Role in the mix
Synth bass (Minimoog, TB-303, SH-101, Juno, Prophet, Moog Taurus, today Serum, Vital, Sytrus, Harmor) covers very different roles: monophonic funk/pop bass (Mini V, SEM V), acid (303 with resonance and slide), reese (two detuned saws: DnB, dubstep), house bassline (organ bass, M1), wobble/growl (dubstep, riddim), eighth-note synthwave bass, and mid bass on top of a sub. Synth bass is sound design before it is mixing: waveform, filter, envelope and glide decide almost everything. In the mix you need: mono low end, stable dynamics, a fit with the kick and a midrange area (300 Hz–2 kHz) that makes it legible without masking vocals and chords.
Choosing the sound
- Waveform: saw (rich, aggressive), square/pulse (hollow, 80s), sine/triangle (sub). A “full” synth bass is often a filtered saw + a sine sub one octave below.
- Filter: 24 dB/oct LP (Moog ladder) for round basses; 12 dB/oct (Oberheim SEM) for more open basses; resonance and filter envelope (attack 0, decay 100–400 ms, low sustain) for the bass “pluck”.
- Unison/detune: turn it off below 150 Hz (mono sub) or split into layers: mono sub + mid with unison.
- Glide: legato/portamento 30–120 ms in acid, funk and G-funk basses.
- Phase retrigger for a consistent attack.
- In FL: 3x Osc, Sytrus, FLEX, Harmor, Transistor Bass (303); V Collection: Mini V, SEM V, Jun-6 V, Prophet-5 V, MS-20 V.
Gain staging
Peaks −10/−6 dBFS. Filter resonance and glide create unpredictable peaks: insert a safety limiter or clipper on the channel while sound designing.
Corrective EQ
- HP 25–35 Hz.
- Mid layer: HP 100–200 Hz if there is a dedicated sub.
- Mud 200–400 Hz: −2/−4 dB, especially on saws and reese.
- Filter resonances that whistle: dynamic EQ on the band, or lower the resonance.
- Fizz 5–10 kHz from saws: LP 4–8 kHz if the bass should not compete with the hi-hats.
Creative EQ
- Legibility: +2/+3 dB at 700 Hz–1.5 kHz (where the notes are heard on a phone).
- Bite: +1/+3 dB at 2–3 kHz for house and synthwave basses.
- Weight: if it is missing, add a sub layer instead of boosting at 50 Hz.
Compression
- Synths already have stable dynamics: compress to shape or to glue layers.
- Bass bus (sub + mid): VCA 2:1–4:1, attack 10–30 ms, release 100–200 ms, 2–4 dB.
- OTT / upward multiband (Xfer OTT, Fruity Multiband Compressor, Maximus) on the mid layer in dubstep, future bass and EDM: depth 20–60%, then EQ to rebalance.
- Multiband to hold the sub still (band < 100 Hz) while the mid moves with the filter.
Transient shaper
Attack + for plucky basses that need to “push” (house, nu-disco), Release − for shorter notes and a tighter groove.
Saturation and distortion
- Saturation (Distructor, Fruity Blood Overdrive, Saturn 2, Decapitator) for harmonics and density; moderate drive on the whole bass.
- Heavy distortion on the mid layer (dubstep, riddim, neurofunk): typical chain “distortion → EQ → distortion → OTT → EQ”, always with the sub separate and clean.
- Wavefolder (Fruity WaveShaper, Kilohearts, Serum FX) for metallic growls.
- Bitcrusher for chiptune or lo-fi basses.
Delay and reverb
- Not on the sub. On the mid, delay and reverb only as an effect (HP 200–300 Hz on the return), for example a short reverb on the acid bass or a 1/16 delay in techno.
- The bass has to stay up front and dry.
Modulation
- Chorus/ensemble on the mid (Vintage Chorus, Juno-style chorus) for 1980s basses, synthwave, city pop: always with a mono sub.
- Phaser and flanger in the mid for movement in house and funk.
- LFO on the filter (wobble) at 1/4, 1/8, triplets: this is dubstep sound design.
Stereo and panning
Sub and lows mono (Fruity Stereo Shaper, Spreader with Low Bypass). The mid can be wide (Spreader, unison, chorus) above 150–250 Hz, checking the correlation (> 0).
Sidechain
- House/nu-disco: sidechain from the kick (4–10 dB, release in time) or bass played offbeat.
- DnB/dubstep: short ducking.
- Pop: dynamic EQ on the kick’s fundamental.
Automation
- Filter cutoff: the most important automation for synth basses (acid, house, build-ups).
