How To Make Future Bass In Serum 2: 2026 Chords & Supersaw Guide

Stop Making Flat Supersaws.

Future bass is supposed to feel emotional.

Not just wide.

Not just sidechained.

Emotional.

The best future bass drops hit because the chords move. The supersaws breathe. The bass supports the progression. The drums punch without getting in the way. The vocal chops feel like a hook, not random slices. The sidechain creates bounce, not just a giant volume hole.

But most beginner future bass drops have the same problem.

They load a saw preset, draw a big chord, throw OTT on it, sidechain it to death, and wonder why the drop sounds cheesy, flat and forgettable.

That is not future bass.

That is a loud chord pad with a pump on it.

In this guide, we are going to build a proper future bass workflow in Serum 2: emotional chords, supersaw stacks, bass layers, voicing, sidechain, vocal chops, drums, arrangement, resampling, Ableton racks and mixdown control.

Use this as the blueprint.

Then make it feel like something.

What You Need Before You Start

You can follow this workflow in Serum 2, Ableton, FL Studio, Logic, Cubase or any DAW that lets you program MIDI, automate synth parameters, process audio and resample sounds.

Here is the basic toolkit:

• Serum 2 for supersaws, plucks, pads, leads, basses and vocal-style textures.
• A strong chord progression before you worry about sound design.
• Clean MIDI voicing so the chords feel emotional instead of muddy.
• Sidechain or volume shaping for bounce and space.
• Reverb, delay and automation for size and movement.
• Resampling to turn simple chords and vocal chops into custom moments.

If you do not want to start from an empty piano roll, grab the free MIDI files, free Serum presets and free Ableton racks first. Then use this guide to turn the raw materials into a real future bass drop.

Start With The EDMT Free Vault

The easiest way to practice future bass production is to start with stronger source material.

That is why we upgraded the EDM Templates Free Downloads Vault with 1,545 Serum presets, 1,552 MIDI files, 244 Ableton racks and thousands of samples inside a massive 14GB+ collection of 7,300+ royalty-free production files.

Inside the vault, you get a complete production arsenal built for modern EDM, dubstep, drum & bass, riddim, midtempo, hybrid trap, future bass and more.

Vault Content	Count	How To Use It For Future Bass
MIDI Files	1,552	Start with chord progressions, bass notes, melodies, plucks and emotional songstarter ideas.
Serum Presets	1,545	Load supersaws, pads, plucks, leads, basses and FX as starting points for melodic bass ideas.
Ableton Racks	244	Process chord stacks, drums, vocal chops, sidechain movement, reverb throws and transition FX faster.
Ableton Project Files	56	Reverse-engineer full arrangements, chord layers, drop structure, automation, routing and mixdowns.
Sample / Audio Files	3,890	Layer drums, impacts, risers, downlifters, vocal chops, FX, fills and melodic one-shots.

What Is Future Bass?

Future bass is melodic bass music built around emotional chords, lush synth stacks, sidechain movement, vocal chops, punchy drums, clean low end and strong hooks.

The genre can be soft, heavy, bright, dark, pop-inspired, trap-inspired or festival-ready, but the core idea is usually the same:

Big chords that move like a lead.

A strong future bass drop usually has:

• Emotional chord progressions that carry the track.
• Wide supersaw stacks with movement and texture.
• Clean bass notes underneath the chords.
• Sidechain bounce that makes the drop breathe.
• Vocal chops or leads that create a memorable hook.
• Drums that punch without overcrowding the chords.
• Automation and FX that keep the drop evolving.

The mistake is thinking future bass is only about sound design.

It is not.

The chord progression does most of the emotional work. The sound design makes that emotion feel huge.

The Quick Future Bass Recipe

Here is the fast version before we go deep.

