How to make an 808 in Serum 2

An 808 bass is a sine wave with a fast pitch drop at the start, which gives the punch, and a long decay that carries the note. Distortion adds the harmonics that let you hear it on phones and laptops, where a pure sine almost disappears.

The sine and the pitch drop

  1. Set oscillator A to a sine. One voice, no unison.
  2. Drag ENV 2 onto oscillator A's coarse pitch and set the amount to +12 to +24 semitones.
  3. Set ENV 2 to zero attack, a decay of 30 to 80 ms and no sustain. The note now starts high and falls to its pitch, which is the click and punch.

A longer decay sounds like a laser drop. If the start sounds soft, shorten the decay or raise the amount.

VISIONS OF TOMORROW71 finished Serum 2 presets for house and techno: 26 basses, leads, pads, plucks, keys, stabs and FX. Royalty-free.Requires Serum 2.

Amp envelope

On ENV 1, keep the attack at zero, then use a long decay with low sustain, or full sustain with a release of 200 to 500 ms. For trap, a long tail of 1 to 2 seconds is common; for house, keep it shorter so it does not run into the next kick.

Distortion

Add distortion after everything. Soft clip or tube for warmth, harder settings for drill and trap. Then high-pass below 25 to 30 Hz. Our free house 808 preset shows a cleaner version for house.

Glide and tuning

Mono, legato and a portamento of 60 to 150 ms give the slides between notes. Tune the 808 to the key of the track, and if you use a separate kick, see how to tune a kick to the key.

Five free Serum 2 presets →A house 808, a distorted 303, a French touch lead, a retro pad and a trance pluck. Open them and see how they are built.Kick and 808 tuning →Find which note your kick or 808 is and the frequency of every note.EDM Serum presets: 71 for Serum 2 →VISIONS OF TOMORROW: basses, leads, pads, plucks, keys, stabs and FX. Requires Serum 2. $29.Where to save your Serum 2 preset →The Serum 2 presets folder on Windows and Mac, and how to make new presets show up.

Five free Serum 2 presets

From our VISIONS OF TOMORROW pack: an 808 bass, a distorted 303 acid bass, a French house lead, a retro pad and a trance pluck. The same download has 16 house drums and three guitar loops. Royalty-free.

Your download now, then two short emails: how to use the sounds, and a 25% code for any of the full packs, valid for a week. Unsubscribe any time.

Questions

How do I make an 808 punch in Serum?

Put a fast pitch envelope on the oscillator: ENV 2 on coarse pitch, +12 to +24 semitones, with a 30 to 80 ms decay.

Why can I not hear my 808 on my phone?

A pure sine has no harmonics for small speakers to play. Add distortion so the 808 has upper partials.

How do I make 808 slides in Serum?

Mono, legato and a portamento of about 60 to 150 ms. Overlapping notes then glide.

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