Phase Plant · Deep, minimal bass · Recreation

How to Make a Bass Like Alix Perez in Phase Plant (Deep, Minimal DnB)

To make a deep, minimal bass in the style of Alix Perez in Phase Plant, start with a sine wave whose phase is modulated by a saw, then let LFOs move two filters so the upper harmonics only open up at certain points in the bar. Distortion, a Slice EQ boost, a Disperser and a foldback stage give it grit and movement, and pitch and LFO-rate automation keep it alive. Below is our own recreation, presented by Paulo from DNB Academy, with the settings from the screen and audio of each stage.

By DNB Academy · Updated 27 October 2026 · 7 min read · Phase Plant + Ableton Live, intermediate

This is a learning recreation in the style of Alix Perez, not an original sound or preset from the artist. The point is the technique: a simple FM-style source, filters driven by LFOs, and movement you can automate. For every bass type in one place, see our drum and bass bass guide.

The full walkthrough with Paulo from DNB Academy: a deep, minimal bass in the style of Alix Perez, built from an initialised Phase Plant patch and finished in Ableton Live. Each step below links to its moment in the video.

1.Start with a sine, phase-modulated by a saw

The core tone is a sine wave whose phase is pushed around by a saw. That gives you a clean low end with a set of extra harmonics on top, which is exactly the kind of sound the later filters and distortion can shape.

From an initialised patch (watch at 0:16), add an analog generator and switch it to a sine. Then add a second analog generator below the output module, leave it as a saw, and use it to modulate the phase of the first oscillator. Because it sits below the output, the saw isn’t heard directly; it only shapes the sine. Next, raise the saw’s harmonic (watch at 0:40): on screen it ends up at ×2, which changes the character of the modulation straight away.

2.Add a filter and move it with an LFO

A low-pass filter tames the new harmonics, and a unipolar LFO with a custom shape opens and closes it. This is where the bass starts to breathe instead of sitting still.

Add a Filter (low-pass) and play with the cutoff (watch at 0:48). Then add an LFO, set it to unipolar, draw a smooth rise-and-fall shape in the LFO editor and map it to the cutoff. After that, play with the LFO rate until the movement suits your pattern; on screen the LFO runs free at 3.23 Hz.

3.Drive it with Overdrive, then boost the low harmonics

Distortion adds the weight and grit, and an EQ boost after it brings the lower harmonics forward so the bass feels fuller on smaller speakers.

Add a Distortion module (it’s on Overdrive on screen) and boost the drive (watch at 1:12). Then add a Slice EQ and boost some of the lower harmonics. In the video the boost is a single bell around 118 Hz, at roughly +7 dB.

4.Add movement with a Disperser and a foldback stage

A Disperser smears the phase of the harmonics so the tone moves and swirls, and a second distortion on foldback, mixed in lower, adds a bit more bite without taking over.

Add a Disperser (watch at 1:51). You can experiment a lot with this one; in the video Paulo adds a little pinch and brings the amount down, and the frequency reads 492 Hz on screen. Then distort the sound a bit more: add another Distortion, set it to Foldback and bring its mix lower so it blends in.

5.Gate the top end with a second filter on a synced LFO

This is the step that makes the bass feel rhythmic. A second, steeper low-pass sits fairly low, and a tempo-synced LFO opens it only at certain points, so the upper harmonics pass on some parts of the sequence and not others.

Add another Filter, change the slope to ×2 and set the cutoff fairly low (watch at 2:19). Automate it with another LFO: make it unipolar, switch it to sync (8/4 on screen) and draw a shape that lets the upper harmonics through only on parts of the sequence. In the video that’s one peak near the start and a second, smaller peak later on.

6.Automate the pitch and the LFO rate

Small pitch movements and a changing LFO speed stop a minimal bass from looping in an obvious way. Both are automated from the DAW, so they can change from bar to bar.

Add some pitch modulation by automating the pitch (watch at 3:30). In the video this is an automation lane on Phase Plant’s pitch wheel in Ableton Live, drawn as a zigzag of ramps up and down (the patch’s bend range reads 2 on screen).

Then play with the rate (watch at 3:48). Map the mod wheel to the rate of the filter LFO so that raising it brings the rate down, and automate the mod wheel in your DAW. On screen the rate drops to around 2.79 Hz while Paulo moves it.

7.Post-process: tame resonances and add space to the mids

That’s the whole patch. Outside the synth, an EQ removes harsh resonances, then the sound is split so only the mid harmonics get reverb and the low end stays dry.

First, EQ out some of the very strong resonances (watch at 4:18); on screen EQ Eight has a cut around 230 Hz at about −5.8 dB. Then split the signal with an Audio Effect Rack of two chains. One chain keeps the low end (an EQ Eight with a low-pass). The other chain high-passes the signal (178 Hz on screen) to separate the mid harmonics and sends them into a Reverb, so the space never muddies the sub. If you want to go further with low-end control, our DnB sub bass guide covers it in detail.

For where a bass like this sits among the styles, see the deep and minimal section of our subgenres guide. For two more deep, minimal sounds built in Serum, try our basses like Alix Perez & Skeptical guide.

Common mistakes with deep, minimal basses

• Letting the modulator be heard. The saw should only modulate the sine’s phase. Place it below the output module so it doesn’t go to the output on its own.
• A static filter. Without the LFO on the cutoff, the patch sounds flat. The movement is the sound.
• Too much foldback. Foldback gets harsh fast. Bring the mix down so it adds bite underneath the main tone.
• A bipolar LFO on the second filter. The video switches it to unipolar so the filter only opens upwards from its low setting, on the parts of the bar you choose.
• Looping the same bar. Automate the pitch and the LFO rate so each phrase moves a little differently.
• Reverb on the sub. High-pass the chain that feeds the reverb so the low end stays dry and focused.

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• Serum · Deep minimalHow to Make Basses Like Alix Perez & Skeptical in Serum10 min read · Video + guide
• Vital · Deep bassHow to Make a Deep Bass Like Skeptical’s “Desire” in Vital8 min read · Video + guide
• Phase Plant · RecreationHow to Make a Bass Like Mefjus’ “Hear Me” in Phase Plant10 min read · Video + guide
• Guide · BassHow to Make Drum and Bass Bass: A Guide to Every Bass Type15 min read · Video + guide

FAQ: making a bass like Alix Perez in Phase Plant

Next steps

Build the source and the first filter LFO, then write a short, sparse pattern and add the synced second filter; that’s where the groove comes from. For another Phase Plant recreation, try our bass like Mefjus’ “Hear Me”; for more bass types and when to use them, read our drum and bass bass guide.

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