Step	What To Do	Why It Works
1. Chords	Write a simple emotional progression before designing sounds.	Future bass collapses if the chords are weak.
2. Voicing	Spread notes across octaves, use inversions, and keep the low mids clean.	Good voicing makes chords feel expensive before processing.
3. Supersaw Stack	Layer wide saws, softer pads, plucks and top texture.	The stack creates size, width and emotional impact.
4. Bass	Use root notes, sub support and warm mid-bass underneath the chords.	The bass gives the drop weight without muddying the chord stack.
5. Sidechain	Use volume shaping or sidechain compression to create bounce.	The pump makes the drop breathe and leaves space for the drums.
6. Hook	Add vocal chops, leads, plucks or a top melody.	The listener needs something memorable above the chords.

Step 1: Write The Chords First

Future bass starts in the piano roll.

Not the preset browser.

If the chord progression does not feel good on a basic piano, it probably will not feel good as a giant supersaw stack either. A big synth can make a good progression feel massive, but it will not magically make a boring progression emotional.

Start simple.

Use four chords. Loop them. Play them on a piano or simple pad. Then ask:

• Does the progression feel emotional without processing?
• Does the bass note movement feel natural?
• Does the final chord make you want the loop to repeat?
• Can you hum a melody over it?
• Does it feel too happy, too sad, too cheesy or too predictable?

Good future bass progressions often use:

• Simple 4-chord loops
• Major 7th or minor 7th colors
• Suspended notes
• Inversions
• Common tones between chords
• Root movement that feels emotional but not random

Do not overcomplicate the harmony just to look advanced.

Future bass chords hit when the emotion is clear.

If you struggle with melodic ideas, read The Art Of The Hook and start with the free MIDI files before designing the synth stack.

Step 2: Voice The Chords So They Feel Expensive

Chord voicing is the difference between amateur future bass and professional future bass.

A basic triad in one octave can sound small, even with a great preset.

The same chord spread across octaves can feel huge before you touch the mixer.

Try this voicing workflow:

1. Start with a simple triad.
2. Move one note up an octave.
3. Add a 7th or 9th if the track needs more emotion.
4. Keep one note common between chord changes when possible.
5. Use inversions so the top note creates a melody.
6. Remove low notes that make the chord muddy.

The top note matters.

In future bass, the top note of each chord often becomes the hook. Even if you do not write a separate melody, the listener hears the chord movement as a lead line.

That means you should not just stack notes randomly.

Make the top line sing.

A simple trick:

Mute the middle notes and listen only to the top notes of your chords.

If that top line sounds boring, the full chord stack will probably feel boring too.

Step 3: Build The Serum 2 Supersaw

Now the sound design starts.

A future bass supersaw should feel wide, full and alive, but still controlled enough to leave room for drums, bass and vocals.

Start with Serum 2 like this:

1. Load a saw wave on Oscillator A.
2. Add unison for width.
3. Increase detune until the sound opens up.
4. Use blend and level controls to avoid a messy cloud.
5. Add Oscillator B only if it gives the sound a new job.
6. Use a lowpass filter if the stack feels too bright.

Good second-layer options include:

• A softer saw for body.
• A wavetable with more texture for movement.
• A quieter octave layer for size.
• A pluck layer for attack.
• A noise layer for air.

Do not make the patch huge by default.

Make it balanced.

Width is not the same as power. A supersaw that is too wide and blurry can disappear once the kick, snare, bass and vocal chops come in.

The goal is a stack that sounds emotional in the full drop, not just impressive soloed.

Step 4: Layer The Chord Stack

One Serum patch can work.

But most professional future bass chord stacks are layered.

The trick is giving every layer one job.

Layer	Job	Mixing Focus
Main Supersaw	The emotional body of the drop.	Wide, full, controlled low mids.
Pluck Layer	Adds attack and rhythm to the chord movement.	Short, bright, not too loud.
Pad Layer	Adds softness and atmosphere underneath the saws.	Filtered, smooth, tucked behind the main stack.
Top Air Layer	Adds sparkle, width and expensive detail.	High-passed and quiet.
Chord Bass / Root Layer	Supports the progression with weight.	Mono or mostly centered, clean low end.

The mistake is stacking five supersaws doing the same thing.

That does not make the drop bigger.

It makes the drop blurrier.

Every layer should have one job. If two layers are fighting for the same space, mute one and see if the stack gets cleaner.

If it does, you did not need that layer.

