Serum is the most popular wavetable synthesiser in bass music production. But knowing how to use it and actually getting great bass sounds out of it are two different things. After years of designing presets and producing bass music, here are my 10 essential tips for getting better bass sounds in Serum.
1. Use FM Synthesis for Harmonic Complexity
Most producers stick to wavetable scanning for their bass sounds, but FM synthesis in Serum is seriously underrated. Route Oscillator B into Oscillator A using the FM from B knob. Load a simple sine wave on Oscillator B and slowly increase the FM amount. This adds harmonic overtones that make your bass sound richer and more complex without the muddiness you get from just stacking oscillators. The key is subtlety. Even a small amount of FM adds interest to a bass patch.
2. Explore Wavetable Position Automation
Do not just set your wavetable position and leave it static. Assign an LFO or envelope to the wavetable position knob and let it scan through the wavetable. This creates timbral movement that keeps your bass interesting over time. Try a slow LFO scanning through the wavetable for evolving pads, or a fast envelope sweep for aggressive attack transients on bass hits. Different wavetable positions in the same table can sound drastically different, so this one trick can turn a boring bass into something dynamic.
3. Master the Unison Settings
Unison in Serum is powerful but easy to overuse. For sub basses, stick to 1 voice with no unison. Clean sub bass should be as simple as possible. For mid-range bass layers, 2-4 unison voices with moderate detune gives you width without phase issues. For massive lead basses and supersaws, crank it up to 7 or more voices. But always check in mono. If your bass disappears in mono, you have too much stereo detuning. The Stack unison mode is particularly useful for bass because it spreads voices across octaves rather than just detuning.
4. Use Multiband Compression in the FX Chain
Serum has a built-in multiband compressor in its effects section, and it is excellent for tightening up bass sounds. It lets you compress the low end independently from the mids and highs. This means you can keep your sub bass consistent and punchy while letting the upper harmonics breathe. Set a low crossover around 150-200 Hz and compress the low band with a moderate ratio. This is especially useful for bass sounds that have a lot of movement from filter sweeps or wavetable modulation.
5. Use the Noise Oscillator Creatively
The noise oscillator in Serum is not just for adding hiss or white noise to risers. Load it with a one-shot sample, a drum hit, or even a vocal snippet. Then blend it in subtly with your bass oscillators. This adds texture and organic character that pure synthesis can not achieve. Try loading a short distorted noise burst and using an envelope to trigger it only on the attack of each note. This gives your bass a percussive transient that helps it cut through drums without turning up the volume.
6. Choose the Right LFO Shape
Different LFO shapes create completely different vibes on bass sounds. A sine wave LFO on filter cutoff gives smooth, musical movement. A square wave creates a rhythmic on-off gating effect. A ramp up gives a gradual build, while a ramp down creates a decay-like movement. Do not overlook the custom LFO drawing tool either. You can draw in complex rhythmic patterns that sync to your tempo and create intricate bass movements that would be impossible with standard shapes.
7. Pick Your Filter Type Carefully
Serum has loads of filter types and they all sound different. For bass music, the most useful ones are MG Low 24 for warm, classic low pass filtering. The German LP for a more aggressive, resonant character. The Dirty filter for adding grit and character. And the Comb filter for metallic, resonant textures. Try the same bass patch with different filter types and you will be surprised how much the character changes. The filter is often more important than the oscillator for shaping the final sound of a bass.
8. Map Everything to Macros
Macros are your best friend for live performance and quick sound design. Map your filter cutoff, distortion drive, wavetable position, and LFO rate to the four macro knobs. This lets you morph between different bass sounds in real time. It also makes your presets more usable because anyone can grab the macros and tweak the sound without diving into the synth engine. Well-mapped macros are what separate amateur presets from professional ones.
9. Use Effects Routing Strategically
The order of effects in Serum matters more than most people realise. Distortion before filter gives a completely different sound to distortion after filter. Reverb before distortion creates a washy, smeared effect, while reverb after gives clean spatial depth. For bass sounds, I generally recommend: EQ first to clean up unwanted frequencies, then distortion to add harmonics, then filter to shape the tone, then compression to control dynamics, and finally a touch of reverb or delay if needed. Experiment with the order because moving one effect can completely change the character.
10. Resample and Re-synthesis
One of the most powerful techniques in Serum is resampling. Render your bass sound to audio, then load that audio back into Serum as a wavetable. This lets you add more processing on top of already complex sounds. You can take a bass, render it, load it back in, add new modulation and effects, and repeat. Each iteration adds complexity and uniqueness. Many of the most iconic bass sounds in DnB and dubstep were created through multiple rounds of resampling. It is a technique that has no ceiling.
Put These Tips into Practice
The best way to learn is by studying well-designed presets. Open them up, look at how the oscillators, filters, modulation, and effects are set up, and try to understand why each decision was made. The Preset Drive shop has professionally designed Serum preset packs for various bass music genres. Each preset is built using the techniques described in this guide, so they are great learning tools as well as production-ready sounds.
Start implementing these tips one at a time. Even applying just two or three of them will noticeably improve the quality of your bass sounds. Sound design is a skill that improves with practice, and Serum gives you all the tools you need to create world-class bass.
Related Preset Packs
Looking for professional bass music presets? Check out these Serum preset packs:
Ready to level up your sound?
Dirty Drum & Bass Vol.2
Professional DnB presets for Serum. Reeses, neuro basses, subs, and more.
£29.99
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