Future bass

History and character

Future bass emerged in the early 2010s across the UK, the United States and Australia, from the crossover of "purple sound" (the wonky scene of Bristol and Glasgow), dubstep, trap, footwork and pop. The pioneers named are the Scots Rustie and Hudson Mohawke (both on the LuckyMe label, active in this direction since 2010), then Lido, San Holo and Cashmere Cat. Rustie's album "Glass Swords" (2011) is one of the first releases to build its popularity; Flume's remix of "You & Me" by Disclosure (2013) brought it into the mainstream.

2016 was the year of consecration: "Never Be Like You" by Flume feat. Kai, "Light" by San Holo, and the spread of the sound among Louis The Child, Illenium, Marshmello, Mura Masa, Martin Garrix and a large scene in Japan, Korea and China (the sound entered K-pop and J-pop). Kawaii future bass was also born (Snail's House, the "Kirara" EP, 2015) with chiptune timbres, soft square waves and anime samples. Labels: LuckyMe, Future Classic (Flume), bitbird (San Holo), Monstercat, Counter Records, Wedidit, Seeking Blue.

Compared with dubstep and trap, future bass is warmer and less abrasive: the protagonist is not a distorted bass but a chord. The signature sounds are supersaw chords with very heavy sidechain that "pump", chords with pitch bends and modulations (the so-called chord "wobble" via filter or volume with an LFO), pitched vocal chops, white-noise risers, arpeggios and vocoders. The harmony is rich (sevenths, ninths, suspended chords) and often major.

Scales and keys

Future bass is one of the few "bass" genres often in major and with extended chords. Examples on F major and D minor (its relative). Roman numerals: in major relative to the major scale, in minor relative to the natural minor.

Major (Ionian)

• Formula: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7. T T S T T T S.
• On F: F G A Bb C D E.
• Chords: I F, ii Gm, iii Am, IV Bb, V C, vi Dm, vii° E°. Sevenths: Fmaj7, Gm7, Am7, Bbmaj7, C7, Dm7, Em7b5.
• Use: IV–V–iii–vi progressions (the J-pop "royal road"), I–V–vi–IV, IVmaj7–Imaj7 with ninths and add9; wide supersaws.
• Listening example: the bright, "nostalgic" color of San Holo ("Light") and kawaii future bass.
• Common mistakes: bare triads without extensions: it sounds like generic EDM; add 7s, 9s, sus.

Lydian

• Formula: 1 2 3 #4 5 6 7. T T T S T T S.
• On F: F G A B C D E.
• Characteristic note: #4 (B): suspension, dream.
• Chords: I F, II G, iii Am, #iv° B°, V C, vi Dm, vii Em. Signature chord: major II (G/F).
• Use: Fmaj7#11, Imaj7–II; "floating" intros and drops.

Natural minor (Aeolian)

• Formula: 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7. On D: D E F G A Bb C.
• Chords: i Dm, ii° E°, III F, iv Gm, v Am, VI Bb, VII C. Sevenths: Dm7, Em7b5, Fmaj7, Gm7, Am7, Bbmaj7, C7.
• Use: melancholic future bass (Flume, Illenium): VI–VII–i, i–VI–III–VII with maj7s.
• Common mistakes: too dark (Phrygian) in a genre that lives on warmth.

Dorian

• Formula: 1 2 b3 4 5 6 b7. On D: D E F G A B C. Characteristic note: major 6 (B).
• Chords: i Dm, ii Em, III F, IV G, v Am, #vi° B°, VII C.
• Use: Dm9–G13, "soul" minor (R&B and neo soul influence in the future bass of Flume and Mura Masa).

Major pentatonic (melodies and chops)

• Formula: 1 2 3 5 6. Semitones 2-2-3-2-3. On F: F G A C D.
• Use: toplines and vocal chops: no note "is wrong" over IV, V, vi, I.

How to choose

• Euphoric and nostalgic: major with IV–V–iii–vi.
• Dreamy: Lydian.
• Melancholic: Aeolian with maj7s and ninths.
• Soul and R&B: Dorian.
• Rule: the color is in the voicing: always keep at least a 7th or a 9th in the chord.