For a deeper breakdown on this, read Why Your Layers Sound Weak.

Step 5: Add The Bass Layer Underneath

Future bass needs low-end support, but the bass should not swallow the chords.

Start with the root notes of your chord progression.

Then decide what kind of bass the track needs:

• Clean sub for weight and stability.
• Warm mid-bass for emotional body.
• Reese bass for movement and width above the sub.
• Short pluck bass for more rhythmic bounce.
• 808-style bass for trap-influenced future bass drops.

Keep the deepest low end controlled.

If the chord stack is wide and emotional, the bass should usually stay simpler. Let the chords carry the emotion. Let the bass hold the floor.

A simple setup:

• Sub layer: clean sine or triangle following the root notes.
• Mid-bass layer: warm saw, reese or filtered bass for body.
• Top bass layer: optional texture or movement, high-passed if needed.

Do not make every layer wide.

The drop needs a strong center before the sides feel impressive.

Step 6: Make The Sidechain Breathe

Sidechain is part of the future bass sound.

But bad sidechain ruins everything.

The point is not to delete the chord every time the kick hits. The point is to create bounce, make space for the drums, and make the drop feel like it is breathing.

Use volume shaping, sidechain compression or automation to duck:

• Chord stack
• Pad layers
• Bass layer
• Reverb returns
• Vocal chop FX
• Wide atmosphere layers

Try different sidechain shapes:

• Fast dip, fast recovery for punchy festival bounce.
• Deep dip, slower recovery for dramatic pumping chords.
• Short duck on the kick only for cleaner pop-style drops.
• Different sidechain depths per layer so the stack breathes naturally.

The last one is important.

Not every layer needs the exact same sidechain amount.

Your main chords might pump hard. Your pad might pump less. Your vocal chop delay might duck only when it gets messy. That creates a more professional groove than slamming the entire drop with one giant sidechain shape.

Step 7: Create The Vocal Chop Hook

Future bass does not always need vocal chops.

But when they work, they can make the entire drop memorable.

The vocal chop should not feel like random audio thrown on top of the chords.

It should feel like a hook.

Try this workflow:

1. Choose a vocal phrase, one-shot or vowel sound.
2. Chop it into short pieces.
3. Load the chops into a sampler.
4. Play a simple melody using the same scale as the chords.
5. Keep the rhythm locked to the bounce of the drop.
6. Add reverb and delay, then automate them.

Good vocal chop tricks:

• Use one vowel as the main hook.
• Repeat a short chop to create rhythm.
• Pitch one chop up for emotional lift.
• Use formant shifting for character.
• Reverse a chop before the drop for tension.
• Throw the last chop into delay before a phrase reset.

The vocal chop should answer the chords.

If the chords are busy, keep the vocal chop simple. If the chords are simple, the vocal chop can carry more movement.

For more ways to flip source audio into something custom, read How To Make Stock Loops Sound Unique.

Step 8: Program Drums That Support The Chords

Future bass drums need to punch, but they should not bulldoze the emotion.

The kick and snare create the bounce. The hats and percussion create movement. The fills create section changes.

Start with:

• A clean kick that works with the sidechain shape.
• A strong snare or clap that cuts through the chord stack.
• Light hats that create energy without taking over the top end.
• Percussion for groove and human movement.
• Fills at the end of every 4 or 8 bars.

Do not overfill the drop.

If the chords, vocal chops, bass and drums are all busy at the same time, the emotional core disappears.

Use silence.

Let the snare breathe. Let the chords swell. Let the vocal chop answer instead of competing.

If your drums feel robotic, read Stop Programming Like A Robot. Humanized velocity, timing and small variations can make future bass drums feel much more alive.

Step 9: Use Reverb, Delay And Automation For Emotion

Future bass needs space.

But space is dangerous.

Too little reverb and the drop feels dry. Too much reverb and the chords turn into soup.

Use reverb and delay with intent:

• Short reverb for snare size.
• Long reverb for vocal chop throws and emotional moments.
• Filtered reverb so the low mids do not get muddy.
• Delay throws on the final vocal chop or lead note of a phrase.
• Automation to open the space before transitions.

