How to Make a Rhythmic Bass for Melodic Techno with Jun-6V

A strong bassline is the heartbeat of melodic techno. It doesn’t just sit under the kick — it drives the track, creates movement, and keeps the dancefloor locked in. In this step-by-step tutorial, we’ll use Arturia’s Jun-6V to craft a rhythmic bass that breathes with the groove and evolves over time.

Whether you’re just starting with sound design or you’ve been producing for years, this approach will give you a deeper understanding of how to program bass that feels alive.

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Step 1: Build a Kick-Friendly MIDI Pattern

Start by creating a MIDI clip with 16th notes running across a 1-bar loop. Leave out the notes where the kick hits — this keeps the low-end clean and avoids phase issues.

Once you have the pattern, drop every offbeat note an octave lower. This subtle change introduces rhythmic tension, making the bassline feel more syncopated and hypnotic.

Pro Tip: If your kick is very punchy, try shifting your bass notes slightly forward or backward in time (1–3 ms) to find the sweet spot where they groove together.

Example MIDI Pattern:
(Insert your first piano roll image here with caption: “Basic 16th-note bassline, leaving space for the kick.”)

Step 2: Create Progression and Variation

A static bassline can get boring fast. Expand your clip to 4 bars and use pitch to add musical movement:

• Move some notes around to help with a progression, also try narrowing or expanding the intervals between notes — this creates a lift and keeps the listener’s ear engaged.
  
  
  

• On the final bar, introduce a small melodic change or passing note to build tension before the loop restarts.
  
  This is the difference between a loop that feels “programmed” and one that feels like it’s pulling the track forward.

Example MIDI Variation:
(Insert second and third piano roll images here with caption: “Notice the subtle pitch changes that add musical interest.”)

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Step 3: Choose the Right Oscillator Settings

Load up Jun-6V and set the DCO to the saw wave. The sawtooth is harmonically rich, making it perfect for basslines that need to cut through a dense techno mix.

You can enable the sub oscillator if you want extra low-end power, but for this patch we’ll stick with just the saw — it keeps things tight and leaves space for the kick to breathe.

Why This Matters: Too much sub content can muddy the mix and eat up headroom. Keeping the bass slightly leaner lets you add weight later with EQ or saturation.

Jun-6V DCO Settings:
(Insert DCO screenshot with caption: “Set the oscillator to saw for a bright, focused tone.”)

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Step 4: Sculpt with the Filter

Switch the VCF to low-pass mode. Bring the cutoff down to around 20% — this removes the harsh top end — and set the envelope amount to roughly 50%, so the filter opens slightly with each note.

This gives you that classic plucky, resonant bass character that works so well in melodic techno.

Pro Tip: Adjust the resonance until you get a subtle “bite” without whistling frequencies. It should add character, not dominate the sound.

Jun-6V VCF Settings:
(Insert VCF screenshot with caption: “Low-pass filter with moderate envelope modulation gives a plucky feel.”)

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Step 5: Dial in the Envelope

For the amp envelope, pull the sustain down to create short, punchy notes. Increase the release slightly so the tails breathe, especially on longer notes in your pattern.

This is where your groove comes to life — too short and the bass will feel thin, too long and it will clash with the kick.

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Step 6: Add LFO Movement

Set the LFO to a saw wave, sync it to 8 bars, and assign it to both the filter cutoff and delay mix.

This creates a very slow, evolving sweep — subtle enough that you barely notice it on a single bar, but over 8 bars it keeps the bass from sounding static.

Pro Tip: If your track has multiple layers, try offsetting LFO phases between them so they never peak at the same time. This adds width and movement.

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Step 7: Use Delay Creatively

Add a delay set to dotted 8th notes (3/16). This rhythmically fills the gaps left by the kick and adds groove. Keep the mix level low — you want to feel the delay more than you hear it.

In melodic techno, delay is as much about rhythm as it is about space. When timed right, it can make your bassline roll and shuffle.

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Step 8: Introduce Velocity Dynamics

Finally, map velocity to the filter cutoff (VCF). Play with varying note velocities in your MIDI clip so that some notes open the filter more than others.

This makes the bassline feel human and responsive — a crucial detail that separates a flat, machine-like loop from something that has life and movement.

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Wrapping It Up

You now have a bassline that grooves with the kick, evolves over time, and reacts dynamically to your playing.

• Tight patterning keeps the low-end clean.

• Filter modulation and velocity control bring life and variation.

• Delay and LFO movement ensure it never feels static.
  
  This technique works not just for melodic techno, but for deep house, minimal, and other groove-driven genres.

Want to save time?
Download the finished Jun-6V Rhythmic Bass Preset Here and drop it straight into your session.

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