Wavetable Editing in Serum – How to Create Custom Wavetables

What Are Wavetables and Why Should You Make Your Own

A wavetable is a collection of single-cycle waveforms arranged in a sequence. When you turn the wavetable position knob in Serum, you are scrolling through these waveforms, morphing from one shape to the next. Serum comes with hundreds of wavetables, but making your own opens up a world of completely unique sounds that no preset pack can give you.

Custom wavetables are what separate producers who sound like everyone else from producers with a genuinely original sonic identity. Once you learn the basics of wavetable editing, you will never run out of new sounds to explore.

Creating Wavetables from Scratch in Serum

The Wavetable Editor

Click the pencil icon on any oscillator in Serum to open the wavetable editor. This is where you can draw, generate, and manipulate individual waveform frames. The editor shows all frames in your wavetable and lets you edit each one individually or apply operations to the entire table.

Start by right-clicking in the editor and selecting “Default (Init)” to clear the wavetable. Then you can build from scratch. Go to the menu and generate basic shapes as starting points, or use the pencil tool to draw completely custom waveforms by hand.

Using the FFT Additive Editor

The FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) editor lets you build waveforms by adding individual harmonics. Think of it like drawing a frequency spectrum. Add a strong fundamental for bass, boost the 3rd and 5th harmonics for warmth, push the higher harmonics for brightness. This is the most precise way to design exactly the tonal character you want.

Create multiple frames with different harmonic content and Serum will morph between them as you sweep the wavetable position. This gives you smooth tonal transitions from a dark, fundamental-heavy tone to a bright, harmonic-rich one.

Importing Audio as Wavetables

Drag and Drop Method

Serum lets you drag any audio file directly onto an oscillator to convert it into a wavetable. The plugin analyses the audio and slices it into individual frames. This is incredibly powerful because it means any sound can become a wavetable. Vocals, field recordings, other instruments, literally anything.

For best results, use audio that has clear tonal variation over time. A vocal phrase, a guitar chord that sustains and decays, or a synth pad with movement. Static, unchanging audio will produce a boring wavetable because every frame will be nearly identical.

Import Settings

When you import audio, Serum gives you several analysis options. The default settings work well for most material, but experiment with the FFT size setting. Larger FFT sizes capture more harmonic detail but create fewer frames. Smaller sizes create more frames with less detail per frame. For bass sounds, larger FFT sizes (2048 or 4096) usually work best.

You can also choose how many frames to create from your audio. More frames means smoother morphing but a larger wavetable. 256 frames is the maximum and gives the smoothest transitions.

Processing and Refining Your Wavetable

Morph Menu Operations

The morph menu in the wavetable editor contains tools for processing your entire wavetable. Normalize is essential. It evens out the volume across all frames so you do not get sudden jumps in level when sweeping the wavetable position. Always normalize your custom wavetables before using them.

The crossfade option smooths the transitions between frames, eliminating clicks and pops when morphing. Apply crossfade if you hear any artifacts when sweeping through your wavetable.

Formula Parser

For advanced users, Serum includes a formula parser that lets you generate wavetables using mathematical formulas. You can create precise harmonic series, phase-shifted variations, and complex waveshapes that would be impossible to draw by hand. The syntax is straightforward. sin(x) for a sine wave, x for a saw, and you can combine functions for complex shapes.

Saving and Organising Custom Wavetables

Once you have created a wavetable you like, save it by right-clicking in the wavetable editor and selecting “Save.” Create a dedicated folder for your custom wavetables in the Serum Tables directory. Organise them by type (bass, pads, leads, textures) so you can find them quickly during sessions.

Build a personal library over time. Every time you create an interesting wavetable, save it. Even if you do not use it immediately, you might need it in a future project. A large library of unique custom wavetables is one of the most valuable assets a sound designer can have.

See how custom wavetables are used in professional presets by exploring our Serum preset collections. Many of our patches use custom-designed wavetables that you will not find anywhere else.

Start Building Your Wavetable Library

Custom wavetable creation is one of the most rewarding aspects of sound design in Serum. Start by importing audio files you have lying around and see what interesting wavetables they produce. Then move on to drawing your own in the editor. Before long, you will have a collection of unique wavetables that give your productions a sound nobody else has.

Download our free Serum taster pack and examine the wavetables used in each preset. Understanding how professional wavetables are constructed is the best way to learn what makes them sound great.