17 Advanced Tips for Serum 2

This free E-BOOK shows 17 advanced tips of sound design in Serum 2. You’ll learn how to push modulation further, shape sound directly at the oscillator level, and create patches that react and transform in real time. It also explains how to use keytracked granular settings, turn samples into wavetables and take full advantage of Serum’s routing and MIDI features.

Also check:

• Learn Serum 2 in 10 Minutes: A Quickstart Guide for Beginners

• A New Update for Ableton Live

• Introducing Ableton Structures: Wavetable Presets Pack

• Xfer Records’ Serum 2 Dream Horizon: New Presets Pack from Noise Harmony

If you’re new to Serum 2, we recommend starting with our short YouTube tutorial. It covers the basics in under 10 minutes.

Here’s what you’ll learn from the E-BOOK:

Programmable Arpeggios that Do What You Want

Serum 2’s arpeggiator isn’t locked into classic “up/down” modes. You can program every step: which note plays, how long it lasts, its velocity, even direction changes per step. It’s basically a step sequencer built into the synth.

Custom Filters? Yep, You Can Draw Those Too

Forget choosing “Low Pass” or “Band Pass” from a dropdown. The Filter Pattern Editor lets you draw your own filter shapes on a graph — just like you would in an EQ. You can save different curves in tabs, morph between them, or assign them to macros for dynamic shifts during a track.

Add Grit Right at the Oscillator Stage

Instead of stacking distortion effects afterward, try this: set an oscillator to “Distortion” in the Warp menu. This way, you can saturate your waveform before it even hits the filter or FX. It’s cleaner and more flexible than post-processing — and great for shaping texture from the start.

Use Oscillators as Modulation Sources

Serum 2 lets you use OSC A, B, C, Sub, or even the Noise generator as modulation sources in the Mod Matrix. This opens the door to audio-rate modulation. You can get FM-style movement, wild filter ripples, or metallic pitch textures.

Split Oscillators Across the Keyboard

With the OSC Mapping editor, you can assign specific oscillators to different key ranges. For example: use Sub + OSC A for bass notes, OSC B for mids, and a noisy lead above C5. It’s like building a multi-layered setup, all in one patch.

Modulation Curves that Actually Match Your Ideas

Each modulation route now has a curve editor. Instead of just scaling modulation strength, you can bend it, shape it, or make it step like a sequencer. Perfect for things like stepped pitch bends or envelope ramps that don’t just go straight up or down.

Check out our custom-made presets for Xfer Serum 2!

Nested Macros and LFO Morphing

In Serum 2, Macros can control other Macros. Even more, they can morph the shape of an LFO. This makes it easy to design patches that change character on the fly. 

Drop in a Sample, Turn it into a Wavetable

You can drag a .wav file straight into Serum and convert it into a playable wavetable. It works with vocals, synths, noise — anything. This is an easy way to make unique, personal sounds — and twist them into something completely new using Warp modes.

Keytracked Granular for Pitch-Sensitive Pads

Granular mode can now follow pitch using keytracking. This means high notes play fast, low notes stretch out. The result? Pads that shimmer and shift depending on where you play.

MPE & Granular Expression

If you’ve got an MPE controller (like ROLI or LinnStrument), you can map X/Y/Z gestures to granular parameters like size, randomness, or Warp. One finger controls texture, another moves the filter — all in real time.

Control Voice Spread and Detune Globally

Under the Global tab, you’ll find detailed voice controls. Spread voices wide for a big stereo image, or detune slightly for a more analog feel.

Split FX by Frequency or Stereo Field

Using FX Splitters, you can send lows, mids, and highs through different effects — or process Mid and Side signals separately. For example, reverb only on the highs, or chorus just on the Side. It gives you cleaner, more focused mixes without leaving the synth.

Route Oscillators to Separate FX Chains

With internal routing and buses, you can send one oscillator to heavy FX while keeping another clean. Or parallel two filters with different outputs. Great for adding depth without layering tracks in your DAW.

Draw Your Own Wavetables (Literally)

The Wavetable Editor in Serum 2 lets you hand-draw your own oscillator shapes. Build a simple saw wave, add some harmonic motion across frames, and then use the WT POS knob or modulation to morph between them.

Serum as a MIDI Sequencer? Yep

Serum’s Arpeggiator and Clip section can send MIDI out. That means you can use it to trigger external synths, drum machines, or plugins — all driven by Serum’s sequencer. 

Morph Envelopes with a Single Macro

You can assign one macro to control multiple envelope stages (attack, decay, sustain, release). This makes it easy to morph between a snappy pluck and a smooth pad 

Modulate the Modulators

In Serum 2, one LFO can control the rate of another. This lets you build layered, evolving modulation that changes over time

We created this guide not just as a tutorial, but as a way to show what’s really possible when you go deep with sound design in Serum 2. Every tip comes from hands-on experience — we’ve spent countless hours building presets, testing workflows, and exploring every corner of the synth.

Want more? The e-book is totally free and you can download it here.

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