- Drive/distortion in the drop, glide and resonance.
- Mid LP in the verses, opening up in the chorus.
Differences by genre
| Genre | Sound and treatment |
|---|---|
| Funk / G-funk | Minimoog, LP with envelope, glide, mono, light saturation |
| Acid house / techno | 303, high resonance, slide, distortion, automated cutoff |
| House / nu-disco | plucky offbeat basses, sidechain, 2 kHz bite |
| Synthwave | eighth-note saws, chorus, compression, sub underneath |
| DnB / dubstep | reese or distorted growl on the mid, separate sine sub |
| Pop / K-pop | sub + clean mid layer, dynamic EQ with the kick |
| Trap | often 808; synth bass only as a mid layer |
Common mistakes
- Unison and chorus in the sub: low end that disappears in mono.
- Too much resonance making the level jump on some notes.
- Synth bass and 808 together with no frequency split.
- Distortion on the sub: mud at 100–300 Hz.
- Saws with no LP competing with hi-hats and vocals above 5 kHz.
Starting settings
| Parameter | Value | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Waveform | Saw (full), pulse (hollow), sine (sub) | The timbre is decided in the synth. |
| LP filter | 24 dB/oct, cutoff 300 Hz–2 kHz, env decay 100–400 ms | Pluck and definition. |
| Glide | 30–120 ms, legato | Acid and funk slide. |
| Unison | Off below 150 Hz | Mono sub. |
| Channel peak | −10/−6 dBFS + safety limiter | Unpredictable resonances. |
| Bass bus | 2:1–4:1, attack 10–30 ms, release 100–200 ms, 2–4 dB | Glues the layers. |
| OTT on the mid | Depth 20–60% | Density in EDM and dubstep. |
| Saturation | Moderate drive, mix 30–60% | Harmonics. |
| Sidechain | 4–10 dB house, short ducking DnB | Kick/bass relationship. |
| Stereo | Mono < 150 Hz, wide mid with correlation > 0 | Compatibility. |
| Chorus (1980s) | Only on the mid, mix 20–40% | Color without losing the sub. |
Frequencies to watch
| Range | What to do |
|---|---|
| below 25–35 Hz | High-pass: infrasound and DC. |
| 40–100 Hz | Sub/fundamental: mono, stable; if weight is missing, add a sine layer. |
| 100–200 Hz | Sub/mid crossover: HP on the mid, LP on the sub, check the phase. |
| 200–400 Hz | Mud from saws and reese: −2/−4 dB. |
| 700 Hz–1.5 kHz | Note legibility: +2/+3 dB. |
| 2–3 kHz | Bite: +1/+3 dB in house and synthwave. |
| filter resonance | Dynamic EQ on the band that whistles, or reduce the resonance. |
| 5–10 kHz | Saw fizz: LP 4–8 kHz if it competes with hi-hats and vocals. |
Example chain
| Step | Tool | Settings | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sound design | 3x Osc / Sytrus / FLEX / Harmor / Mini V / Serum | Saw+sub, LP 24 dB, filter env, glide | The sound is made at the source. |
| Sub/mid split (opt.) | Frequency Splitter / Patcher | Crossover 120 Hz | Separate treatments. |
| Corrective EQ | Fruity Parametric EQ 2 / Pro-Q 3–4 | HP 30 Hz; −3 dB at 280 Hz | Cleanup. |
| Saturation/distortion | Distructor / Fruity Blood Overdrive / Saturn 2 | On the mid, mix 50% | Harmonics. |
| Multiband / OTT | Fruity Multiband Compressor / Maximus / OTT | Depth 30% | Density. |
| Creative EQ | Fruity Parametric EQ 2 | +2 dB at 1 kHz; LP 7 kHz | Legibility. |
| Sidechain | Fruity Limiter in SC / Gross Beat / Kickstart 2 | Release in time | Groove. |
| Modulation (opt.) | Vintage Chorus / Vintage Phaser | Only on the mid | Color. |
| Mono and bus | Fruity Stereo Shaper / Spreader | Mono < 150 Hz | Compatibility. |
| Monitoring | Wave Candy / Fruity Spectroman | Per-note spectrum and correlation | Verification. |
How to check the result
- Correlation +1 below 150 Hz; mid with correlation > 0.
- Stable level per note (±2 dB) even with filter and resonance automation.
- Line legibility on a small speaker (700 Hz–1.5 kHz present).
- No conflict with the 808 or the sub in the same band at the same moment.
- Bass energy above 5 kHz not competing with hi-hats and vocals.
- No sudden meter peaks caused by resonance or glide.