The key is automation.

A static reverb send can make the whole drop cloudy. An automated reverb throw can make one moment feel huge without ruining the entire mix.

Automate:

• Filter cutoff
• Reverb sends
• Delay feedback
• Sidechain depth
• Noise layers
• Chord stack brightness
• Vocal chop formants
• Supersaw width

For more movement ideas, read Creative FX And Automation. Future bass lives or dies by movement across the phrase.

Step 10: Process Faster With Ableton Racks

If you are working in Ableton, racks can speed up the future bass workflow fast.

Instead of rebuilding the same chord chain, sidechain chain, vocal chop chain, reverb throw, drum bus and transition FX every session, you can save them as reusable tools.

Use Ableton racks for:

• Supersaw width and brightness control.
• Chord-stack EQ and compression.
• Sidechain-style pumping chains.
• Vocal chop reverb and delay throws.
• Parallel drum processing.
• Build-up filters and transition FX.
• Macro-controlled drop movement.

This is where the 244 free Ableton racks in the EDMT Free Vault become useful. Load a chord stack, drop in a rack, move the macros, automate the phrase and resample the best moments.

The rack is not the final sound.

It is the shortcut to better movement.

Step 11: Resample The Chords Into Audio

Serum 2 gives you the chord stack.

Resampling gives you the ear candy.

Once the supersaws, sidechain and automation feel good, bounce the chord stack to audio.

Now you can:

• Reverse a chord into the drop.
• Chop a small piece into a fill.
• Pitch one chord up for a transition.
• Stretch a chord tail into an atmosphere.
• Filter a bounced chord into a breakdown pad.
• Render the stack through another effects chain.
• Cut the final chord into a rhythmic vocal-chop-style texture.

This is how simple chord progressions become custom production moments.

Do not leave everything as live MIDI forever.

Print the audio. Break it. Keep the parts that make the track feel more alive.

Step 12: Arrange The Drop In Emotional Waves

Future bass drops need evolution.

If you paste the same chord loop for 16 bars, the emotion dies fast.

Use small changes every 2, 4 and 8 bars.

Section	What Happens	Why It Works
Bars 1–2	Main chords, bass, kick, snare and simple vocal chop enter.	Establishes the emotional identity of the drop.
Bars 3–4	Add top layer, percussion, pluck answer or vocal chop variation.	Creates movement without changing the whole idea.
Bars 5–6	Open the filter, add a lead, increase chord brightness or widen the stack.	Raises emotional intensity.
Bars 7–8	Stop, fill, reverb throw, reverse chord, drum fill or vocal chop reset.	Sets up the next phrase cleanly.

The goal is not random variation.

The goal is emotional lift.

Every 4 bars should feel like the track is opening a little more, answering the previous phrase, or setting up the next one.

If your drop feels like one loop copied eight times, read The Loop Trap.

Step 13: Mix Future Bass Without Turning It Into Mud

Future bass gets muddy fast.

The chords are wide. The reverb is big. The bass is warm. The vocal chops have delay. The snare has a tail. The pads are atmospheric.

Everything wants space.

Use this checklist:

• High-pass chord layers when the bass is carrying the low end.
• Keep the sub mostly mono for weight and translation.
• Cut low-mid mud in pads, chords, reverb and vocal chop FX.
• Control harsh highs in supersaws before they get painful.
• Use sidechain on reverbs so the drop stays clean.
• Do not make every layer wide or the center will disappear.
• Mute layers that do not add emotion instead of stacking endlessly.
• Check the drop quietly to see if the hook still works without loudness.

The goal is not to make the chord stack as big as possible.

The goal is to make the song feel big.

That means the chords, bass, drums, vocal chops and FX need to work together instead of all trying to be the biggest thing in the mix.

If your future bass drop sounds huge soloed but cloudy in the full track, read Why Your Mix Sounds Muddy.

5 Future Bass Recipes To Try

1. The Emotional Supersaw Drop

Start with a strong 4-chord progression, wide Serum supersaws, clean sub, sidechain bounce and a simple vocal chop hook.

