How To Craft a Powerful Sub Bass in Serum

In 2026, a weak sub bass is a mix killer. Whether you are using the classic Serum 1 or the new Serum 2 engine, the physics of low-end frequencies remain the same: you need a clean, consistent fundamental note.

In this tutorial, we strip back the spectral complexity and focus on building a rock-solid, warm sub bass that translates on festival systems and car speakers alike.

Step 1: The Blank Canvas

Open Xfer Serum and select Menu -> Init Preset. We need zero modulation and zero effects to start. A sub bass requires absolute purity.

Init Preset Serum

Step 2: The Oscillator (Fundamental)

1. Select Analog Basic Shapes: Change Oscillator A to "Basic Shapes". Keep the Wavetable Position at 1. This gives us a pure Sine Wave.

Note: Do not use complex wavetables here. The more movement you have in your sub, the less punch it will have on a large sound system.

Serum Basic Shapes

2. The Sweet Spot: Draw a MIDI note in the C0 to F0 range. This is the "chest-hitting" frequency range (30Hz - 50Hz). Any lower, and it becomes inaudible rumble; any higher, and it clashes with your kick.

MIDI Scale C0-F0

Step 3: Tighten The Envelope

A sub needs to start and stop instantly to leave room for the kick drum.

  • Attack: 10-15ms (Prevents the "click" at the start of the note)
  • Release: 30-50ms (Prevents the "click" at the end of the note)
  • Sustain: 100% (We want full power for the duration of the note)

Serum Envelope Settings

Step 4: Saturation (The Secret Sauce)

A pure sine wave is invisible on phone speakers. To fix this, we need Harmonics.

Go to the FX Tab and enable Distortion. Select "Tube" or "Soft Clip" and dial the Drive to about 30-40%. This adds upper harmonics that trick the ear into hearing the bass on smaller devices like laptops and phones.

Pro Tip: If you push the drive past 50%, add a Low Pass Filter afterwards to cut the high-end fizz.

Serum FX Tab

Step 5: Mono & Glide

Rule #1 of Bass: It must be MONO.

In the bottom right voicing section, check the MONO box. This ensures your sub stays in the center of the mix and doesn't phase cancel on club systems.

Adjust the Portamento (Glide) time:

  • 50ms: Subtle, tight transitions.
  • 150ms+: That classic "808" sliding effect.

Serum Voicing Tab

Need More Presets?

Don't want to build from scratch every time? Download our Free 1300+ Sound Vault to get professional Sub Bass presets ready to drop into your tracks.

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