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Have you ever felt like your synths weren’t quite as large-sounding as those heard on your favorite records?
In the tutorial video above, veteran producer John Grand returned to the Splice YouTube channel to showcase how you can experiment with layering synths to achieve a larger sound. He starts with a simple bass sound in Serum, and then strategically blends different instances as well as effects to add thickness and width.
“This is a fun little trick that I like to use especially for dance music, but it can be applied to just about any other genre,” John Grand tells us. “I hope you enjoyed seeing how to make a really fat bass—a lot of people will try to separate something like this into three different tracks, which you can, but the cool thing about this approach of using Effect Racks is that if you want to go ahead and save it, you can just call it ‘John’s Bass Rack’ or something and always recall it in future projects with ease.”
Get the free Ableton Effect Rack for layering synths
If you’d like to experiment with the Effect Rack from the tutorial yourself, you can download it for absolutely free here.
“I suggest trying this layering technique with a lot of different instruments,” John Grand says. “Go wild with the amount of layers that you want to use, too—you can go up to 50 layers or something and just have fun with it.”
More on layering synths
For more on the art of layering synths, be sure to also check out John Grand’s new tutorial below, where he uses Spitfire Audio’s BBC Radiophonic Workshop alongside Serum and Arturia’s V Collection to achieve organic and ever-evolving timbres:
And there you have it! What was your favorite tip on layering synths from the tutorial? What other topics in music production would you like to see us cover next? Let us know in the comments section of the video, and subscribe to the Splice YouTube channel for more artist-led tips, tutorials, and insights.
Try BBC Radiophonic Workshop for free, and then rent-to-own it for $9.99/mo until it’s yours:
August 22, 2025
