DIY Emoji Wavetables in Serum

With Xfer’s synth, all you need to start making great sounds is a smiley face.


Serum‘s wavetable editor now allows you to use an image as the foundation for your next synth patch. To see just how powerful this new feature is, we threw in a bunch of emojis and got to synthesizing. Download the full Ableton project to get an inside look at how Serum can work magic on pretty much any image!

This blog post mentions Splice Studio, which is no longer active. Learn more about the shutdown here.

sunset emoji serum

 1. Sunrise

Start the day off right with this bright arp sequence – some subtle delay and filtering give it that soaring quality. Get the full project here

poop face emoji serum

 2. Pile of Poo

Combine some LFO modulation, panning and reverb and you’re left with huge pile of crap. Sounds pretty good though! Get the full project here

laughing face emoji serum

 3. Face with Tears of Joy

This growling bass has a nice reese quality to it, with some automated filtering to provide a nice rise-and-fall. Get the full project here

fire emoji serum

 4. Fire

You can use this phasing synth as a lead or to create some chord progressions – either way, it is lit AF. Get the full project here

deciduous tree emoji serum

 5. Deciduous Tree

If the tallest, oldest tree in your backyard made a deep bassline, it might sound something like this. Get the full project here

ladybug emoji serum

 6. Lady Beetle

The image’s inherent rhythm, along with some filter modulation and FX, makes this synth sound like it’s taking flight. Get the full project here

sun face emoji serum

 7. Sun with Face

Harness the raw power of the sun with a rich and textured bass that morphs and echoes. Get the full project here

chestnut emoji serum

 8. Chestnut

Acid-flavored bass stabs get some added movement with some filter modulation and chorusing.


Explore industry-leading plugins, bundles, DAWs, and more:

September 1, 2016

Matteo Malinverno Matteo Malinverno is a New York-based music producer currently working on the Content team at Splice.