FM8 Dubstep Growl Bass Tutorial

There have been a ton of Skrillex style bass tutorials made for FM8 since he mentioned that it is his preferred synth to design sound in. There are very few though that do not require further processing outside of the synth itself. This particular FM8 dubstep growl bass is created entirely within the synth and can be completed in just a few minutes!

Starting with the FM Matrix, you will see that there is a whole lot of modulation happening for just one operator being routed to the main output strip. Before leaving the FM Matrix it should be sounding a bit like a drill synth with a bit of a metallic edge to it.

The next big stop is the Master window. Here the total number of unison voices is increased to two. The Detune setting is reduced slightly, while the Pan parameter is turned all the way up. A small amount of Digital Quality is added for character and a touch of presence.

On the Effects window, a Shelving EQ and a Peak EQ are used to shape the sound to ensure the right frequencies are accented. This wraps up the sound as it is presented in the tutorial. To achieve the growl effect you will need to automate, or manually manipulate, the amount of modulation being delivered from Operator E to Operator F.