Reese Bass Serum Presets

What is a Reese Bass?

A Reese bass is the foundation of drum and bass production. Named after Kevin Saunderson’s track “Just Want Another Chance” released under his Reese alias in 1988, it is created by layering two or more detuned sawtooth waves together. The slight detuning creates a thick, swirling, phasing effect that has defined bass music for over three decades.

The beauty of the Reese bass is its versatility. At its simplest, it is warm and deep. Add distortion and filtering and it becomes aggressive and cutting. This is why it appears in virtually every subgenre of drum and bass, from liquid to neurofunk.

How Producers Use the Reese Bass

The Reese bass typically occupies the sub and low-mid frequency range, from around 40Hz up to 500Hz depending on processing. Producers use it in several ways:

• As a rolling sub bass in liquid DnB and deeper styles
• As a distorted mid-range bass in neurofunk and techstep
• As a layered element underneath neuro or vocal bass patches
• As a filtered breakdown element that builds tension before drops

In Serum, a basic Reese starts with two saw oscillators slightly detuned from each other. From there, producers add movement through filter automation, distortion staging, and stereo width processing. The Reese is one of the first sounds most DnB producers learn to make, and one of the hardest to truly master.

Reese Bass Serum Presets at Preset Drive

Our DnB preset packs include multiple Reese bass variations, from clean rolling subs to heavily processed mid-range Reese patches. Each preset includes mapped macros for quick adjustment without needing to rebuild from scratch.

Packs containing Reese bass presets:

• Dirty Drum & Bass Vol.1 – classic and modern Reese basses with distortion variations
• Dirty Drum & Bass Vol.2 – updated Reese patches with deeper processing
• UK Bass Vol.1 – Reese-influenced basslines for garage and UK bass
• Master Bundle Vol.1 & 2 – every pack in one download, save 57%

Building a Reese Bass in Serum

The classic Reese bass starts with oscillator A set to a basic sawtooth wave. Duplicate the setup in oscillator B with 5-15 cents of detuning. This creates the characteristic phasing movement. From there, the variations are endless.

Common Reese bass processing in Serum:

• Unison voices (2-4) with slight detune for thickness
• Low-pass filter with envelope modulation for movement
• Tube or tape saturation for warmth
• OTT or multiband compression for punch
• Dimension expander or chorus for width (keep the sub mono)

Want step-by-step tutorials? Read our Reese bass guides:

• How to Make a Reese Bass in Serum – Complete Guide
• Reese Bass Step by Step Tutorial

Why Start with Reese Bass Presets?

While the basic Reese concept is straightforward, getting a mix-ready Reese bass that sits properly in a track requires careful processing. Our presets handle the distortion staging, filtering, and macro mapping so you can focus on writing music rather than tweaking oscillators.

Explore all our Serum preset packs or try the free taster pack first.