit too much into each drop. Rather than taking 4 of your favorite sounds that might not mesh well with each other, pick 1 bass patch and slightly alter it to get the other sounds. Maybe the first hit (A) uses a sine as the LFO wave. While the next hit (B) uses a different wave for OSC 1, and a triangle for it's LFO etc etc. I also think space is just as important as the bass sounds, leaving a bit of dead air in between hits can do wonders as opposed to 16bars of constant slamming of sounds. This isn't dubstep, but check out the first 20mins of this video as he does exactly what you're looking for.

watching now. its weird at the beginning i thought what he was making was awful so skipped to the end to see how it sounded and realised theres a whole other section after the drums where he makes it sound good, I can do his part A of the synth any day but his drums added a lot as did his additional processing after the drums.

[deadly_habit]

the best advice i can give you is come up with a catchy melody first before engineering your sound
knowing how to make those brostep synths is only half the battle

[Tiger Blood]

the best advice i can give you is come up with a catchy melody first before engineering your sound
knowing how to make those brostep synths is only half the battle

by catchy melody you mean something that sounds good to listen to just as a sine/saw patch? for a melody outside the drops or the bassline itself?

[deadly_habit]

indead
a drop can be a bar of silence (actually that works well)
i used to love doing change ups from light intro to hard basslines for dancey stuff (ie light garagey intro to a "brutal" drop)
when you catch the listener off guard you get them to pay more attention
and brostep is just dancey stuff, albeit with a shorter shelf life

[Tiger Blood]

indead
a drop can be a bar of silence (actually that works well)
i used to love doing change ups from light intro to hard basslines for dancey stuff (ie light garagey intro to a "brutal" drop)
when you catch the listener off guard you get them to pay more attention
and brostep is just dancey stuff, albeit with a shorter shelf life

yea i like to contrast dancy synth pads with harder drops. however when i listen to like doctor p or zomboy who use the dancy synths for their break phrases and intros their drops are chaotic and dont seem to have a melody or anything? thats my issue trying to recreate!

[deadly_habit]

but how long do you remember their old tunes? is what you should be asking
like i still remember the first caspa and rusko plates i heard and that should be what you strive for
hell i still hear datsik nuke em as my godsend tune from him

[Huts]

but how long do you remember their old tunes? is what you should be asking
like i still remember the first caspa and rusko plates i heard and that should be what you strive for
hell i still hear datsik nuke em as my godsend tune from him

I think as unfortunate as this is, you're going way beyond the scope of what producers making this sound are after and what the listeners of this sound are eating up atm.

To try and not derail another thread I think it's been said a lot but try and figure out your melody first, then change up the sounds until you get what you're after. First things I load up when I start a tune is a piano, sub, and reece(saw works) to figure out where my bass, mids, and melodies are going to be playing before I change it all up.

[deadly_habit]

i think the "brostep" comp shows how much a pain it is
limited timeline wise most people didn't resample or add the fx like most "bro" producers do
even the good tunes in the comp are lacking in an aspect be it drums or mixdown

[Tiger Blood]

but how long do you remember their old tunes? is what you should be asking
like i still remember the first caspa and rusko plates i heard and that should be what you strive for
hell i still hear datsik nuke em as my godsend tune from him

well i listen to them nearly every day so i remember them well. the first ever dubstep tracks i heard were tek one, flux, doctor p etc, coming over from metal music to EDM they are the tracks that ill always remember, weather or not people hate them or not.

i didnt really like nuke em :p

[deadly_habit]

i came from a punk/meal backround, but vex'd was my ideal
i hated dubstep till i heard angels
my main point is most bro stuff is good for a shelflife of a couple monthes, but listen to say downlink or reso and they make timeless tunes

[Tiger Blood]

i came from a punk/meal backround, but vex'd was my ideal
i hated dubstep till i heard angels
my main point is most bro stuff is good for a shelflife of a couple monthes, but listen to say downlink or reso and they make timeless tunes

downlink was also one of my first dubstep artists, basically i got the bring me the horizon remix CD with all the EDM on it and now all i listen to is EDM.

But yea i love the Bro tracks with the simple melodies, stuff like mojo - circus and any flux track will just pop in and out of my head at random points ina day where as the deeper stuff this form loves all sounds the same to me (prepare to be flamed huh) so its more a case of making what i like rather than a shelf life of something, i do it for me not for other people.

[deadly_habit]

i used to love making it, hell the label that owes me money (shift) used to be at the forefront of us dancefloor stuff
was so fun making this

pre the whole bassline workouts