Top Drum and Bass Bass Sounds in Serum

The Bass Sounds That Power DnB Tracks

Drum and bass bass design is arguably the deepest and most technical in all of electronic music. A single DnB track might layer three or four different bass sounds: a rolling Reese underneath, neuro mid-range textures on top, sub bass providing the weight, and stab sounds for rhythmic accents. Getting these elements to work together at 170-180 BPM requires both technical skill and creative instinct.

Serum handles the full range of DnB bass sounds within a single synthesiser. Its wavetable engine, modulation routing, and effects chain make it possible to create everything from simple sub bass to the most complex neuro patches without leaving the plugin.

Essential DnB Bass Sound Categories

The Rolling Reese

The Reese bass is the backbone of countless DnB tracks. Two or more detuned saw waves create a thick, phasing sound that moves and breathes with the track. In DnB, the Reese is often processed with subtle distortion and filtering to give it character while keeping the low-end clean enough to sit alongside heavy kicks and snares.

Modern DnB Reese basses have evolved beyond the classic two-saw approach. Producers now use wavetable modulation, formant filtering, and multi-band processing to create Reese sounds with more complexity and movement.

Neuro Mid-Range

The metallic, aggressive mid-range sounds that define neurofunk and heavier DnB styles. Neuro basses sit above the sub, typically between 200Hz and 2kHz, delivering the aggressive character that makes drops hit hard. These sounds require complex wavetable selection, multi-stage distortion, and precise filter modulation.

Clean Sub Foundation

Every DnB track needs a solid sub bass foundation. Simple sine or triangle waves, pitched to the root note, providing the physical low-end weight. The sub should be clean, tight, and mono. It sits underneath everything else and makes the track feel powerful on a sound system.

Jump Up Stabs

Short, punchy bass sounds that drive high-energy DnB. Jump up stabs have tight envelopes with fast attacks and short decays. They create a percussive, rhythmic quality that pushes the energy of the track. These sounds work best when they are dry and direct.

Foghorn Drops

Massive low-frequency impacts used at the start of drops for maximum impact. Foghorn basses have slow attacks and huge low-end presence. They work best when the arrangement gives them space to breathe, with other elements stripped back during the foghorn hit.

Serum Presets for DnB Bass

Getting all of these sounds right takes time. Starting with well-designed presets saves hours of sound design and gives you a professional foundation to build from.

Dirty Drum & Bass Vol.1 – 50+ presets covering all the essential DnB bass categories: Reese, neuro, sub, stabs, and leads
Dirty Drum & Bass Vol.2 – 50+ expanded DnB presets with refined processing and additional texture options
Dirty Rave Hitters Vol.1 – Rave-influenced stabs and hits that cross over into high-energy DnB
100x Dirty Bass One Shots Pack – Pre-processed bass samples for layering and quick bass patterns

Layering DnB Bass Sounds

The key to professional DnB bass is layering. Each sound occupies its own frequency range:

Sub (20-80Hz) – Clean sine wave, mono, providing physical weight
Low mid (80-300Hz) – Reese bass or warm saw layers, adding body and movement
Mid (300Hz-2kHz) – Neuro textures, growls, or vocal bass, providing aggression and character
High mid (2kHz+) – Presence and air from the upper harmonics of your main bass sounds

Effective layering means each element complements rather than competes with the others. High-pass filter the mids to keep them out of the sub range. Keep the sub mono. Let each layer do its job.

For detailed guides on each sound type, explore our pages on Reese Bass, Neuro Bass, Jump Up Bass, and Foghorn Bass Serum presets.

Browse the full preset collection or try the free taster pack.