Harmony

• Chords as protagonists: the "drop" is often a sequence of supersaw chords cut by sidechain and rhythmically shaped.
• Harmonic rhythm: one chord per bar (at 150 BPM = 1.6 s), sometimes 2 per bar in rhythmic drops.
• Extensions: maj7, 9, add9, sus2, sus4, 11; dominants with sus4 (Csus4–C).
• Wide voicings: low root (in the sub/bass), then 5, 9, 3, 7 spread over two octaves; double layer an octave above.
• Chord pitch bend: chords slide by 1–2 semitones or "bend" (pitch envelope or LFO) at the start of the note.
• Borrowed chords: minor iv in major (Bbm in F), bVII (Eb in F), Lydian major II.
• Cadences: IV–V–I or IV–V–vi (deceptive) in builds; iv–I as a "nostalgic" close.

Typical progressions

Rhythm and groove

• Half time: 140–160 with the snare on beat 3; relaxed, "bouncy" feel.
• Trap hats: eighth notes with rolls in 1/16, 1/32 and triplets; light swing (10–20).
• Rhythmic chords: the drop is a rhythmic chord pattern (e.g. sixteenth-note syncopations) with sidechain on every quarter note or eighth note.
• Double time in builds and in some drops; sections without kick to let the chords "breathe".

Drums

Convention: 16 sixteenth notes; quarter notes on 1, 5, 9, 13 (at 150 BPM a sixteenth = 100 ms).

Kick

• Sixteenths 1 and 11 (as in r-future-bass), sometimes also 8 or 15; a short, soft kick, body 50–60 Hz, moderate click. In "open" drops the kick can be removed.

Snare and clap

• Sixteenth 9 (beat 3): snare + clap layered, "snappy" sound with medium reverb (0.8–1.2 s). Ghost notes rare.
• Snare roll in the build: 1/4 → 1/8 → 1/8T → 1/16 → 1/32, with rising pitch.

Hi-hats and percussion

• Eighth-note hats with trap rolls (e.g. sixteenths 13–16 or triplets on the 4th beat); open hat on 7; crash at the start of the drop.
• Playful percussion: bells, "ticks", snaps, foley samples (in kawaii: squeaks, doors, toys).

Dynamics and groove

• Hats with alternating velocities and swing 10–20; rolls with increasing velocity.

Interaction with bass and chords

• Sidechain from the kick (even a ghost kick: a muted kick that triggers the sidechain on every quarter note) makes the chords "pump"; the bass follows the chord roots.

How it changes by section

• Verse: light drums (kick, rim, hats); pre: snare roll; drop: full drums + chords; breakdown: piano or guitar with vocals.

Fills and transitions

• Half-quarter-note stop before the drop with a vocal chop; chord reverse; triplet rolls.

Sound choice

• Clean trap samples ("snappy" snares, bright claps), short 808s or synth bass.

Typical mistakes

• Hats too loud; drums too "hard" (brostep); sidechain that doesn't follow the tempo.

Bass

• Bass: sine sub or short 808 following the roots; sometimes the bass is "inside" the chord (bass layer of the supersaw).
• Notes: roots, often with a short glide between chords.
• Rhythm: follows the kick or the chord rhythm; short notes with sidechain.
• Sidechain: strong (6–10 dB) from the kick.
• Register: 40–100 Hz; no heavy distortion.
• Examples: Flume (round, "wonky" basses), Illenium (sub following the chords).

Harmonic instruments

• Supersaw: the signature instrument: 7–9 unison voices, detune 20–40%, two layers (one an octave above); sidechain and LFO on volume or filter for the chord "wobble".
• Pads and vocoder: vocoded chords, pads with chorus.
• Piano and guitars: breakdowns with piano or clean acoustic/electric guitar (indie/pop influence).
• Plucks and arpeggios: arpeggios at 1/16 or 1/16T.
• Register: 200 Hz–8 kHz; very wide chords in stereo.

Melody and vocals

• Vocals: pop/R&B toplines, often female (or gentle male), mid-high register; short hooks.
• Vocal chops: pitched and rhythmic vocal fragments, often the "lead" of the drop; formant shift, pitch shift, reverb.
• Backing vocals: doubles, harmonies in thirds, "oohs" with vocoder.
• Leads: chiptune and square waves (kawaii), plucks, synth flutes.
• Effects: long reverb, dotted-eighth delay, vocoder, heavy pitch correction as an effect.

