Skip to main content
MusicRadar MusicRadar The No.1 website for musicians
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Drums Week 25
  • Synths
  • Guitars
  • Guitar Pedals
  • Guitar Amps
  • Keyboards & Pianos
  • Controllers
  • Artist news
  • Drums
  • Software & Apps
  • More
    • Recording
    • DJ Gear
    • Acoustic Guitars
    • Bass Guitars
    • Tech
    • Tutorials
    • Reviews
    • Buying Guides
    • About Us
More
  • Santana on Beck
  • Friday, I'm in Love
  • Knopfler's 4-note secret
  • 95k+ free music samples
Don't miss these
Plugins
Plugins How to get famous sounds and effects using only Logic’s stock plugins
Silva Bumpa
Tech Breakout producer Silva Bumpa on the secret to creating sub bass and UKG rhythms
MXR MB301 Bass Synth: the six-knob pedal is pictured in use against a petrol-blue background.
Bass Guitars “Thunderous sub-octave, expressive envelope, and lush modulation effects with killer tracking and sustain”: MXR unveils the MB301 Bass Synth – instant funk for your pedalboard
roland tr-808
Tutorials "The TR-808's bass drum is undoubtedly the most recognisable electronic kick sound of all time": How to get the perfect 808s
Ableton Live Tutorial
Tech 5 creative ways to use distortion in Ableton Live: From punchier drums to dub techno delays
Home studio
Music Theory And Songwriting You don't need to be a music theory expert to make electronic music, but it helps - here's our guide to the basics
ARMNHMR
Djs ARMNHMR on their tools of the trade
halogen fm
Tech GForce Software makes FM synthesis simple with Halogen FM
Sonic Charge Synplant 2
Software & Apps "This really is the ultimate sound design tool": 6 of the most creative plugin synths for sound design
rudimental
Tech "It's one of my favourite synths": Rudimental reveal their favourite plugins for drum 'n' bass production
Nadia Struiwigh
Artists Tresor resident Nadia Struiwigh on why she avoids tutorials and keeps things 'loose' in the studio
nitzer ebb
Samples SampleRadar: 205 free EBM samples
GForce Software Oddity3
Synths How to master virtually any software synth
Silva Bumpa Feel Da Same
Artists Why Silva Bumpa created his own R&B instrumental just to remix it into the garage-inspired Feel Da Same
synths
Tech 5 innovative synth plugins daring to do things differently
  1. Tutorials
  2. Music Production Tutorials

How to make a trance bass sound

Tuition
By Computer Music Specials published 15 July 2010

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Getting started

Getting started

Step 1: A lot of rolling-style trance basslines comprise a low bass with a mid-range bass layer over the top, and this is what we’re after. We’ll need a low part to start with, so select a nice deep bass tone. We’re using BS Basic Bass from Sylenth1 (which you’ve just voted the best VST synth in the world today). Here's the sound:

Page 1 of 8
Page 1 of 8
Compression and EQ

Compression and EQ

Step 2: We add a hefty dose of compression and a big EQ boost using a low shelf. Sometimes it’s best to really overdo this initially and then tame it a bit later on. You don’t want the bass to be too subby, otherwise it’ll swamp your kick, so you need to spend a lot of time listening to just those two elements together.

Page 2 of 8
Page 2 of 8
The mid-range layer

The mid-range layer

Step 3: Now it’s time to add a mid-range layer. Choose a plucky, twangy bass sound -we’re using BS Line Bass from Sylenth1. We remove its lower frequencies under about 150Hz with an EQ plug-in, as you can see above. This allows the low-end, rumbly bass to do its work while our twangy bass layer sits happily above.

Page 3 of 8
Page 3 of 8
The combined sound

The combined sound

Step 4: We add a similar layer to our midrange bass, but this time choose a slightly warmer Sylenth1 sound: BS Pulsation. Keep your layers distinct from each other - each should contribute something a bit different to the mix. If they’re too different, though, it’ll make the sound too ‘bitty’ - it’s a balancing act. Here’s our combined sound:

Page 4 of 8
Page 4 of 8
Sidechaining

Sidechaining

Step 5: Now we group these two layers together, and add some sidechaining. Using a compressor to sidechain the bass will have the effect of ducking the level of the bass every time the kick occurs.

