Dubstep Halp?

[Sonarch]

I started working on a dubstep song awhile ago, I got as far as the percussion and then I had trouble with the bass. I don't know how to do it. So my question is; What do I need to make some heavy bass for dubstep? Do I need some kind of synth or plugin that I don't have?

If it helps at all, I use Sony ACID. And I don't have any synths (likely my problem).

And if it is the synths, are there any good free ones I can pick up?

[Foxtrot89]

Not sure about good free ones, but yeah, synths are going to be what you want for dubstep (or any sort of EDM) bass. Native Instruments "Massive" is standard for this sort of thing since it has a programmable/Synchable LFO built in. Really, though, with enough tweaking you can get any synth to make decent sounds.

Perhaps somebody will be able to give you names to some free ones, but I'm personally quite partial to the not-so-free Toxic Biohazard.

[WavesOfParadox]

http://www.musicradar.com/tuition/tech/ ... y-277953/1

Has both effects and synth vst's for free

[xadobex]

i personally use massive (lol stereotype, don't hate) for my dubstep bass, as well as sytrus because of its sampling capabilities


however, having the right sounds doesn't necessarily = dubstep.
my massive has tons of awesome dubstep sounds but i can't apply them for the life of me.

[colortwelve]

my massive has tons of awesome dubstep sounds but i can't apply them for the life of me.

This.

I have a good few nice dubstep bass sounds, and one I actually can employ quite frequently, but I always apply it in the same way - a melody with lots of pitchbending and phaser/cutoff automation. I can't get any other sound out of it without sounding awful. I found it easy to start with liquid dubstep, making big, booming basslines almost entirely out of sub frequencies, and layering synths and such on top of them, occasionally with a little bit of mid peeking through the bassline.

But if you want a nice synth, I'd say either Massive or Sylenth1 for synths, and WOW Filter or BiFilter for a nice, versatile FX plugin. That, plus lots and lots (and lots) of experimentation.

[xadobex]

my massive has tons of awesome dubstep sounds but i can't apply them for the life of me.

This.

I have a good few nice dubstep bass sounds, and one I actually can employ quite frequently, but I always apply it in the same way - a melody with lots of pitchbending and phaser/cutoff automation. I can't get any other sound out of it without sounding awful. I found it easy to start with liquid dubstep, making big, booming basslines almost entirely out of sub frequencies, and layering synths and such on top of them, occasionally with a little bit of mid peeking through the bassline.

But if you want a nice synth, I'd say either Massive or Sylenth1 for synths, and WOW Filter or BiFilter for a nice, versatile FX plugin. That, plus lots and lots (and lots) of experimentation.

i think you forgot to mention that it will take a lots of experimentation.

edit: i think it's funny how he asked for free synths yet all we've given him are pay ones

OP there is a free VSTi pack found here.

[Sonarch]

Nah, i'm also interested in buying a nice one, but I just wanted to see if there were any good free ones that I could pick up right away. You guys are pretty helpful though, I don't know anything about synths and the like, i've only really heard of Massive.

[XXDarkShadow79XX]

Itchy synths if you want free.

[xadobex]

Itchy synths if you want free.

^


if you have the money, OP, definitely pick up massive.

[Sonarch]

Alright, I got the Itchy Synths, and i'm definitely going to have to play around with those, and i'll look into getting Massive as well. Thanks to all of you who are helping me out with this.

[Navron]

I consider myself a dubstep failure, lol. I absolutely love the genre because of the production that goes into it, but unfortunately it seems like it's just that one genre that I struggle with the most.

What really helped me get better at making drops, is separating your sub from the basses. A lot of people (myself included) thought that making a hard hitting bass was about perfecting that one patch that has everything (nice deep bass, high screams, and grittiness). When you listen to songs, try and hear the difference between the subbass and the rest of the sound. There's usually an EQ gap between them, which takes a bit of listening to pick out.

If you focus on the middle to high end, you can create better sounding basses without running into issues surrounding how punchy or bassy it is. Then when you layer a sub to follow the same modulation, all of the sudden you've got a hard hitting bass.

[Sonarch]

Huh. See, that's the kind of thing I would have had no idea about when I went to make my bass and my drop and everything. Thanks!