Best for:

• Illenium-style emotional drops
• Festival melodic bass
• Big chorus moments
• Vocal-driven future bass

Keep the progression simple and make the top notes sing.

2. The Porter-Style Glitch Chord Drop

Use bright chord stabs, chopped MIDI, glitchy resampling, vocal textures, pitch movement and playful automation.

Best for:

• Glitchy melodic drops
• Playful chord movement
• Electronic pop crossover
• Resampled chord fills

Print the chords to audio and chop them. This style lives in the edits.

3. The Trap Nation Future Bass Drop

Use lush chords, clean drums, trap-influenced percussion, vocal chops and a strong sidechain pump.

Best for:

• Clean online-ready future bass
• Vocal chop drops
• Polished melodic arrangements
• Bright emotional hooks

Keep the mix clean. Too much low-mid energy will kill the shine.

4. The Melodic Bass Hybrid Drop

Start with future bass chords, then add heavier bass shots, growls or hybrid trap drums underneath.

Best for:

• Future bass x dubstep drops
• Melodic bass second drops
• Heavier emotional arrangements
• Hybrid festival tracks

If you want the heavier bass side, read How To Make Dubstep Growls In Serum 2.

5. The Minimal Emotional Drop

Use fewer layers: one chord stack, one bass, one vocal chop, clean drums and a strong arrangement.

Best for:

• More intimate future bass
• Vocal-focused tracks
• Clean melodic sections
• Breakdown-to-drop contrast

Do not hide weak writing behind 50 layers. Let the progression carry the moment.

Common Future Bass Mistakes

1. Starting With The Preset Instead Of The Chords

A huge supersaw cannot save a weak progression.

Write the chords first. Make them feel good on a piano. Then design the sound.

2. Making Every Layer Wide

Width only works when the center is strong.

Keep the bass and core punch controlled. Use width on the upper chord layers, pads, FX and vocal chops.

3. Over-sidechaining Everything

Sidechain should create bounce, not delete the drop.

Use different sidechain depths for different layers so the movement feels musical.

4. Ignoring Chord Voicing

Bad voicing makes even good chords sound cheap.

Use inversions, spread notes across octaves, and make the top line feel like a melody.

5. Too Much Reverb

Big space is great until the mix turns into fog.

Filter reverbs, automate sends, and duck reverb returns when the drop needs to stay clean.

6. No Hook Above The Chords

Chords can carry emotion, but a hook makes the drop memorable.

Use vocal chops, leads, plucks, top-note movement or a simple melody to give the listener something to remember.

7. Looping The Same Drop For 16 Bars

Future bass needs emotional lift.

Add small changes every 2, 4 and 8 bars so the drop keeps opening instead of going stale.

Want More Future Bass Sounds?

Designing from scratch is powerful, but sometimes you need high-quality source material, presets, MIDI files, project files and racks that are already built for the genre.

These EDMT packs are strong next steps if you want emotional chord stacks, supersaws, plucks, MIDI progressions, vocal-chop-ready ideas, Ableton projects and polished future bass workflows.

Pack	Best For	Why It Fits This Workflow
ETERNAL | Ultimate Future Bass Collection	Complete future bass production	Includes 670+ Serum presets, 10 Ableton projects, 900+ MIDI files and 130+ effect racks for building full melodic future bass tracks.
ANTHEM | Pro Future Bass Serum Presets	Emotional melodic bass and big supersaw moments	Includes 100 Serum presets built for huge saws, euphoric synths, uplifting leads, atmospheric pads, plucks, arps and warm low-end support.
ENIGMATIC | Future Bass Presets For Xfer Serum	Modern melodic genres, plucks, pads and clean basses	Includes expert Serum presets and Massive presets for deep basses, shimmering plucks, lush pads and modern melodic sound design.
SPECTRUM | Trap Nation Style Future Bass Bundle	Polished future bass arrangement and project learning	Includes 3 fully arranged Ableton projects, 20 Serum presets and 25 effect racks for studying clean modern future bass structure.
EUPHORIA | Xfer Serum Soundbank	Modern melodic bass foundations	Includes 70 Serum presets, a pro Ableton project file, WAV stems and MIDI files for studying polished melodic bass production.
ESCAPE | Future Bass Ableton Project File	Hands-on future bass project learning	Use it to reverse-engineer MIDI programming, Serum sounds, OTT processing, arrangement and future bass workflow inside Ableton.

