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There's this one bass sound I cannot get my head around. It's so simple I bet. It's usually placed at the end of a bar or the beginning of a bar.

Here's an example at 2:53:




Its the very first synth you hear after the snare/tom breakdown before the drop It's very subtle in this song and happens about 5-6 times in the first few bar of the drop. I hear it in a lot of other producer's Electro house as well

On my lappy speakers it kinda sounds like a straight up saw with some pitch mod

smile wrote:On my lappy speakers it kinda sounds like a straight up saw with some pitch mod

Yeah you'd hear it better with some speakers with bass like a subwoofer or something

Just listened to it with headphones and I think I'm gonna stick to my guns here. If you listen to the first downbeat you can tell it's a saw being pitched down. The sound that quickly follows kinda goes back up in pitch, but most of that sound comes from a highly resonant (i can't distinguish fundamental over this) LPF "up-sweep" .

I could be wrong on this I haven't really tried it.

I think you answered your own question by mentioning you need to hear it on a sub.

Also the top/mid end of it is definitely a saw. Most definitely.

PillowFight wrote:I think you answered your own question by mentioning you need to hear it on a sub.

Also the top/mid end of it is definitely a saw. Most definitely.

I agree about the saw part I can hear that but I just can't seem to synthesize this bass. Could you or anyone else upload a sample? I'm trying whats been posted.

dotcurrency wrote:

PillowFight wrote:I think you answered your own question by mentioning you need to hear it on a sub.

Also the top/mid end of it is definitely a saw. Most definitely.

I agree about the saw part I can hear that but I just can't seem to synthesize this bass. Could you or anyone else upload a sample? I'm trying whats been posted.

If you can't synthesize a saw wave with a pitch drop and layer it with a sub bass, then there's really not much anyone can do for you

PillowFight wrote:

dotcurrency wrote:

PillowFight wrote:I think you answered your own question by mentioning you need to hear it on a sub.

Also the top/mid end of it is definitely a saw. Most definitely.

I agree about the saw part I can hear that but I just can't seem to synthesize this bass. Could you or anyone else upload a sample? I'm trying whats been posted.

If you can't synthesize a saw wave with a pitch drop and layer it with a sub bass, then there's really not much anyone can do for you

I mean, I did that, it sounds like shit. It doesnt sound remotely like it. I've added dimension expansion, a little c-tube to make it grittier, a little sine shaping. Still sounds nothing like it. I mean nothing like it.

Isn't it just a supersaw and a saturated/crushed kick?

When I try to make it it sounds too plastic-like if that makes any since.

use many voices for a supersaw and detune it. using more than one saw / saw-like waveform (if you're using massive) at different octaves will help. I can hear it just fine on a laptop speaker and it sounds like a supersaw. I usually put an envelope on the cutoff filter (high sustain). not sure if that's absolutely necessary, but that's the way I've always done it.

mthrfnk wrote:Isn't it just a supersaw and a saturated/crushed kick?

dubunked wrote:use many voices for a supersaw and detune it. using more than one saw / saw-like waveform (if you're using massive) at different octaves will help

I dont think you guys are talking about the right sound. Not the leadish sounding synth thats played the entire drop, but the small bass one that's played when the supersaw lead stops in between chords

dotcurrency wrote:

mthrfnk wrote:Isn't it just a supersaw and a saturated/crushed kick?

dubunked wrote:use many voices for a supersaw and detune it. using more than one saw / saw-like waveform (if you're using massive) at different octaves will help

I dont think you guys are talking about the right sound. Not the leadish sounding synth thats played the entire drop, but the small bass one that's played when the supersaw lead stops in between chords

I wasn't sure which sound you meant tbh. If its the bass before the drop, I though it was some form of saturated kick. Between the supersaw chords on the drop the bass to me sounds like a compressed & distorted saw (or again maybe a crushed 808), with the mids EQ'd out with a mild tape-stop effect on to get that "whomp" sounding tail.

yeah I was talking about the bass sound, not the lead. its definitely saws / saw-like waveforms (again, if you're using massive, which you probably are) in my opinion. i can hear it fine on my laptop because I'm looking for it, but it is kinda subtle in the mix so I can see why some might miss it.

at first I thought it was two notes with some portamento, but I listened with my external speakers with a subwoofer and mthrfnk is right about the kick. the kick that occurs right before the saws sounds like it's a part of the sound but after listening on the speakers, I'd say they are definitely separate sounds. the saws are just one note. not too difficult to create I'd imagine.

dubunked wrote:yeah I was talking about the bass sound, not the lead. its definitely saws / saw-like waveforms (again, if you're using massive, which you probably are) in my opinion. i can hear it fine on my laptop because I'm looking for it, but it is kinda subtle in the mix so I can see why some might miss it.

at first I thought it was two notes with some portamento, but I listened with my external speakers with a subwoofer and mthrfnk is right about the kick. the kick that occurs right before the saws sounds like it's a part of the sound but after listening on the speakers, I'd say they are definitely separate sounds. the saws are just one note. not too difficult to create I'd imagine.

mthrfnk wrote: I wasn't sure which sound you meant tbh. If its the bass before the drop, I though it was some form of saturated kick. Between the supersaw chords on the drop the bass to me sounds like a compressed & distorted saw (or again maybe a crushed 808), with the mids EQ'd out with a mild tape-stop effect on to get that "whomp" sounding tail.

Thank you both, once again, I'm going to give it another go asap

use any waveform then crank up the res high on a lp filter (or scream filter if you use massive)
next pitch bend down half way through the sound (like a vinyl stop)
now put on a bunch of distortion and EQ before (to boost whatever frequencies you want to overdrive) and EQ after to clean it up.
lastly sweep a low pass filter from full at the start, to minimum at the end of the bass and it should sound exactly like this, if it doesn't sound quite there then keep changing the waveform or keep tweaking the distortion and EQ.

sunny_b_uk wrote:use any waveform then crank up the res high on a lp filter (or scream filter if you use massive)
next pitch bend down half way through the sound (like a vinyl stop)
now put on a bunch of distortion and EQ before (to boost whatever frequencies you want to overdrive) and EQ after to clean it up.
lastly sweep a low pass filter from full at the start, to minimum at the end of the bass and it should sound exactly like this, if it doesn't sound quite there then keep changing the waveform or keep tweaking the distortion and EQ.

I understand what youre saying, but I still cannot get this damn sound!!!!!

Here's one more example (The video starts right at the drop where the little tape stop thing is):
http://youtu.be/I_Gxpe8YhGY?t=3m25s

Every time I try to make it using what you guys posted, it sounds like a lazer zap, even when I try to slow the pitch bend down.

Your link isn't working. I honestly don't think you need any pitch bend...

dubunked wrote:Your link isn't working. I honestly don't think you need any pitch bend...

I think it didnt work because I linked the video to a specific time. I think this example is much more clearer since theres less going on around the sound when it happens.
http://youtu.be/I_Gxpe8YhGY?t=3m25s

I too wanted to reproduce this sound, but learned the hard way that Massive, that primitive, cliched synth, cannot get even close to it. That's when I discovered Ham VST. It was basically made for these type of sounds.

If you check it out, don't forget to download the electro-house essentials expansion pack -- you'll find this bass under BS Streaky Loin. Just be sure to turn up the resonance and do a low pass to taste. Also, don't be scared to turn up the Baconator level -- it gives it that smokey sound.