How to Make a Techy Roller Bass in Serum

To make a techy roller bass in Serum, start with two sine waves and run FM from oscillator B into A, then add the sub and a touch of noise. Give it punch with an envelope on the master tune, distort it, and put the movement in a band-pass filter and notch EQ modulated by an LFO and automation. Finish with OTT, parallel layers and pitch bends. Below is every step with the settings shown in our video.

By DNB Academy · Updated 13 October 2026 · 7 min read · Serum + Ableton Live

Prefer to watch? The full 6-minute video builds the bass from an initialised patch.

1.Set up two sines with FM, sub and noise

Start from an initialised patch and set up the oscillators:

1. Load a sine wave on oscillator A and another sine wave on oscillator B (Basic Shapes).
2. Turn the level of oscillator B all the way down. We only want to use it to modulate A.
3. On oscillator A, set the warp mode to FM (from B) and leave it around 40%.
4. Change the octave of oscillator B (it sits at +2 in the screenshot). The higher the modulator, the brighter and more metallic the FM.
5. Turn on the sub for weight, and the noise set to BrightWhite, mixed in low: 5% works.

2.Add a pitch transient with envelope 2

Next, add a transient so the bass punches. Open the Matrix and use envelope 2 to modulate the master tuning (Mast.Tun). Set the amount to an octave.

Then bring down the sustain and the decay of envelope 2. In the screenshot the decay is around 60 ms with 0% sustain. Every note now starts with a very fast pitch drop, which reads as a click or punch rather than an audible pitch slide.

3.Distort it and turn off random phase

Go to the FX tab and turn on Distortion (Tube mode in the video). The FM harmonics and noise now get thicker and more aggressive.

You might notice the bass sounds slightly different each time you play it. That's random phase. Put the RAND knob next to Phase all the way down so you get the same sound every time. With randomisation off, you can also experiment with the phase itself to change the attack.

4.Put the movement in a band-pass filter and notch EQ

This is where the techy movement happens. In the FX rack:

1. Add a Filter and select Band 12 (a 12 dB band-pass).
2. After the band-pass, add a Chorus.
3. Then add a Compressor in multiband mode.

Moving the band-pass cutoff already sweeps the bass. For extra movement, turn on the EQ, select the peak shapes but turn them into notches, and play with the resonance and cutoff.

Now modulate it: drag LFO 1 onto the notch frequency, bring the rate down (2 bar in the screenshot) and change the LFO shape until the notches sweep in a way you like.

5.Sequence the band-pass with automation

To turn the movement into a sequence, automate the cutoff of the band-pass filter from your DAW. Click the filter cutoff in Serum so the DAW picks it up, then draw the automation in the clip. In Ableton it appears as FX Fil Freq.

The video uses quick ramps and repeated saw-tooth shapes that line up with the notes, so every note gets its own little sweep.

Want to go further with the pattern itself? Our guide to writing DnB bass patterns with call and response covers where to place hits, fills and turnarounds.

6.Post-process: OTT, EQ and parallel layers

Now post-process the sound in the DAW:

1. Three OTTs with the same settings, one after another. In the screenshot each has Amount at 66%. Stacking them brings up a lot of detail and grit.
2. Simple EQ to shape the result.
3. Parallel processing: an audio effect rack that keeps the dry layer and adds a reverb layer, a stereo layer and a high layer. In the screenshot the dry chain sits at 0 dB with reverb at −6 dB and stereo at −8.4 dB underneath.
4. Then the sidechain and a simple low cut.

For the sidechain, the ducking approach in our punchy DnB drums tutorial keeps the kick and snare on top of a busy bass like this.

7.Finish with pitch bends, then experiment

The last thing is to play with the pitch bend. Automate it so some notes slide up into the next one, as in the screenshot.

Then experiment to fine-tune the bass for your track:

• The amount of FM on oscillator A.
• The octave of oscillator B.
• The amount of distortion.
• The EQ peaks and notches.

Common mistakes

• Leaving oscillator B audible. It's the FM modulator. If its level is up, you hear a second tone fighting the bass.
• A long envelope decay on the pitch. Keep envelope 2 short (around 60 ms in the video) or the punch turns into a slow pitch dive.
• Random phase left on. The bass will sound different on every note. Turn RAND down.
• Too much noise. About 5% is enough. More noise fills the mids and fights the drums.
• Stacked OTT without gain checks. Three OTTs add a lot of level and grit. Level-match before you judge it.
• No low cut on the processed bass. The parallel layers can add rumble. A simple low cut keeps room for the sub and kick.

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FAQ

Next steps

You now have a moving techy roller bass and a chain you can reuse. When you want to learn the whole process in order, from sound design to finished tracks, here's where to go next:

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