Sound Recipe - Acid / Dub Bass (303 / Bass Station / Two Voice)

Target

Squelchy, resonant, hypnotic mono bass — the moving low-end engine of acid house, dub techno, Weatherall-era Primal Scream, The Orb, and trippy electronic grooves. The note is simple and repetitive; the interest comes from the filter moving, the resonance singing, and the bass breathing with the groove.

The sound should feel:

• Round and deep, but with bite when the filter opens
• Rubbery and elastic (slide/glide between notes)
• Hypnotic and repetitive (one riff, evolving slowly)
• Alive — the filter is the performance, not the notes

Follows the house method: intention → source → preset/plugin start → routing → settings → automation → taste checks.

Useful References

• Acid: Phuture, 808 State, early Aphex acid lines
• Dub/indie-dance: Andrew Weatherall, Primal Scream (Screamadelica era), The Orb, Leftfield
• The signature: a resonant filter sweeping over a simple repeated mono line, with glide and delay

Steal the jobs: filter resonance as melody, glide for rubbery motion, and delay/space for dub depth.

Best For

• Driving electronic grooves that need a hypnotic engine
• Dub/ambient breakdowns where the bass is the riff
• Acid sequences as a hook or tension-builder
• A moving alternative to a static sub when the track needs energy

Core Roles

1. Acid line — resonant, gliding, filter-driven mono riff
2. Dub anchor — round, dark, mostly dry low end under the acid movement
3. Movement — filter automation + delay throws (the "performance")

1. The Acid Line

Intention

A simple repeated 16th-note (or syncopated) mono pattern where the resonant filter does the talking. Add glide so notes slide into each other.

Source + preset starting points

Performance: program a simple repeating riff (often one or two notes plus octave jumps). Turn glide/slide ON and add accents on a few steps so the filter env snaps harder there.

Insert chain

1. Pro-Q 4 — HPF <30 Hz; small dip ~250–350 Hz if it gets boxy; let the resonant peak through
2. Drive/saturation — UAD Culture Vulture / iZotope Trash / RC-20 (light) — grit so the resonance bites
3. Optional ShaperBox 3 — gentle volume/filter shaping locked to tempo for extra pulse
4. Keep it mono until the delay send

Routing

• Acid line → Delay Send (dub): Roland RE-201 Space Echo or Strymon El Capistan — 1/8 or dotted 1/8, moderate feedback
• Optional Reverb Send (deep): UAD EMT 140 or a dark hall, low level — filtered so it doesn't wash the low end

Settings anchors

• Resonance: high enough to sing but not self-oscillate into ear-pain (~60–80%)
• Filter env: fast attack, medium decay — the classic acid "wow" per note
• Glide: short (so it's rubbery, not seasick)
• Accent: on 2–4 steps per bar for groove and dynamics

Automation

• Filter cutoff is the main performance — ride it open through builds, closed in breakdowns
• Automate resonance up slightly in peaks for extra squelch
• Delay throws (send up on the last note of a phrase) for dub punctuation

Taste checks

• If it's tiring → automate the cutoff so it isn't static; vary accents
• If it's thin → layer a dry sub underneath (next section)
• If resonance is harsh → tame with a dynamic EQ node on the peak, not by killing resonance entirely

2. Dub Anchor (Sub Layer)

Intention

When the acid line gets bright/resonant, the low end can disappear. A simple dry sub keeps the weight.

Source + chain

• u-he Diva sine/triangle sub, one osc, no movement; or Roland SH-101
• Pro-Q HPF <30 Hz, LPF ~2 kHz (dub sub is dark and round)
• Gentle comp (LA-2A style) for consistency; mono, dry
• Sidechain lightly to the kick so they don't fight

Tune the sub to the root and let the acid line ride on top of it. Often the sub plays only the root while the acid line moves.

Taste checks

• If it's muddy → the sub and acid line are overlapping in the low-mids; LPF the sub darker, HPF the acid line higher

Routing Summary

• Delay (dub): Roland RE-201 / Strymon El Capistan — acid line throws
• Reverb (deep, filtered): UAD EMT 140 / dark hall — low send, HPF the return
• Drive: Culture Vulture / Trash on the acid line for bite
• Bus: acid + sub → bass bus → tape (UAD Oxide/Studer) → light glue comp

Fast Path

1. TB-303 or Bass Station acid patch, resonance up, glide on, simple riff
2. Pro-Q HPF + light drive for bite
3. Diva sub underneath, dry and mono
4. Send to RE-201 dub delay; ride the filter cutoff
5. Sidechain to kick; tape on the bass bus

Adjustment Rules

Too harsh/fatiguing: automate cutoff (don't leave static), dynamic-EQ the resonant peak, ease resonance.

Too thin: add the dry sub layer; lower the acid line's HPF a touch.

Not dubby enough: more delay feedback rides, filter the delay returns, throw the bass into the echo on phrase ends.

Too busy/cluttered: simplify the riff; let the filter movement carry the interest, not more notes.

Sounds cheap/digital: drive + tape for analog grit; keep it mono and round; one cohesive delay world.

Common Mistakes

• Static filter (the whole point is movement)
• Resonance so high it's painful or masks everything
• Acid line and sub fighting in the low-mids
• Too many notes — acid/dub bass is hypnotic and simple
• Stereo bass (keep the low end mono)
• No glide (loses the rubbery character)

Closest Tools I Own

Source: Roland TB-303 / SH-101 / SH-2, GForce Novation Bass Station / Two Voice Pro, u-he Diva Drive: UAD Culture Vulture, iZotope Trash, RC-20 Retro Color Movement: ShaperBox 3, host filter automation Delay/space: Roland RE-201, Strymon El Capistan, UAD EMT 140 Glue: UAD Oxide / Studer A800, LA-2A-style comp

Related Pages

• Bass
• Synths and Keys
• Creative Effects and Transitions
• Related recipe: The Orb / Weatherall Primal Scream / Ambient Dub Trip

Practical Summary

Pick one resonant mono source (303 or Bass Station), program a simple gliding riff with a few accents, and make the filter cutoff your performance. Keep a dark dry sub underneath for weight, send the line to a dub delay, and ride the filter and delay throws across the arrangement. The energy comes from movement and resonance — not from more notes.