Trap Sounds and Production with FM8 Part 2 - Sub Bass and Arp Elements

Jonny is at it again! He’s back with another great lesson and is ready to kick down some nice tips and tricks to help elevate your Trap productions to the next level. He starts out with the sub bass and shows how you can create a seriously deep, hard-hitting sound that is much more musical than most. It is a new take on a classic sound that will definitely add something special to your music. One of the keys to making this instrument cut through the mix properly, is manipulating the Pitch envelope to add a small transient element at the initial onset of the sound when a key is struck. It adds instant impact and gives us something to focus on when it comes time to process the sound with some compression and EQ.

Next up is the arpeggiated synth element. Here Jonny walks us through the steps of designing the sound itself and then uses the Arpeggiator feature to sequence the sound. Since this particular instrument only uses one operator running a basic Sine wave, it is a quick process to get the sound set up. The bulk of the time will be spent on getting the progression programmed to fit the music it will be used in.

We will be revisiting these sounds again in the final installment of this month-long series when they will be processed with the rest of the elements being made throughout the tutorials. This way you get to see the entire process, both in and out of FM8. As always, if you have requests for future series, just let us know by sending us a message either through the website here or via our Facebook page.

Cheers,
OhmLab