Serum Tutorial

Serum Explained®

  4.6   (52)  - log in to review
32 Videos | Length: 4hr 8min 54sec
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  • image description 8:02

    Intro

    Programming Synths vs. Using Presets, Loading the plugin, Loading a preset, Author and Notes and the Mouseover feature.

  • image description 6:31

    Wavetable Oscillators

    What is a Wavetable Synthesizer, the Osc Module, Waveform Display - 2d vs 3d, the Waveform Editor, Menu and Save and Pitch Controls - Drag and Drop Sources.

  • image description 3:27

    Unison Settings

    In this video we cover Unison Waves, Detune and the Blend knobs.

  • image description 3:28

    Wavetable Position

    In this tutorial we learn about the Wavetable Position in Serum.

  • image description 4:54

    Phase Knob

    In this video we explain the Phase Knob and the Random Knob.

  • image description 2:35

    Pan & Level

    In this video we explain the Pan Knob and the Level Knob for each Oscillator section.

  • image description 8:49

    Warp Menu Modes Pt. 1

    In this video we explain the Warp Modes in Serum and go thru each of them.

  • image description 6:39

    Warp Menu Modes Pt. 2

    In this video we continue to explain the Warp Modes in Serum and go thru each of them.

  • image description 7:32

    Sub Harmonic Oscillator

    In this video we go over the Sub Waves, Octave, Direct Out and Pan and Level for the Sub Oscillator.

  • image description 10:54

    Noise Oscillator

    In this video we go over the Noise Menu, One Shot Looping, Phase Knob, Random Knob, Keytrack Switch, Pitch Knob, Pan, Level and Custom Sound creation using the Noise Oscillator.

  • image description 6:18

    Filter Module Pt. 1

    In this video we go over the Filter Type, Cutoff, Res adjustment for the Filter Module.

  • image description 5:50

    Filter Module Pt. 2

    In this video we go over the Pan - Stereo Offset, Drive, Variable Knob, Mix Knob and Keytrack Switch for the Filter Module.

  • image description 9:24

    Effects Pt. 1

    In this video we go over the Hyper/Dimension, Distortion and EQ modules in the Effects section.

  • image description 11:04

    Effects Pt. 2

    In this video we go over the Compressor, Filter, Chorus / Phaser / Flange, Delay and Reverb modules in the Effects section.

  • image description 9:51

    Modulation Routing

    In this video we go over the Drag and Drop Routing Assignments vs Right Click, Modulator depth control, Negative or Inverse Settings, Right Click - Mod Source Sub-Menu, Midi Learn and Modulating FX.

  • image description 5:31

    Mod Matrix Window Pt. 1

    In this video we go over the Sources, Amount Slider - Positive and Negative, Destinations and Type - Uni-directional or bi-directional - for the Mod Matrix Window.

  • image description 6:54

    Mod Matrix Window Pt. 2

    In this video we go over the Mod - default - inverse - bypass, Aux Source, Curves and Output for the Mod Matrix Window.

  • image description 7:51

    Envelopes Pt. 1

    In this video we go over the Three Envelopes in Serum, First Envelope “Special” - Amp Output, AHDSR Explained, Lock or Unlock, Zoom Slider, Normalize with Envelopes.

  • image description 6:08

    Envelopes Pt. 2

    In this video we go over using Envelopes as Modulation Sources.

  • image description 8:47

    LFOs Pt. 1

    In this video we go over the Four LFOs in Serum - Preset Curves, Draw and Save Custom Shapes and Settings and LFO Mode (Trig / Env / Off) in Serum.

  • image description 5:54

    LFOs Pt. 2

    In this video we go over the BPM switch - Dot/Trip switches, Anchor switch, Rate, Rise, Delay and Smooth when using LFOs.

  • image description 9:22

    Voicing & Portamento

    In this video we go over Mono (Monophonic) Switch, Legato Switch, Poly (Polyphony) number box, Poly (Polyphony) count display, Portamento Settings - Porta (Porta time) Knob, Porta Curve Control, 'Always' switch and 'Scaled' switch in the Voicing and Portamento Sections.

