Experimenting with Mid Range Bass Sound Design in NI FM8

This is an interesting video looking at a more experimental approach to designing some deep to mid-range bass synth stabs using Native Instruments FM8.

The is a good opportunity to see how someone else happens to move through FM8 and experiment with different things to eventually arrive at a new sound that they like. It is much more candid than a lot of the tutorials we happen to feature here, but sometimes it’s good to watch someone else going through this to find some inspiration and glean some new knowledge for your own benefit. It’s also a good reminder that not every cool sound comes from planning and intent, rather some of the most brilliant sounds are actually accidental, or at the very least surprising to us when we create them.

This particular sound begins using a patch to cut down on design time. It’s a blend of a simple bell sound called Organ 3, an odd formant-like harmonic sound called Hibuzz 1 and a third sound called Big Chord. These may be the sounds used in the beginning, but they change by the end of the video as he works through several wave presets until he finds the right combination. The next step is some wave shaping. At this point is sounds like a big dirty dubstep wobble bass. Here we see the LFO turned off and an envelope set up to create a nice stab delivery.

Moving outside of Absynth for a moment, a compressor is added as well as an EQ and some distortion. All of this can be accomplished within the synth itself, but you may prefer to use some 3rd party plugins like this, too. Sometimes it can be easier, or simply more comfortable for you to use tools that you are more familiar with. And it often times means that you will end up with a sound that you are happier with in the end. Once the delay unit is introduced, the sound begins to head in a new direction and starts to really take shape.

Have you stumbled into a sound that you ended up being really proud of? Ever think about making your own tutorial for Absynth? Have questions about how to accomplish something specific in Absynth? Send us a message with your questions, feedback or request to be featured on the website and we’ll be in touch. It’s always nice to see the community members getting involved!

Cheers,
OhmLab