Future House / Deep House Bass Tutorial In Ableton Live

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

What’s up, everyone? Subterranean here, and today we’re going to dive into creating a crucial sound in subgenres of house music like deep house and future house. This bass sound has been popularized by artists such as Oliver Helens and many others, and we’re going to break down the process step-by-step using Dune 2 and Ableton Live.

Getting Started with Dune 2

First things first, we need to initialize the patch in Dune 2. Let’s go ahead:

1. Initialize the Patch:
   • Open Dune 2 and click on Patch.
   • Select Initialize.

Great, now we have a blank canvas to work with. Next, we’ll configure our first oscillator.

Setting Up the First Oscillator

We’ll start with Oscillator 1:

1. Change Oscillator Type to Wavetable (WT):
   • Select OSC 1 and set the type to WT (Wavetable).
   • Change the wavetable to MH Feedback FM3.

This wavetable is interesting because it’s a sound created with FM synthesis, imported back into Dune 2 as a wavetable. While it sounds pretty bland on its own, we’ll be modulating its position using the mod matrix later on.

Configuring the Second Oscillator

Now let’s set up Oscillator 2:

1. Set Oscillator Type to FM:
   • Select OSC 2 and set the type to FM.
   • Set the density to 1.
2. Adjust the Volume:
   • Use the Oscillator Mixer to set the volume.
   • Raise the fader to around 27%.
3. Fine-tune the Amount and Key Track:
   • Set the amount on A to 92.
   • Leave amounts on B and C as default.
   • Set Key Track all the way down to ensure a consistent sound that doesn’t change in volume.

Now, let’s adjust the ratios for Oscillator 2:

1. Oscillator 2 Ratios:
   • Leave the ratio of A at default.
   • Play with the ratio of B until it sounds good (I chose 3).
   • For C, I set it to 4.

Tweaking Noise and Filters

1. Oscillator Mixer:
   • Adjust the volume of the noise to around 43%. Currently, it might sound loud and overpowering, but we’ll fix that later.
2. Set Filter Parameters:
   • Leave the filter on the default Clo Pat 2 Poles.
   • Turn the cut-off all the way down.

Bringing the Sound Alive with Mod Matrix

Here’s where our sound really starts to take shape:

1. Setting Up Mod Matrix:
   • Go to the Mod Matrix.
   • Change sources 1, 2, and 3 to Filter Envelope.
   • Set the amount of all these sources to +100.
2. Assigning Destinations:
   • Set the destination of the first source to Oscillator 1’s Wavetable Position.
   • Set the second to Oscillator 2’s Wavetable Position.
   • Set the third to Filter Cutoff.

Now we have this animated and evolving sound. We’re almost there, but let’s tweak the Amplitude Envelope for more details.

Adjusting the Amplitude Envelope

1. Fine-Tuning Envelope:
   • Decrease the attack to around 5%.
   • Turn the sustain all the way down.
   • Adjust the decay to around 63%. This isn’t a huge difference, but it subtlety improves the sound.

Adding Reverb

Reverb can add an extraordinary dimension to your bass sound. Although I typically use Ableton’s Reverb plugin, I also like the built-in reverb within Dune 2.

1. Activate Reverb:
   • Click on the Activate button just below Reverb.
   • Set the time to around 1.3 seconds.

Adjusting Parameters:- Leave Pre Delay and High Filter Damp as they are.- Set the Low Cut to about 82.

This gives a nice subtle reverb that doesn’t become muddy with low frequencies.

Tweak the Reverb Dry/Wet

Let’s perfect it:

• Adjust the Dry/Wet to about 18%.

And there you have it. Now, we have our finalized bass sound.

Final Touches with EQ

Although this is a relatively simple sound, utilizing external effects in a full track can elevate it. It’s a good idea to use an EQ to take out unnecessary low-end frequencies:

1. Add EQ Eight:
   • Insert an EQ Eight.
2. Set EQ Parameters:
   • Apply a Low Cut at times 4.
   • Cut out the unnecessary frequencies around 60 Hz.

You don’t want to cut out too much; otherwise, it becomes too thin.

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Conclusion

That wraps up our tutorial! This sound is frequently used in modern house tracks, and now you have the exact recipe. Experiment with these settings, make it your own, and feel free to add in your personal effects.

“Learning the fundamentals of sound design can empower you to create unique and captivating tracks.”

If you found this tutorial helpful, please like this video and leave a comment—it really helps us out. And don’t forget to subscribe to our channel if you haven’t already. Thanks for reading and happy producing!

Happy Producing!

Subterranean

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