In this Ableton Live tutorial we take a look at modifying drum samples in the Ableton default sampler (simpler) to create interesting bass textures.

The tutorial explains how to remove the click from a drum sound using the samplers  start position control and attack envelope before using the transpose parameter to match the pitch of the sample with that of the tracks existing kick drum. In this video we have the Simpler grouped into our Sample Auditioner Rack and you can see how to make one of these here.

Ableton Live does not come with an EQ capable of delivering a 48db cut other than EQ3 but this is restricted to rolling off at a minimum of 50hz. In order to remove frequencies beneath 20hz (bass energy that humans are unable to hear but still takes up headroom in the mix) from our newly crafted bass sound we turn to FabFilters excellent Pro Q.

When drawing in bass patterns it is often a good idea to have a drum loop already in place so that you can get a good feel for the groove. Try gently nudging the hits forwards or backwards to add some extra groove or swing to the track. In Ableton’s midi editor you can use ctrl+4 (cmd+4 on a mac) to turn off the grid and use the arrow keys to move the midi notes by small increments.

In this tutorial we use an 808 kick drum sample and a random Tom sample to create the bass line but any hollow sounding drum sample or percussion sample will work nicely. Experiment to find the best sound for the track you are working on.

We hope you enjoyed this tutorial. If you want to learn more about Ableton Live and how to create tracks to a professional and releasable standard, check out our Online Courses

This Ableton tutorial makes use of the Sample Auditioner Rack. You can watch how to make one of these here.

This Ableton Tutorial is suitable for all varieties of EDM including deep house, tech house, progressive house, electro house, techno, minimal and trance.