Distortion & filtering
As with any type of sound design, there are countless options for processing raw bass from a synth, with the order and type of processing potentially making a huge difference to how the end result sounds. As a starting point, most neurofunk basses will use distortion or saturation in varying quantities to get a full, complex tone and bring out the original sound’s harmonics and modulation. Anything goes here: experiment with combinations of heavy tape saturation, stompbox-style overdrive, clipping algorithms, grungy guitar amp distortion or digital degradation to add the desired amount of aggression and harmonic exaggeration. Distorting the signal in parallel via an FX send gives you a controllable wet/dry mix of the original and processed sounds, enabling you to maintain the weight and cleanliness of the original signal in the mix while also blending in fuzz, grit and character. Further processing such as EQ, compression and modulation can also be stacked up on the FX send, giving even more options for sound-sculpting and tweaking.
Filtering is another essential tool for applying motion and texture. For maximum timbral interest, you’ll want to look further than the traditional filter types: more unusual shapes such as notch and band reject can be ideal for creating textured sweeping effects from raw bass. Again, try applying extreme filtering in parallel to the dry signal for even more control over the resulting sound’s layered complexity. Alternatively, using a filter with envelope following built in (such as Sugar Bytes’ WOW2) can be a great way to exaggerate the modulation and filtering already present in a source sound, as the filter cutoff and resonance track the sound’s movement – great for improving sounds that already have some nice movement printed onto them.
The traditional modulation effects bundled with your DAW – flangers, choruses and phasers – can be used to add another dimension to a processed bass. For example, flanging really brings out the detuned, moving character of a Reese bass, while chorus can be used to add extra stereo width and a subtle ‘swimming’ motion. Remember, though, that there’s no hard and fast rules when it comes to using processing, so it’s always worth experimenting with the order of your plugins – you might find that placing distortion after a resonant filter gives those resonant peaks a nice crunch, for example.