Ambient Drone Bass
Sounds like: A deep, held hum that barely moves, a low bed under everything.
Sound type: bass · Genre: Ambient, Experimental · Style: slow-evolving sustained low drone used as a bass foundation
A held, barely-moving low drone that functions as a bass foundation rather than a played bassline — near-infinite sustain, minimal harmonic movement, meant to be set once and left alone.
Open this patch in the interactive Patchpad
Digitone II
Exact match: Held drone with a slow detune beat
SYN page 1
- ALGO: 3
- RATIO C: 1.00
- RATIO B: 1.00
- DTUN: 8
- MIX: -64
SYN page 2 · Operators A & B
FLTR page 1 · Multi-mode
- FREQ: 25
- RESO: 13
- TYPE: 0 (LP)
- ENV: 15
- ATK: 127
- SUS: 127
- REL: 127
AMP page
- ATK: 127
- SUS: 127
- REL: 127
- MODE: ADSR
MOD page 1
- WAVE: Sine
- SPD: 4
- DEST: FILTER: Frequency
- DEP: 15
FX page
Digitone II's ALGO 3 gives three plain carriers (C, B2, B1) when the FM depth of A and B is off, so LEV (A) and LEV (B) are both 0. MIX -64 selects the X tap (C + B2), and DTUN, which offsets only the ratio of operators A and B2, detunes B2 against C so the two beat against each other. DTUN below 64 is a very slight detune; above 64 is heavier. Both envelopes are maxed toward their longest attack/release for the held, barely-moving character.
Syntakt
Exact match: Held drone with a slow detune beat
SYN — SY SWARM
- TUNE: 64
- DET: 15
- MIX: 30
- ANIM: 10
- SUB: 0
FLTR PAGE 1
- FREQ: 25
- RESO: 13
- TYPE: Lowpass
- ENV: 15
AMP PAGE 1
- ATK: 127
- SUS: 127
- REL: 127
- REV: 38
AMP PAGE 2
LFO PAGE 1
- WAVE: Sine
- SPD: 4
- DEST: FILTER: Frequency
- DEP: 15
SY SWARM's own DET spread gives the slow internal beating in one machine, instead of layering a second track detuned against the first. AMP PAGE 2's MODE must be ADSR (the default for SY machines, but drum machines default to AHD), for the held Sustain to actually hold.
Novation Summit
Exact match: Held drone with a slow detune beat
OSCILLATOR 1
OSCILLATOR 2
- WAVE: Triangle
- RANGE: 8'
- COARSE: 64
- FINE: +6 cents
MIXER
FILTER
- SHAPE: LP
- SLOPE: 12dB
- FREQUENCY: 28
- RESONANCE: 13
- SOURCE: Mod Env 1
- ENV DEPTH: 15
- LFO 1 DEPTH: 10
AMP ENVELOPE
- ATTACK: 100
- DECAY: 0
- SUSTAIN: 127
- RELEASE: 110
LFO 1
- WAVEFORM: Triangle
- RATE: 5
- FADE TIME: 0
EFFECTS
- REVERB TIME: 100
- REVERB LEVEL: 45
- REVERB SIZE: 3 (largest)
FILTER's SOURCE routes Mod Envelope 1 into Cutoff; LFO 1 DEPTH adds a faint amount of extra breathing on top.
Compared with other synths: OSC2's FINE at +6 cents is a small offset against OSC1 for the slow beat, matching the other synths' detune amount.
Arturia MiniFreak
Exact match: Held drone with a slow detune beat
OSCILLATOR
- TYPE: SuperWave
- WAVE (Waveform): Sawtooth
- TIMBRE (Detune): 12
- SHAPE (Volume of copies): 20
- VOLUME: 100
ANALOG FILTER
- TYPE: Low Pass
- CUTOFF: 22
- RESONANCE: 10
- ENV/VELO: 0
ENVELOPE
- ATTACK: 90
- DECAY: 0
- SUSTAIN: 100
- RELEASE: 95
LFO
- SELECT/EDIT: LFO 1
- WAVE/LOAD: Sin
- RATE/TRIG: 0.05 Hz
DIGITAL EFFECTS · FX1
- TYPE: Reverb (Hall)
- TIME (Decay): 80
- INTENSITY (Damping): 40
- AMOUNT (Dry/Wet): 30
MODULATION MATRIX
- Source (row): LFO 1
- Destination (column): Cutoff
- Amount: +8
Osc 1 is SuperWave, the stacked-detuned-copies engine: Detune (12) sets the spread between the copies and the third knob (20) sets the copies' level against the original. LFO 1 runs a Sin wave at 0.05 Hz. Mod Matrix: the LFO 1 row to the Cutoff column at +8. ENV/VELO is left at 0 so the Envelope shapes amplitude only, leaving the filter fully static apart from LFO1's faint depth-8 breathing motion. Values are on MiniFreak's native 0-100 scale.