Related EDMT Guides

Want to build the full future bass workflow? Start with the chords, then use these guides to tighten the sound design, hooks, arrangement and mixdown.

Guide	Use It For
Free Sample Packs: 7,300+ Free Production Files Vault	Download the full EDMT Free Vault with samples, Serum presets, MIDI, Ableton projects, racks and more.
Free MIDI Files For EDM Producers	Start future bass tracks faster with chord progressions, bass notes, melodies, plucks and songstarter ideas.
Ultimate Free Serum Presets List	Find free Serum supersaws, pads, plucks, leads, basses and FX to build melodic drops faster.
Free Ableton Racks For Bass Music Producers	Process chord stacks, vocal chops, drums, sidechain movement and transition FX faster.
Free Ableton Project Files List	Reverse-engineer full arrangements, chord layers, automation, routing, mixdowns and drop structure.
The Art Of The Hook	Write stronger top lines, chord movement and vocal chop hooks before adding more layers.
Why Your Layers Sound Weak	Fix frequency overlap, weak chord stacks, phase issues and messy layering before adding more sounds.
Creative FX And Automation	Use reverb throws, delay automation, filter movement, sidechain changes and FX to make drops evolve.
Serum 2 vs Serum 1	Understand what changed in Serum 2 and how it affects modern sound design workflows.

FAQ

What makes a future bass drop sound professional?

A professional future bass drop usually has emotional chords, strong voicing, wide but controlled supersaws, clean bass support, musical sidechain movement, memorable vocal chops or leads, and enough arrangement variation to keep the drop evolving.

Do I need Serum 2 to make future bass?

No. You can make future bass in Serum 1, Ableton stock synths, Vital, Sylenth1, Massive or almost any capable synth. Serum 2 gives you more modern sound-design options, but the fundamentals are still chords, voicing, layering, sidechain and arrangement.

What chords work best for future bass?

Simple emotional progressions usually work best. Major 7ths, minor 7ths, suspended notes, inversions and strong top-note movement can all help. The key is making the progression feel good before adding the supersaw stack.

How do I make supersaws sound wider?

Use unison, detune, stereo spread, layered octaves, subtle chorus, top layers and reverb. But do not widen everything. Keep the bass and core punch controlled so the drop still has a strong center.

Why do my future bass chords sound muddy?

Your chord voicing may be too low, your layers may be fighting in the low mids, or your reverb may be too heavy. Spread the voicing, high-pass chord layers, filter reverbs and keep the bass in its own lane.

Should I use sidechain compression or volume shaping?

Both can work. Volume shaping gives you precise control over the pump, while sidechain compression can feel more reactive. The important part is shaping the bounce musically instead of over-ducking the entire drop.

Are vocal chops necessary for future bass?

No, but they can make the drop more memorable. You can also use plucks, leads, supersaw top notes, guitar chops, synth stabs or any simple melodic hook above the chords.

Are Serum presets cheating?

No. Presets are starting points. Load one, study the voicing and modulation, change the chords, edit the macros, layer it differently, resample it and turn it into your own sound.

Conclusion

Future bass is not just supersaws and sidechain.

It is emotion with sound design around it.

The chords create the feeling. The voicing makes it expensive. The supersaw stack makes it huge. The bass gives it weight. The sidechain makes it breathe. The vocal chop gives it a hook. The automation makes it evolve.

Do not chase a bigger drop by adding more random layers.

Write better chords. Voice them properly. Give every layer one job. Keep the low end clean. Automate the movement. Resample the best moments. Then make it loud.

That is how you make future bass that actually connects.

If you want a head start, grab the free MIDI files, free Serum presets, free Ableton racks and thousands of samples inside the EDM Templates Free Downloads Vault.