Fake Blood Style Basslines

[snowmonkey]

Hi chaps, my first post here and I'm straight in for the kill!

Hope someone can help, I have been trying (pretty unsuccesfully) to recreate a Fake Blood type bass sound using the ableton synths. Has anyone ever tried/or got close to this sort of sound? If so, I don't suppose you fancy posting a step by step guide

Let me know if you'd like me to post a link to one of his songs.

Thanks in advance,

Ed

[SimonPHC]

If you're talking about the kind of bass line that kicks in at 1:20 after the first break in the track Mars then yes that is done very easily with Ableton instruments like Analog or Operator. You might be disappointed about the result from the synth by itself, but these kind of productions take a fair amount of extra effects like EQ and distortions, plus on that bass line in that particular track Mars there is also a really noticeable reverb on the high end of the spectrum. So yes it can be done in Ableton alone.

[snowmonkey]

That is exactly the sort of thing I am looking for. And also the gritty baseline in The Dozens.

I can't work out which of the presets I should use as a starting point.

Thanks in advance...

[sweetjesus]

You need too much modulation for Ableton synths to do it alone.

Usually there's a modulation on the pich envelope, the waveform and filter.

run it all through a nice phaser + distortion and you will be on your way. But Operator an Analogue don't have enough modulation points unless you get into clip envelopes to get the same results as my way of trying to mimic those sounds.

I find Massive to be rad for this kind of thing. A friend of mine prefers Sylenth. Either will do.

[SimonPHC]

...using the ableton synths.

...Massive... ...Sylenth. Either will do.

Not an answer to the question.

Knocked THIS up in a few minutes, on shit headphones, just to show that is possible. Imagine what you can do with this with more attention and an actual tune with more going on...

Check it out how it works and tweak away...

[Able Danger]

I'm not trying to be rude Simon, but you just can't get the same sound with Operator. Close enough is not always good enough.

You need a second LFO and an envelope on the LFO speed to get that springy feel.

Here's what I knocked up in a few minutes too, using Massive. I tried messing with your patch. Great tone you got, but it's not going to be simple to get what makes that bass sound so unique.

http://www.sendspace.com/file/22i9ds

[#1thelark]

Sounds good. Can you post a screenshot of that Massivepatch or tell me your Massive parameters? Thanks.

[timothyallan]

I'm just waiting for my serial for Massive. Totally going to make nothing but dubstep when I get it!

[#1thelark]

This video is really helpful for Massive:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68XsaetCbBI

[MPGK]

Obvious: don't forget sidechaining.

[snowmonkey]

Simon, thanks a lot and good work. That is exactly what I was hoping for - an example which I can play around with and see how/why it makes the sound it does.

One silly Noob question - what is controlling the fine control up & down on Osc A? I'm assuming it is that which casues the pitch to rise and fall.

When I see things like this, it makes me realise how little I know about making synth sounds. Fun to learn though

And Able Danger, that also sounds wicked, but I am concentrating on getting my head around Ableton at the moment. Don't want to muddy the waters with other synths! I'm a bloke, can't multitask

[snowmonkey]

Ah ignore my last question - I discovered how you can add modulation control over the midi pattern.

Really useful synth, thanks again.

[SimonPHC]

I'm not trying to be rude Simon, but you just can't get the same sound with Operator. Close enough is not always good enough.

Well, if that is what snowmonkey asks for then it is. And I helped him figure out how Clip Envelopes work! All this adds up to knowledge to create his own tone in the future.

Snowmonkey, there are several kinds of great tutorials to learn how to make synths sounds, one that comes to mind to learn more about how that stuff works is the Synth Secrets series on the Sound On Sound website. Have fun and learn the rules to start breaking them.