Creating a classic funk bass

The DM12 can easily produce some very authentic/classic funk bass sounds. Here we create a staple funk bass patch...

01 >

Initialise your patch by pressing Prog and Compare. Reduce VCA and VCF envelope release to zero. Switch off DCO1’s pulsewave and use the saw only. Select the Mono-2 mode by pressing the edit button under the poly section. Set unison detune to taste.

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Switch off velocity to amp and filter for authenticity. Go back to the poly selection and select legato envelope triggering. You’ll now have a very open buzzy sound. Bring down the filter cutoff to around 50 and add in some VCF envelope via the envelope slider.

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Set the filter envelope attack, sustain and release to zero and use the decay slider to sculpt the attack of your sound for maximum punch. Balance the filter frequency, envelope amount and VCF ADSR to taste. Add more VCF sustain/detuning to taste. Engage Bass Boost.

04 >

Introduce DCO2 to add some more weight/thickness/ growl. Tweak the tone and level to taste using the tone-mod and level sliders. To add aftertouch-driven pitch-mod/wobble, hit ‘edit’ under DCO1 & 2, then dial in your preferred aftertouch> pitch-mod amount and set LFO1 rate to taste.

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Add in a touch of filter resonance, then press the edit button twice (in the poly section) and set the lower pitch bend range to -12 for classic pitch-dive effects! Add some noise into the mix for more grit and dirt. Tweak to taste.

06

Adjust the curves on each stage of the filter envelope to fit with the track you’re working on. This can really help slot your bass sound in nicely with beats and other instruments. Use this sound as your staple funk bass sound template.