Ableton Forum

Hi I’m Ellis. I’m new to Ableton, I bought it about a week ago and have been getting used to the interface and have done most of the inbuilt lessons.

I am wanting to Produce UK Garage, 4X4, Bassline type music. I have made a few beats. I have also played around with a lot of the instruments but I don’t have a clue how to produce the right bass . The sound i am looking for is a wibbly wobbly (niche) kind of sound, like you hear on many 4x4 or Baseline tracks.

I would be extremely grateful if you could post a tutorial or some tips on how to make this kind of sound.

Here are a few examples of the kind of sounds i am trying to Produce. Listen out for the bass lines. Thank you

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KT37ksXB ... re=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOY26hNTVU0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSTeJTVmbUs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmBSLNO6geM

Once again, thank you

well I assume you mean the woap woap sound bass noise as opposed to the two or three other bass sounds going on in those tunes.

anyway its all about mapping the lowpass filter of the synth to an envelope, so that when you trigger the note, the filter opens up, allowing the higher frequencies of the synth to pass through, making that 'bwoap' sound.

set the filter cutoff to a low point, so that when you play the synth it has the 'sub bass only' sound you;re looking for at the initial stage of the bwoap.

assign the filter cutoff to an envelope. how to do this will depend on the synth you;re using... (which synth ARE you using?) you should be able to figure it out. it'll be in the routing section if there is one. if there are more simple envelopes with just attack and decay, rather than ones with hold, sustain and release as well, i would recommend using those more simple ones.

when you hit the note, you'll want the filter to open up to a certain extent over a certain amount of time... these amounts are obviously artistic decisions but the time of the attack is what will dictate how long it will take for the filter to open up and obviously dependent on the tempo of the tune. the amount it opens up will depend on the intensity you set when you map filter > envelope. usually reading something like 0 (no intensity) to +1 (max intensity, positive polarity) or -1 (max intensity, neg polarity) all that means is that if its on +1, the filter will OPEN with the attack phase of the envelope and then CLOSE with the decay... whereas -1 will CLOSE with the attack phase and OPEN with the decay.

thing is though is that when the attack phase is over, the decay phase kicks in and your filter will start to close again as long as the note is still being played, so you want to make sure that either the attack phase is long enough so that the note length isn't long enough to reach the end of the attack phase, OR that the decay phase is very long (or set sustain to maximum) so that the filter doesn't start to close again. you'll also want to make sure that the volume envelope for the synth has a very fast release time, which means that when you stop playing the note, the volume drops off rapidly instead of dribbling away.

makes sense? welcome to the world of synth programming.

Thank you so very much for your rebly but there is just a few things i need to know.

1. I dont know how to change or set the filter cutoff (please tell me/explain).

2. What do you mean by "what synth am i using" (is it a MIDI device) and please can you tell me a sutable one to use.

3. What is that envalope thing and how do you do it.

Thank you

fuck outta here. Kids like you destroying music.

http://www.mashit.com/2007/10/27/tutori ... -research/

http://www.google.com/search?client=saf ... 8&oe=UTF-8

Start with reason or some shit.

keagan wrote:fuck outta here. Kids like you creating music.

Fixed that for you, keagan...

Start with reason or some shit.

Live is good place to start for all kinds of music.

keagan wrote:fuck outta here. Kids like you destroying music.

http://www.mashit.com/2007/10/27/tutori ... -research/

http://www.google.com/search?client=saf ... 8&oe=UTF-8

Start with reason or some shit.

I hope thats a joke mate.

I would also recommend doubling the bassline. One bassline should be doing the LFO-synced filter wub, and a sub should be doing the basic notes. Any Freeware substractive synth should be able to do this. I would recommend getting one with a syncable LFO, though. Good luck, bro.

I love this stuff too, The basses that get used a lot are based around a square wave, it sounds hollow compared to a sine or sawtooth wave. Do you have operator as part of your live install (it's one of the ableton virtual instruments)?

Another thing that is popular in this field is heavy pitch modulation on the final note of a run, I think that might be the wobble you're talking about. Sub basses and portemento also feature heavily.

Get in touch if you want to trade more tips. M J Cole is my favorite producer:D

Be sincere, don't do it. I'm crazy.

You should definately get the latest copy of Computer Music, it has a 50min tutorial video with Agent X who I remember from my garage days.

Very very useful video and great magazine to boot.

£5.99 very well spent.

J

mrjameskent wrote:You should definately get the latest copy of Computer Music, it has a 50min tutorial video with Agent X who I remember from my garage days.

Very very useful video and great magazine to boot.

£5.99 very well spent.

J

Dare I say ... Word!

CM is a great magazine with superb tutorials, tips and hints as well as the usual reviews and all sorts of goodies. I use some of their synths in my music, notably Dominator and ZebraCM, both excellent value for money

Will be watching said video later this evening

I've watched the Agent X vid & its a good one, I agree with moon@skewer Dominator & Zebra CM are very good VSTi, and they will only cost you the price of computer music magazine, as it comes with a cover DVD that has a folder full of VST & VSTi (amongst other informative bits & bobs).

Have a read up on what VST & VSTi are, and what they do.

Yes, a Synth is a MIDI device that you would use on a Midi track in Live.

Read up as much as you can, do as many tutorials as you can and you will be well on your way!!

I'd subscribe to the Computer Music Specials as well, they have helped me in the past.

I sent them a thank you email for the ZebraCM and it got published right next to a pic of Goldie Lookin Chain! I knew my arse kissing would pay off!!!

Hoover bass. Look up a quick tutorial. Live is a perfect platform for all creations. No need to go anywhere else if you don't already use something.

also....you could always take the easy way out, and buy NATIVE INSTRUMENT's MASSIVE. there are some bass sounds, along the lines of what you are looking for, on that vst.

Congrats. You've bumped a five year old thread.