How to Make Future Bass

To make future bass you build around lush, detuned supersaw chords that swell and bend in pitch, an energetic but melodic drop, chopped vocal samples, and bright, punchy drums, usually around 140–160 BPM (often felt as half-time). Learning how to make future bass centers on expressive chords and the signature pitch-modulated lead. Here is a practical guide for the home studio.

Future bass is a melodic, emotional style of EDM. Where dubstep is dark and aggressive, future bass is colourful and uplifting, with its chords doing the heavy lifting.

Set the tempo and feel

Future bass typically sits between 140 and 160 BPM but is usually felt in half-time, so the snare lands on beat 3 and the groove feels relaxed and spacious despite the high tempo. This gives the big chords room to breathe. Set your project around 150 BPM and program drums with that half-time backbeat.

Write lush, emotional chords

Chords are the soul of future bass. Use rich, extended voicings — major and minor sevenths, ninths and add9 chords — for an emotional, slightly bittersweet feel. Build them on a detuned supersaw or a layered synth. A wavetable synth like Serum, or the free Vital or Surge, is perfect for this. The key technique:

• Apply an envelope or LFO to the pitch so the chords bend and swell into place — this “wobble” pitch movement is the genre’s signature.
• Use a slow filter or volume swell so chords bloom rather than start abruptly.
• Layer a supersaw with a softer pad or pluck for fullness.

Design the drop and lead

The drop is the centrepiece. Take your chord progression and turn it into a big, expressive lead that bends in pitch on each note — controlled either by hand-drawn pitch automation or pitch-mod LFOs. Layer multiple synths for width and weight, and add a clean sub bass underneath following the chord roots. The drop should feel like a melodic, emotional explosion rather than pure aggression.

Program bright, punchy drums

Future bass drums are crisp and modern. Use a tight kick, a big snare or clap on beat 3, detailed hi-hats with rolls, and trap-influenced percussion. Add impacts and fills at transitions. Layer samples for a full, polished sound, and keep the groove half-time so it locks with the chords. Set clean levels with our gain staging guide.

Add chopped vocals and texture

Chopped, pitched vocal samples are a future bass staple — both in the build and woven through the drop. Slice a vocal phrase, rearrange the pieces rhythmically, and pitch them to fit your chords. Add bells, plucks, risers and atmospheric textures to fill space and keep the track moving and bright.

Mix and master for width and polish

Future bass should sound wide, bright and clean. Keep the sub bass mono and centred while widening the chords and leads with stereo effects. Use sidechain compression so the chords and bass “pump” with the kick — a defining part of the genre’s bounce. High-pass elements that do not need low end so the mix stays clear. Start with our EQ and compression fundamentals, shape space with reverb and delay, and target sensible loudness using our guide to LUFS.

Frequently asked questions

What BPM is future bass?

Future bass usually runs between 140 and 160 BPM but is felt in half-time, so the snare lands on beat 3 and the groove feels around 70–80 BPM. This keeps the energy high while leaving room for the big chords.

How do you get the future bass chord sound?

Use a detuned supersaw or layered wavetable synth playing rich extended chords (sevenths, ninths, add9), then apply pitch modulation so the chords bend and swell into place. Layering a pad and adding a slow filter swell completes the lush, emotional sound.

What synth is best for future bass?

Wavetable synths are ideal. Serum is widely used in the genre, and the free Vital and Surge are excellent alternatives that handle the detuned supersaws and pitch-modulated leads future bass relies on.