Getting started at producing dubstep.

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Hi I am new to the forum and new to producing music. I want to get in to making dubstep and not sure what plugins are used for bass, leads, and drums. I have a DAW already and a MIDI keyboard so thats a start. So what plugins do you recommend for bass growls, wobble bass, big synth leads, or anything else to produce a good song.

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Any synth with an LFO should do it ... an FM synth would be useful too. Which DAW are you using? It may have suitable instruments & FX built-in ...
Last edited by thecontrolcentre on Wed Oct 17, 2018 1:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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thecontrolcentre wrote: Wed Oct 17, 2018 1:16 pm Any synth with an LFO should do it ... which DAW are you using? It may have suitable instruments & FX built-in ...
I am using FL Studio 20 producer edition.

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Well from the look of what's included in the producer package, you should have most of the tools needed already. It's a little thin on synths but you should still be able to do all the standard stuff with them.

At this stage it's more about production technique. The difference between a wobble and a growl is all what you do to it.

http://www.subatomiclabs.com/mantis/#download Mantis provides a solid start for most bass tones, though.

https://sites.google.com/site/mlvst0/ and PG-8X provides a kick-off point for leads.

Again, it's far more what you DO with these things that makes the dubstep. You primarily want a powerful, flexible synth that gives you the ability to make the sound yourself.

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Any synth in existence can make bass. If it can make bass, then it can also make leads. There is no magic involved, just the skill.

For crazy dubstep / electro basses, use Sytrus. Also use it for anything, probably the best synth in your current arsenal. However, FM is difficult in general and requires good understanding of underlying maths.

For drums, FL provides a lot of nice samples as far as I know.
Last edited by DJ Warmonger on Wed Oct 17, 2018 5:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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See Sytrus in your plugins list. Search for tutorials on youtube - there is a guy called SeamlessR.
Alternatively, buy NI Massive or Xfer Serum - these 2 are the most popular "dubstep synths" (ofc, there are many others that can make these tones) along with some dubstep presets.
Buy some dubstep sample pack for drums. Or make your own - just slap compression on them and some EQ boost until they start to sound BIG.
There are tons of dubstep tutorial on youtube.

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of course, the primary problem with using the exact same synth, and using all the presets that everyone else does is that you get music that sounds like it was made with the exact same synth and presets as everyone else.

this is not such a problem in melody-heavy genres.

two people playing the same acoustic guitar, for example, will have radically different song-writing styles, fingering styles, etc.

the thing about modern dubstep is that it's so focused on sound creation. the 'radical differences' take place in the creation of the "sound instrument" you use, more than the playing style itself (which can be rather inflexible)

so even if you start out using the presets to learn from (a fine way to learn), I'd try to depart from them and get to work on creating your own sounds, as quickly as possible, if you want to distinguish yourself. and don't just use "the best synths for dubstep"; maybe use them to start with, but as soon as you feel comfortable with the idea, try to use whatever you can and see what you can do with it.

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My suggestion is to get Serum. NOT because it will magically make you into a dubstep wizard, but because the vast majority of dubstep tutorials and lessons on YouTube and elsewhere use it.

Dubstep wobbles, reeses, pads, leads, even drums can and are all synthesized using Serum. Yes, you can make all those sounds on almost any synth. But you’ll find that Serum is quick to learn and very powerful.
Last edited by dangayle on Mon Oct 29, 2018 9:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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FL is a good start. Learn it inside and out. Use Sytrus, if you have it.
Then, learn Serum inside out. It is particularly useful for bleeding edge dubstep, but also;
dangayle wrote: Sat Oct 20, 2018 7:19 pm the vast majority of dubstep tutorials and lessons on YouTube and elsewhere use it.
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Keep in mind that I know little about dubstep beyond the fact that I vaguely dislike it. That being said, some possible suggestions for that type of sound...

Sugar Bytes Cyclop (an instrument that seems basically built for dubstep)
ArcSyn (can get some very intense sounds out of this)
MeldaProduction Wobble/some kind of autofilter (for the wobbledebass out of any synth bass)
What everyone else already suggested

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ztrauq wrote: Thu Oct 25, 2018 7:54 am Keep in mind that I know little about dubstep beyond the fact that I vaguely dislike it. That being said, some possible suggestions for that type of sound...

Sugar Bytes Cyclop (an instrument that seems basically built for dubstep)
ArcSyn (can get some very intense sounds out of this)
MeldaProduction Wobble/some kind of autofilter (for the wobbledebass out of any synth bass)
What everyone else already suggested
No offense meant, but this is like handing a keytar to someone who wants to make 80s New Wave. Listen to the tracks below, if you don’t get the groove, it doesn’t matter in the slightest what synth you use.

Newer dubstep:

https://youtu.be/oMbDb_vVkVI

https://youtu.be/ks3_m6qNsDc

Two classic with wobbles:

https://youtu.be/wXEMswA9vUs

https://youtu.be/KOttZSnzG7s

For the record, these are all in the classic UK dubstep tradition, not the Skrillex Brostep tradition.

For brostep, you’re better off learning good sampling/resampling skills along with a healthy dose of Serum for learning how to create Neuro basslines.

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Ah, yes, I sort of assumed that the OP meant 'brostep' because that's what most people think of when they think of dubstep, and because he didn't specify between the two which I think most people aware of the difference might do.

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jasonburge1990 wrote: Wed Oct 17, 2018 1:00 pm Hi I am new to the forum and new to producing music. I want to get in to making dubstep and not sure what plugins are used for bass, leads, and drums. I have a DAW already and a MIDI keyboard so thats a start. So what plugins do you recommend for bass growls, wobble bass, big synth leads, or anything else to produce a good song.
What sort of Dubstep do you mean? Skrillex dubstep or UK dubstep? Vastly different styles united in pretty much name only.

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Go to youtube and watch seamlessr vids. He'll teach you everything you need to work dubitystepidy in FLS.

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dangayle wrote: Sat Oct 20, 2018 7:19 pm My suggestion is the get Serum.
And the price to try Serum is cheap...rent to own for $9.99/month.

If you forget to turn off the subscription, you'll own it after 19 months. Don't ask me how I know.

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