Dreadbox Typhon
Exact match: Held drone with a slow detune beat
FRONT PANEL
- WAVE: ~12-1 o'clock (VCO1/VCO2 blended roughly evenly)
- TUNE 2: ~1 o'clock, just past center (a hair sharp of VCO1)
- CUTOFF: ~9-10 o'clock (very low)
- RESON: ~8 o'clock (low)
- EG LEVEL: ~8 o'clock (minimal — the filter stays close to static)
- FILTER TIME: ~7-8 o'clock (toward the slow end)
- AMP TIME: ~7-8 o'clock (toward the slow end)
- VOLUME: ~12 o'clock (global, not stored in the preset)
FILTER ADSR
- ATTACK: 90
- DECAY: 0
- SUSTAIN: 100
- RELEASE: 95
AMP ADSR
- ATTACK: 90
- DECAY: 0
- SUSTAIN: 100
- RELEASE: 95
FX3
- TYPE: Large Reverb
- PRE: 20
- SIZE: 90
- FEED: 80
- DAMP: 30
- MIX: 35
SET
- VCO GLIDE: 0
- VCO LVL: 90
- VCF TRACK: 0
- VCF FFM: 0
- VCA LVL: 100
TUNE 2 just off dead-center is a slow, barely audible beat rather than an audible pitch split — the same small offset every synth in this patch uses. FILTER TIME/AMP TIME pushed toward their slowest multiplier stretches the whole ADSR out further than the sliders alone would give. Typhon's front-panel knobs are unmarked, so these values are clock positions, not percentages; the Filter/Amp ADSR sliders use the same 0-100 convention as every other numeric Typhon page.
ASM Hydrasynth Desktop
Exact match: Held drone with a slow detune beat
OSCILLATOR 1
- MODE: Single
- WAVE: Triangle
- SEMI: 0
- CENTS: 0
- KEYTRACK: 100%
OSCILLATOR 2
- MODE: Single
- WAVE: Triangle
- SEMI: 0
- CENTS: +4
- KEYTRACK: 100%
MIXER
- OSC 1 LEVEL: 100.0
- OSC 2 LEVEL: 100.0
- FILTER ROUTE: Series
FILTER 1
- TYPE: LP 1 Pole
- CUTOFF: 28.0
- RESONANCE: 13.0
- ENV 1 AMOUNT: 15
- KEYTRACK: 0%
AMP
ENVELOPE 1
- ATTACK: 6000 ms
- DECAY: 0 ms
- SUSTAIN: 128.0
- RELEASE: 8000 ms
ENVELOPE 2
- ATTACK: 6000 ms
- DECAY: 0 ms
- SUSTAIN: 128.0
- RELEASE: 8000 ms
REVERB
- TYPE: Hall
- PREDELAY: 30 ms
- TIME: 8 s
- TONE: 0
- HI DAMP: 20.0
- LO DAMP: 40.0
- DRY/WET: 35%
OSC2's CENTS at +4 against OSC1 gives the slow beat. Envelope 1 (pre-wired to Filter 1) and Envelope 2 (pre-wired to Amp) share the same multi-second Attack/Release shape so the whole voice swells in and fades out together rather than the filter and amp moving independently.
How the synths compare
Closely related to Dark Ambient Drone Pad but pitched and mixed to sit as the low-end foundation rather than a mid-register texture — the two can be layered.
Patchpad is a free reference of drum patterns and synth patches written for real hardware: Digitakt II, Digitone II, Syntakt, Novation Summit, Arturia MiniFreak, Dreadbox Typhon and ASM Hydrasynth Desktop.