To do this, we create a track with a sample that plays simultaneously with every kick (a ‘ghost kick’), then mute this track so we never hear its output. We then put a compressor on our bass channel and send the output of the ghost kick channel to the sidechain input of the compressor. This makes the compressor behave as if it’s being applied to the ghost kick, when in fact it’s being applied to the bass. We want the compressor to ‘suck down’ on the bass sound on every beat, making it quieter and keeping it out of the way of the kick.

We can afford not to duck this bass part as much, but it’s good to have some noticeable ducking in there, as this will help to glue the two bass sounds together.

Page 5 of 8
Page 5 of 8
More EQ

More EQ

Step 6: Next up, we add some EQ at about 13kHz and 3kHz. Even though this is technically a bass part, it’s still going to poke through the mix on its own at certain points, so adding some mid and top will make it sound much fuller. You might find it slightly counter-intuitive to add those frequencies, but it really will make a difference during the sparser parts of the track.

Page 6 of 8
Page 6 of 8
Further tweaking

Further tweaking

Step 7: To get the right amount of bite in this mid-bass layer, it’s important to tweak your synth sound, so adjust the attack stage on your amplitude envelope to taste. Once you’ve got everything running together, you can really work on those decay and release stages to get it sounding just right. Try playing with the filter envelope as well.

Page 7 of 8
Page 7 of 8
Ping-pong delay

Ping-pong delay

Step 8: Finally, we add a little ping-pong delay to the bass sound to get it moving around a bit. Try a relatively small amount of feedback, say 20–30%. Be quite subtle with these kinds of effects on the bass - they should blend nicely in, as you’ll want the big, spacey reverbs and delays on your lead sound, so leave a bit of room.

For more trance production tutorials, check out the latest Computer Music Special, Make Dance Music (CMS42), which is on sale now.

Liked this? Now read: 26 trance tips

Connect with MusicRadar: via Twitter, Facebook and YouTube

Get MusicRadar straight to your inbox: Sign up for the free weekly newsletter

Page 8 of 8
Page 8 of 8
Computer Music Specials
Read more
Plugins
How to get famous sounds and effects using only Logic’s stock plugins
Silva Bumpa
Breakout producer Silva Bumpa on the secret to creating sub bass and UKG rhythms
MXR MB301 Bass Synth: the six-knob pedal is pictured in use against a petrol-blue background.
“Thunderous sub-octave, expressive envelope, and lush modulation effects with killer tracking and sustain”: MXR unveils the MB301 Bass Synth – instant funk for your pedalboard
roland tr-808
"The TR-808's bass drum is undoubtedly the most recognisable electronic kick sound of all time": How to get the perfect 808s
Ableton Live Tutorial
5 creative ways to use distortion in Ableton Live: From punchier drums to dub techno delays
Home studio
You don't need to be a music theory expert to make electronic music, but it helps - here's our guide to the basics
Latest in Music Production Tutorials
Ableton Live Tutorial
5 creative ways to use distortion in Ableton Live: From punchier drums to dub techno delays
Logic Drums
How to think like a human drummer when building software beats
Virtual drums
How to make virtual acoustic drum performances sound like the real thing
How to program MIDI drums that sound like the real thing
Drum recording
10 tips for recording perfect drums
Auto Filter Tutorial
6 ways to bring your tracks to life with Ableton Live’s revamped Auto Filter
Latest in Tuition
Overhead shot of electronic drum set plugged into a laptop running a VST
“At certain points in music history it became fashionable to place accents on certain beats”: How to score a drum part
Man in white t-shirt playing a Roland electronic drum set
10 common electronic drum set issues and how to troubleshoot them
The easy guide to recording drums: kit tips, mic placement and setting up your DAW
Where to start with a drum kit
Plugins
How to get famous sounds and effects using only Logic’s stock plugins
Plugin Chains
How to emulate a classic analogue recording system entirely with plugins

MusicRadar is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...