phat bass .. ?

Tips, hints, help, tech support, setups, systems and all things related to making phat beats. Post your latest production for all to hear & review. Or quiz the resident nerds about that tech problem you just can't figure out.
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ukime
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phat bass .. ?

Post by ukime »

I've got most of my drum loops sorted out, starting to bring in some synths and some samples ... just having problems making decent, full-sounding/phat bass. Any tips/tutes on making effective, phat bass?
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lynt
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Post by lynt »

start with a good sample or pad.

with all sounds, no point using something that sounds shit to begin with, or you'll be pushing shit up hill the whole time.

what synths are you currently using?
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Spherix
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Post by Spherix »

sine wave oscillator -> lowpass

or make a reece and lowpass that then compress the bejesus outta it
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Shadowgames
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Post by Shadowgames »

yeah what shperix said.

It's all about over driving / distorting your bass, then using a LPF to leave you with a fat sub. Using your synth of choice (with 2 or more ocsilators), dial up a sine on both, and de-tune one slightly. This should make is pulse a little depending on how much you de-tune them. Then distort or what ever you fancy, and filter. Compress to hell and then you have one hell of a fat sub bass.

Try layering your sub with a HPF version of your bass for more controll over the sound.

Hope that helps.
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Post by quick »

lol... shperix... :lol:
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jules
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Post by jules »

shadowgames, Try layering your sub with a HPF version of your bass for more controll over the sound. one of my favourites.

Also try using more than one filter and lfo. dual filtered bass are down right nasty. Like say using a bandpass lfo on the original sound and running it through a highpass filter w/lfo with some sort of erosion or distorion between the 2 to dirty things up. i was using ableton simpler to do bass un saft.
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a1studmuffin
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Post by a1studmuffin »

Out of interest what software are you guys using to do most of your synth stuff in? (I've been using Ableton Live, Absynth and Battery.)
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Spherix
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Post by Spherix »

dual or quad filters re the way

no LFO tho
drawing the modulation is where the evil lies
LFO is too predictable
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lynt
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Post by lynt »

Great tips here guys!

:smt023
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ukime
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Post by ukime »

I've been using Ableton mostly, trying to figure it out on my own - just trying Absynth atm and the synths in Reason 2.

Thanks for the info guys, it's helped a heap - still fumbling through though ;)
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jules
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Post by jules »

dont under estimate the simpla ( and your collection of sounds - hollowsun.com is a good starter.). instant multi's. i got a fat sound last night running it through some overdrive and morley bad horsey stomp boxes. perfect for dirtying it up plus you can still use your hands.
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Motive
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Post by Motive »

i think the question is how to make full bass right? not about filters, bandpass - it all sounds to complicated. I'm with Lynt, use a good sample. the 808 bass sample is about as simple, fat and full as you can get. forget about compression and filtering and all that. the ol' 808 gets used all the time still, from to Klute to Calibre to Lil'Jon ;].
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Post by Spherix »

yeah the 808 works but its just lolz
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Motive
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Post by Motive »

the benefit of the 808 is that it is a benchmark - so if you are making your own subs or using other sub samples you can compare it back to the 808 to see how they measure up
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Post by Spherix »

or you can use paz analyser plugin to see what freqs you are rocking
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Post by Motive »

analyser
:lol:
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Post by Livewire »

ok my 2 cents

there are a shitload of ways to make a phat bassline. sub frequencies are essential and sometimes using a solid sub sample (like the 808) is good, other times creating that sub sample from a more full frequency sample and filtering it down is good. depends on where your track is going. personally i rekon a PHAT bass sound is one that has a clear defined subline combined with rounded low-mid/low (and sometimes resonant) frequencies. the kinda bass that sounds good on smaller speakers and completely kills it on a big system. then of course you can use that same bass and fuck with it however to give it mids and start layering or put a completely new sound over it.....whatever....its completely up to your imagination. the key is to define where each layer sits in its own frequency group. sub - low - low mid - mid - high, and dont let them overlap too much cause you'll get phasing , rumble and other fucked shit. But then again sometimes by experimenting you can come across some mad new sound. All i gotta say tho is don't get to carried away with this, experiment a bit but then visualise what you gonna do and just do it. otherwise ur not gonna finish ur tune.

one other thing.....what AI have been doing with their bass notes recently is pretty fuckin crazy. correct me if i'm wrong but i think they are pitching two notes differently together to create a mad resonant frequency that is like a wall of low-mid to sub bass. thats what i mean by using your imagination and pushing the boundaries of phat bass sounds

anyway i've rambled enough shit now....but ive got my mate to upload some really basic yet essentail sub samples for ya (and anyone else that wants em)

peace out.....and enjoy

http://www.designaudio.net.au/samples.html
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Spherix
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Post by Spherix »

agreed, try something different, ive always thought drum and bass was about evolution, not doing the same old shit
Last edited by Spherix on Sat Mar 19, 2005 10:54 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Spherix »

Motive wrote:analyser
:lol:
huhuhuhuhuhu huhuhuhuhuuhuhuhuh uhuhuuhuhuhuhu huhuhu he said anal
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Post by Motive »

thought you'd like that one spherix ;]
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Post by Spherix »

im only human
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Post by Livewire »

--------ediited
Last edited by Livewire on Sun Mar 20, 2005 3:10 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Post by Livewire »

the bass is the're to be killed
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Post by Spherix »

lardamercay
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jules
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Post by jules »

i sure we all have our very own defenition of what fat is. i can fart into a mic and make a phat bass sound. so dont tell me not to confuse you with filters and such. cause there the tools of the trade nigga.
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Post by Motive »

^^woah. dude.
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Post by Spherix »

heavy...
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Post by Direkt »

jules wrote:i sure we all have our very own defenition of what fat is. i can fart into a mic and make a phat bass sound. so dont tell me not to confuse you with filters and such. cause there the tools of the trade nigga.
now thats what im talkin' bout...

FART BASS


Bass you can hear and smell...

:shock:
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jules
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Post by jules »

snarl.. sorry..
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