Instruments

• Trap drums (snares, claps, hats), 808 or sub; supersaws, pads, vocoder, piano, guitars, plucks, arpeggiators; vocal samples; white-noise risers; foley and chiptune FX.

Drum patterns

Synths and sounds

• OP-Xa V — Supersaw and drop chords: Unison maxed, wide detune, open filter, attack 0, release 200–400 ms; layer with a second patch an octave above; external sidechain.
• Jun-6 V — Soft pads and chords: Saw + sub, chorus I/II: warm, "vintage" chords in breakdowns.
• Prophet-5 V — Plucks and arpeggios: Attack 0, decay 300 ms, filter with envelope: plucks that respond to the chops.
• Vocoder V — Vocoded chords: Supersaw carrier and voice as modulator: robotic choirs of the drop.
• CZ V — Chiptune and "kawaii" leads: Phase distortion with soft square/pulse waves: playful leads and bells.
• Piano V — Breakdown: Upright or grand piano with reverb; seventh chords.
• Mini V — Sub: Clean sine with a short glide.

Song structure

• Length 3:00–3:45; pop song structure with the drop in place of the chorus or after the chorus.

Mixing and mastering

Sonic goal

• Warm, wide, bright and "pumping": huge but not annoying chords, clear vocals, soft sub; less aggression than dubstep.
• References: Flume, San Holo, Illenium, Louis The Child.

Kick

• EQ: high-pass 30 Hz, +2 dB at 55 Hz, −3 dB at 300 Hz, +1 dB at 3 kHz; mono.

Snare and clap

• EQ: high-pass 150 Hz, +2 dB at 200 Hz, −2 dB at 500 Hz, +3 dB at 3–5 kHz, +2 dB shelf at 10 kHz.
• Light 4:1 compression; 1 s plate reverb, 20 ms pre-delay.

Hi-hats and percussion

• High-pass 500 Hz; hat rolls with automated panning (ping-pong); foley in wide stereo.

Bass

• Mono sub, low-pass 100 Hz; sidechain 6–10 dB from the kick; light saturation.

Supersaws and chords

• EQ: high-pass 150–250 Hz, −2/−3 dB at 2–4 kHz if they cover the vocals, de-esser 6–9 kHz on the saws, +1 dB shelf at 12 kHz.
• Compression: OTT 20–40%; strong sidechain (8–15 dB, release at 1/4 or 1/8) for the "pumping" effect.
• Stereo: 130–160% with unison, mono compatibility checked; hall reverb 2–3 s, 30 ms pre-delay.
• Automation: filter and volume on the chords with LFO, pitch bend.

Lead vocal

• EQ: high-pass 100 Hz, −2 dB at 300 Hz, +2 dB at 3–5 kHz, air +2 dB at 12 kHz; FET + opto compression; de-esser.
• Space: 1.5 s plate + dotted-eighth delay; in drops the vocal becomes a chop.

Backing vocals and chops

• Chops: formant shift, pitch, reverb; automated panning; high-pass 200 Hz.

FX

• Risers with filtered white noise, impacts, reverses; make sure they don't overpower the drop.

Buses and groups

• Music bus with global sidechain; vocal bus; drum bus with light glue.

Sidechain

• Kick (even a ghost kick) → chords, bass, pads: it is part of the sound, not just a correction.

Master

• Chain: EQ → glue → light saturation → limiter.
• Indicative targets: −7/−5 LUFS integrated; −8/−9 for streaming; true peak −1 dBTP.

Common mistakes

• Shrill supersaws between 2 and 5 kHz; sidechain that is too slow (the chords "drag"); vocals covered by the chords; too much reverb on the bass.

Reference tracks for the mix

• Flume feat. Kai — Never Be Like You (2016); San Holo — Light (2016); Louis The Child feat. K.Flay — It's Strange (2015).

Reference listening

• Rustie — Glass Swords (album, 2011)
• Disclosure — You & Me (Flume Remix) (2013)
• Flume & Chet Faker — Drop the Game (2013)
• Snail's House — Kirara (EP, 2015)
• Louis The Child feat. K.Flay — It's Strange (2015)
• Flume feat. Kai — Never Be Like You (2016)
• San Holo — Light (2016)