How to Make Future Bass Chords in Serum

The Future Bass Chord Sound

Future bass chords are one of the most recognisable sounds in modern electronic music. Those big, lush, sidechain-pumping chord stabs that define tracks by Flume, San Holo, Marshmello, and hundreds of others. The sound is deceptively simple to create in Serum once you know the recipe. It comes down to saw-based wavetables, unison detuning, and the right effects chain.

This tutorial walks through creating classic future bass chords from scratch in Serum. By the end, you will have a versatile chord preset that works for full tracks, intros, and breakdowns.

Oscillator Setup for Big Chords

Oscillator A – The Foundation

Load the default Saw wavetable in Oscillator A. Set the unison voice count to 7 and the detune to about 0.20-0.25. This creates a thick, wide supersaw sound that is the foundation of every future bass chord. Enable the WT POS at 0 and leave the wavetable on the basic saw.

Set the octave to 0 (middle octave). Future bass chords work best when played in the C3-C4 range where they have enough brightness to shimmer but enough body to feel substantial.

Oscillator B – Adding Brightness

Load a square or pulse wavetable in Oscillator B. Set it one octave higher than Oscillator A. Use 5-7 unison voices with a slightly different detune amount (0.18-0.22) so it does not layer identically with Oscillator A.

Blend Oscillator B in at about 30-40% of the volume of Oscillator A. It should add brightness and shimmer on top without overpowering the saw foundation. The combination of a saw and a square at different octaves creates a rich, full sound with lots of harmonic content.

Filter and Envelope Shaping

Low Pass Filter

Apply a low-pass filter to both oscillators. Use the MG Low 24 type for a warm, smooth roll-off. Set the cutoff to about 60-70% and the resonance to 5-10%. You do not want aggressive filtering on future bass chords. The filter is there to remove extreme high-frequency harshness, not to dramatically shape the tone.

Volume Envelope

Set a fast but not instant attack (5-15ms) to avoid clicking. The decay is not critical for sustained chords, but set it to a medium value. Sustain should be at about 80-90% for full, sustained chords. The release should be medium-long (200-400ms) so the chords trail off naturally when you release the keys.

Filter Envelope

Add a subtle filter envelope that opens the cutoff slightly on note attack. Set the envelope amount to about 15-25%. This adds a bright transient at the start of each chord that gives it articulation and definition. Without this, chords can sound flat and lifeless.

Effects Chain for Future Bass

OTT (Multiband Compression)

If you have the OTT plugin, use it on an insert after Serum. If not, Serum built-in Multiband Compressor in the FX rack does a similar job. Set it to compress fairly aggressively. OTT-style compression is what gives future bass chords that characteristic squashed, detailed, in-your-face sound. It brings out the harmonics and makes every unison voice audible.

Chorus

Add a gentle chorus in the FX rack for extra width and shimmer. Use a slow rate and moderate depth. The chorus adds movement and prevents the chords from sounding static. Even with all the unison detuning, a chorus effect adds a different type of movement that complements the detuning.

Reverb

Apply a medium reverb with the mix set to about 20-30%. The reverb gives the chords space and depth without washing them out. Use a reverb with a bright tail and moderate decay (1-2 seconds). Cut the low end from the reverb to keep the sub frequencies clean.

Sidechain Compression – The Future Bass Pump

The defining characteristic of future bass chords is the sidechain pumping effect. Route your chord channel through a sidechain compressor triggered by a kick drum pattern (usually 4-on-the-floor or a custom sidechain trigger).

Use a fast attack and a medium release that creates an obvious pumping effect. The chords should duck noticeably on each kick hit and swell back up between hits. Adjust the release time to control the speed of the pump. Faster release gives a subtle effect. Slower release gives a dramatic, exaggerated pump that is more typical of future bass.

For even more control, use a volume shaping plugin (like LFOTool or Kickstart) instead of a compressor. These let you draw the exact sidechain curve you want. Explore our future bass preset packs to hear professional sidechain techniques applied to chord presets.

Start Making Future Bass Chords

Future bass chords are built on simple principles: detuned saws, bright processing, and sidechain pumping. The magic is in the details, how much detune, how aggressive the OTT, how long the sidechain release. Experiment with these parameters to find your own variation of the classic sound.

Download our free Serum taster pack to hear how professional chord presets are built. Study the oscillator settings, effects chain, and macro assignments to learn the techniques behind the sound.