Ableton Live Tutorial: Stacking Synths. Macros, Effects & Wobble Bass

Learn more at the Dubspot Blog: bit.ly Ableton Certified Trainer and Dubspot Instructor, Michael Hatsis, aka !banginclude, follows up his Dubstep Talking Wobble Bass video in our ‘How to Make Dubstep Wobble Bass in Ableton Live’ series with another helpful tutorial. Hatsis uses two instances of Operator (though this technique can be implemented with any synth on the market) to explain how stacking synths can really thicken up a flat sounding bass patch. He starts by creating an instrument rack and mapping the LFO Rate and Amount to Macros 1 and 2. Then he duplicates the Operator chain and slightly modifies the timbre of the 2nd Operator chain thus making the two chains distinct from each other. Lastly, a few audio effects are added after the instrument rack to glue the two chains together: Saturator to add a little more grit to the overall sound, a Filter Delay that creates a slap-back echo which thickens the sound even more (also referred to as ‘fattening’), and then Compressor to creates a subtle, yet very cool pumping effect. Try this out on the wobble bass patches you’ve already made and you’ll hear the difference a stack makes.
Video Rating: 4 / 5