Remaking the bass synth from the 2018 song "Sicko Mode" by Travis Scott can be an exciting challenge for any synthesizer enthusiast. Here’s how you can create the "Sicko Mode" bass patch and play this iconic sound on most hardware or software subtractive synthesizers (Serum, Vital, Pigments, Prophet, Korg, Moog, etc). We've included the preset download directly for your convenience, but we strongly recommend you use our programming tutorial to recreate it yourself.
Original Audio
Travis Scott’s “Sicko Mode” features a distinctive distorted bass that emerges prominently at 1:01, contributing to the track’s dynamic energy. This “growl bass” is characterized by its aggressive, mid-range presence, achieved through layered saw waves processed with band-pass filtering and substantial distortion. The combination of a sub-bass and this growl bass creates a rich, textured low end that drives the song’s rhythm.
Our Remake of The Bass Synth
This audio clip is how close we've matched the original tone of the bass synth from the song "Sicko Mode" by Travis Scott, giving you a reference point as you design your own synthesizer preset. Play it as often as you need to familiarize yourself with the nuances of the sound.
Synth Patch Programming Recipe
Remake This Sound Yourself
Learn how to program this synth preset with Syntorial, all by ear. Download the demo and try unlimited famous sound challenges for free.
Getting Started
- Start by initializing your synthesizer to a plain saw with no filter, modulation or effects. For soft synths use the "init"/"default" preset or the the button to reset all parameters to their default factory values.
- No two synths are exactly alike, so treat the values below as approximate, and use your ear.
- Percentage values (e.g. 50%) represent the relative position of a knob or slider within its full range. The full range of each parameter may differ from synth to synth, so use your ear.
Voices
- Voice Mode: Mono
Amp Envelope
- Attack: 0 ms
- Sustain: 100%
- Release: 20 ms
Oscillators
- Oscillator 1
- Waveform: Saw
- Volume: 100%
- Sub Oscillator
- Waveform: Pulse
- Pulse Width: 100%
- Pitch: -1 Octave
- Volume: 55%
Filter
- Type: Band Pass
- Cutoff: 15%
- Resonance: 45%
Filter Envelope
- Modulation Amount: 35%
- Attack: 0 ms
- Decay: 1550 ms
- Sustain: 0%
Distortion
- Drive: 100%
Note: the patch settings may slightly differ in the Syntorial challenge.
Explore More
- Serum Tutorial: Distorted Warp Bass (Travis Scott’s Sicko Mode) (YouTube)
- Tutorial – Sicko Mode by Travis Scott (VI-CONTROL)
- TUTORIAL – Travis Scott – Sicko Mode (KVR Audio Forum)
Preset Downloads
Don't want to learn synth programming now? Use our synth preset as your starting point and tweak it from there. Register an account with Audible Genius and download the presets for free for the following synths:
- Primer, our free synthesizer VST
- Serum
Comments
This recipe is the result of a Syntorial community preset remake request. Need support remaking this sound? Have comments?
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