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Hey guys, I have always used massive for my sub bass, set to 100% sine. Recently I read something saying that massive even set to 100% sine still has some coloration. I was wondering what synths do you guys use for your sub basses? I'm sure massive is fine but I was wondering if there was anything that was better for sure? I just want the most powerful sub bass I can get without being muddy.

Also what note range do you guys use for ur sub bass lines? I realized in some of my earlier tunes that i was just kind of using random notes and just low-passing it. The frequencys were still in the right range from the filtering but the notes i was playing weren't naturally peaking in the 30-80hz range, resulting in weak bass, if that makes any sense.

3xosc for fl, not sure what you're using.
I'm not sure about the massive thing though. I know that when I've set it to 100% sine the display that shows waveforms in fl looked like a 100% sine to me, so if it does color it some it's barely anything at all.

Ah ok, I'm using ableton live8. I own komplete 7 so I have fm8 absynth reaktor and I also bought razor. I also have albino 3 which I know a lot of people use but I don't use too often.

What are some common specific notes that are played for power in the sub-bass region?

C3.

below C3

vulvavibration wrote:below C3

depends on what octs the synth is set too XD

c8 is the secret sweet spot for sub bass.....

..in all seriousness, if you cant be bother tweak anything and just want pure sub. This was alright and free.

subfreak
http://www.delamancha.co.uk/freeware.htm


If your playing alot of short notes you may want to bring the "release" down abit.

nothing wrong with a bit of colouration

Subs are generally sine waves. You can use other wave forms but they lack punch as a result. ANY synth can create a sub - just add a sine wave and move it to octave 0. Add a little distortion with overdrive or something if you want to bring it forward, just remember it'll lose punch.

Fbac wrote:subfreak
http://www.delamancha.co.uk/freeware.htm

Never got on with that. I found it glitchy as hell, one of the only VSTs I've ever had problems running in FL8.

I love that colouration, it can really make sub sound much juicer than otherwise (unless you have a club soundsytem at home, which I'm presuming you don't!)

It's already been said but I'd like to reiterate it. ANY synth can make a sub bass as long as it has a sine wave. As far as that goes, a sine wave is a sine wave is a sine wave. A lot of my subs I just use the 3xOSC in FL. No reason for me to really look elsewhere for that.

If you want more than just a sine wave, say maybe you want to go the route of using a square wave and distorting it and then lowpassing to drive out the higher frequencies, I would suggest something like FM8 or Massive. At least if you are someone who likes having all that available in one synth. Some people don't like the sound of the seperate distortion plugins or lack the funds to purchase the nicer ones. So in those cases it might be nice to have something like massive, and if you own it you myswell use it. But for the most part, there's really nothing special or complicated about creating a sub bass, so you're good with whichever synth you decide to use.

sub basses are sine-alike. (not pure sine, don't confuse.)
when ur bass is only sine - you filter out the fun. that "Coloration" is what you missing.

Drop the sine, take a saw:
most of the energy is the fundamental harmony. what you did is sub bass with just a single harmony (sine)
its simple, the ear doesn't like it.

So there are 2 ways to spice your sub.
1. create sinus one (like you do) and add some harmonies via distortion / shaper (be gentle)
2. create saw one (like you do not) and filter the hell out of it so you can hear almost only the fundamental.

It makes it fat, it makes it nice, cause every testicle needs some hair.
but the most important rule of all. Waves Rbass as an insert.
tips:
stop the keytracing of the filter. keep at low resonance, put the Rbass and lower the cutoff till its nice.
same approach made me to the sub on the signature track. (you can hear at the beginning)

that's foolish advice imo

Sorry, testicles run faster without hair.

... make your point.

when you color a sub, you're not really coloring the sub. you're just adding something on top of it, while weakening it.
if you want the same effect but without weakening the sub, just clone the pure sine, add some distortion, and then high pass it.

the one with a sine wave on it

I usually make my sub in the same synth I make my lead in, if its a synthy tune
Makes it really easy to have automation / LFOs / envelopes on sub and lead/midrange doing the same thing

kundara wrote:Sorry, testicles run faster without hair.

... make your point.

my point is mainly that plugins like Rbass would ruin a sub. And saw wave sub would leave much to be desired on a real system. your methods are fine for bass, but not sub.
Also Rbass doesn't have a "cutoff" it has a center frequency, intensity, and gain control.
high pass whatever you're doing on the bass, and layer with a real sub bass.. the difference on a good sound system will be pleasing

sampler armed with a slightly tape saturated 808 > pure sine.