In this video we’ll look at a technique for simple bass lines perfect for minimal hip-hop and trap that combines a simple sine wave tone with the attack of a TR-808 kick. Along with some cool pitch bends and effects this is a really effective technique that’s easy to do in REAPER.

To summarize:

Start with an 808 kick sample, and import it to a sampler (ReaSamplomatic5000)

Shorten the sample end time and use the release for a short punchy kick without any tone.

Add ReaSynth or any virtual synth that can play a clean sine wave. The attack should be short enough to avoid clicks and have a high sustain for a steady tone.

Program the bass with long notes on the downbeat, following the root note of the chord and jumping up to the 5th in pickup notes. It should be very minimal with lots of rests.

Experiment with distortion, compression and EQ on the synth to add harmonics and character. Use the EQ to scoop around 500Hz wide to make room for other things in the mix.

For slides you can automate the tuning/detune down an octave and copy/paste around the beat, especially at the end of long notes before a snare/clap.

Copy the MIDI for the synth to the sampler track. Balance the synth tone with the kick attack on the track faders.

I recommend also checking out this great video from Propellerhead with more of the backstory of this sound and how to do it in Reason.

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