Designing a Grimy NI Massive Dubstep Wobble Bass Synth

In this tutorial we share how to create a wobbly, yet dirty, bass sound reminiscent of synths used by popular artists like Skream and Rusko. This NI Massive dubstep wobble bass synth utilizes three pitched down oscillators that are slightly out of tune and distorted. Adding distortion to the out of tune oscillators helps to create a blend of harmonics that gels the overall dissonance of the sound. The distortion also provides the dirty characteristic that is a signature of Grime music.

To start off the NI Massive dubstep wobble bass, in the Oscillator panel, turn on all three oscillators and drop their pitches. OSC1 should be dropped two octaves (-24 pitch) while OSC2 and OSC3 should be dropped down an octave (-12 pitch). Then change the waveform of OSC2 to Arctic, and raise all three oscillators to patch through Filter1. A Daft filter is loaded into the Filter1 panel.

Now we’ll change the corresponding LFO wave forms to a triangle wave and a sine wave. Synchronizing the climax of the sine wave with the climax of the triangle wave will provide a reliable and steady sounding NI Massive dubstep wobble. Click on sync (under rate) and change the ratio to the preferred amount of wobble. Lastly, click on OSC and choose “Restart Via Gate.” The Restart Via Gate tool provides a more stable sound by resetting the starting position of the oscillators on each note change.

At this point you may want to explore detuning the oscillators a bit. Detuning will help intrigue the listener by creating a dissonant and more harsh sound. From here all that is needed is to add effects that will help the NI Massive dubstep wobble bass fit in the mix. The video uses the Classic Tube Amp distortion and a Dimension Expander, but just like with any mix, you will want to experiment to help fit the sound properly within your track.

Prost,
Mychael Jones