Creating an Electro Song in NI Massive - Part 1 The Bass Synth

Loading one of the secret hidden waveform inside of NI Massive, called B-Pulse into OSC1 is a great way to start this one off. Not only is it an ideal waveform for this sound, but it also shows you how to find it! Drop the pitch by one octave and set the oscillator to run in Bend -/+ mode. A Deepthroat wavetable is then loaded into OSC2, also with the pitch dropped one octave and set the oscillator to run in Bend -/+ mode.

Both oscillators are routed directly to Filter 1, where a Daft filter has been loaded. A simple envelope is set up and assigned to modulate the Cutoff knob of the Daft filter to capture a pluck effect in the delivery of the sound. This helps to make the bass instrument more realistic and add a touch of movement to the development. Also shortening the Attack of the Main Amp Envelope will help in accenting that initial pluck sound.

A Classic Tube Amp is used to thicken the bass a bit. A Dimension Expander is used to make the synth sound bigger and give it a larger presence. And the EQ is used to slightly accent the high end of the sound. Adding some Feedback is a great way to introduce some warm grittiness. Inserting a Sample & Hold unit adds a nice electro top end on the bass, which will work nicely in helping it stand out in a mix.

Moving now to the Voicing tab, the synth is set to run in Monophonic mode and the total number of voices used is increased to four. To adjust the amount of Glide used, click over to the OSC tab. A great way to shape the tone of this bass over time is to use the KeyTracking controller assigned to the Intensity knobs of both OSC1 and OSC2 to intelligently modulate this subtle parameter. A very creative way to add another human element to our electro bass instrument!

Cheers,
OhmLab