How do I use OTT to make creative artifacts and textures for dubstep?
Marketing Director & Bass Music Mentor
To create artifacts and textures with OTT for dubstep, I add OTT to sounds that already have delay or reverb on them, which creates interesting artifacts at the tail end that I can then sample and use as pads or background elements. I'll print that processed audio to a new track, grab just the decaying tail section, and layer it underneath other elements with some additional reverb to blend it. This technique works especially well when you break the normal rules and stack OTT on sounds you wouldn't traditionally use it on, like orchestral instruments or vocals with heavy time-based effects already baked in.
Frequently Asked Questions
What OTT settings work best for creating dubstep artifacts and textures?
For creative artifacts, try pushing the depth above 100% and adjusting the time settings so the attack is fast and the release is medium-slow. Apply it to sounds that already have delay or reverb tails, because OTT will grab and pump those tails in interesting ways. The goal is deliberate distortion of the decay: print that to audio and you can sample the interesting parts separately.
Can I use a different multiband compressor instead of OTT for this technique?
Yes. Any multiband compressor can create similar artifacts, but OTT (and stacked OTT like the MAX rack) is particularly extreme in how aggressively it compresses each band, which is why the artifacts it creates are so distinctive. Waves C6 or FabFilter Pro-MB can produce similar effects with more precise control, but OTT's character specifically is part of why this technique has become associated with the Neuro and dubstep sound.
How do I stop the OTT artifacts from sounding too harsh or digital?
After printing the processed audio, use a gentle high shelf or air EQ to roll off the top end of the harshest frequencies. Layering the artifact underneath a cleaner version of the original sound is another approach: the artifact adds texture while the original maintains the fundamental tonal quality. Saturation before OTT also changes the artifact character, usually making it warmer.
Max Pote
Marketing Director & Bass Music Mentor
Max Pote is a professional bass music producer who performs and releases under the name Protohype. He has more than a decade of releases on major bass-music labels (Firepower Records, SMOG, Never Say Die, Rottun, Deadbeats), festival appearances at EDC Las Vegas and Lost Lands, and a feature credit on Tom Morello's 2021 album The Atlas Underground Fire. He was an early Icon Collective alumnus and later returned as an instructor before co-founding Futureproof Music School. He leads marketing at Futureproof and mentors students on sound design, songwriting, and finishing tracks.
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