Method 2: Xfer Serum

With snappy envelopes and plenty of effects, Serum is a solid percussion design toolkit

01

Starting with a sine wave on Osc A, lower the coarse tuning to around -24.00, and adjust the amp envelope (Env 1) to create a quick decay. Because of Serum’s default decay curve, this will be around 250-350 milliseconds. From there, you can impart pseudo-compression effects by extending the envelope Hold time. 02

To add punch to this kick, assign Env 2 to modulate Osc A’s coarse tuning. Keeping all of the envelope parameters at their defaults, set the decay time to around 350 ms. Next, set the pitch modulation depth to around 10. You can then further fine-tune the decay time, decay curve, and modulation depth.

To add the transient, we’ll use Serum’s noise generator, which is actually sample-based and includes a folder devoted to kick transients. Looping is turned on by default, so deactivate it, then select a transient from the 64 options and, if needed, adjust the tuning to taste. Keyboard tracking is optional, depending on your goals.

04

To add dynamics to your kick, you can add velocity to the level of the Osc A’s sine wave. Another useful tactic is to apply velocity modulation to the volume of the kick transient. Both of these are a matter of taste, so experiment with your options.

05

Before adding effects, consider activating the default preset’s ‘MG Low 12’ filter and exploring the Drive and Fat parameters. These will really beef up your kick in either subtle or obvious ways and offer more versatility than if you were simply changing the oscillator waveform.

06

Serum’s effects are another way to finesse your kick. Compression is the obvious tool for more extreme effects than Envelope 1’s Hold parameter, while the Distortion processor is useful for adding grunge for industrial and hardstyle kicks. Be sure to audition the array of distortion types as each is sonically unique.