  • image description 6:04

    Global Page Settings Pt. 1

    In this video we go over the Pitch Tracking A and B, Noise Fine Tune and Preferences on the Global Settings page.

  • image description 10:09

    Global Page Settings Pt. 2

    In this video we go over the Unison Range, Unison Width, Unison Warp, Unison WT Position, Unison Stack and Unison Tuning on the Global Settings page.

  • image description 9:54

    Chaos + Misc. Mod Sources

    In this video we explain using the Velocity, Note Number, Chaos 1 & 2, Noise OSC, Note On, Random and Pitch Bend as Modulation Sources.

  • image description 11:21

    Wavetable Editor

    In this video we go over the Wavetable editor and show how to create our own Wavetables or Frames and Morph from one to another in Serum.

  • image description 9:31

    Macros

    In this video we go over the many uses for Macros including Four Convenient Controls on Front, Naming Control, Better Depth Control, Midi Learn Function, Inverse Function, Multiple Functions at Once and Scaling of each parameter in Serum.

  • image description 8:58

    Putting It All Together: Preset 1

    In this video we Put It All Together by dissecting the "Bass - Deep Womp" preset to show how it was created and how we can customize it for our own specific needs.

  • image description 8:27

    Putting It All Together: Preset 2

    In this video we Put It All Together by dissecting the "FX - 16-Bar Riser" preset to show how it was created and how we can customize it for our own specific needs.

  • image description 9:17

    Putting It All Together: Preset 3

    In this video we Put It All Together by dissecting the "Misc. WurlyKeys" preset to show how it was created and how we can customize it for our own specific needs.

  • image description 10:21

    Putting It All Together: Preset 4

    In this video we Put It All Together by dissecting the "Pad - Big Minor 7th Pad" preset to show how it was created and how we can customize it for our own specific needs.

  • image description 9:07

    Putting It All Together: Preset 5

    In this video we Put It All Together by dissecting the "Seq - 2 Notes" preset to show how it was created and how we can customize it for our own specific needs.

Product Overview

Xfer Records' groundbreaking virtual synth plug-in Serum sets the bar incredibly high for wavetable synthesis. Studio / producer guru Kenny Gioia injects total Serum knowledge directly into your brain in this meticulous and complete series, making it the most comprehensive exploration into Serum available!

Kenny starts by introducing you to Serum and taking you through its Oscillators and Unison Settings. After exploring Wavetable Positions, the Phase, Pan, and Level Controls, Kenny digs into the Warp Menu Modes, the Sub-Harmonic and Noise Oscillators.

Next, Kenny discusses the Filter Module, Effects, Modulation Options, and Mid Matrix Window. That leads into the Envelopes, LFOs, Voicing, and Portamento Options. After detailing the Global Page Settings, Kenny teaches you about Chaos and other Miscellaneous Modulation Sources, the Wavetable Editor, and how to use Macros in Serum. Finally, Kenny puts it all together by taking some popular Preset Sounds and Deconstructing them and Rebuilding them from the ground up.

Whether you already own Serum and want to take a higher dose, or are a new user looking for your first hit of one of the most unique virtual instruments available, get "Serum Explained" today!

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Serum Explained® is rated 4.6 out of 5 by 52 .
Rated 5.0 out of 5 by from Extremely Helpful, Great, Clear and Awesome It is not a sound design course. However, If you know the basics of sound design this is really very helpful as you can start applying that on Serum. great synth and very detailed explanation.
Date published: 2021-04-12
Rated 5.0 out of 5 by from This tutorial helped make the "extras" more understandable I knew most of how serum works, but the global menu and various ways to use modulation were helpful to learn in this video series
Date published: 2021-04-08
Rated 4.5 out of 5 by from A great learning tool if you want to start using Serum! I really like the depth of detail per [rameters he goes into about what each knob or section does rather than what you can do with them that way you can come up with your own ideas knowing what you're getting out of each parameter on Serum's gui
Date published: 2021-04-04
Rated 2.5 out of 5 by from Helpful Was a little put off by the staccato presentation and did find some videos by Free Zen World easier to follow
Date published: 2021-03-13
Rated 5.0 out of 5 by from Enjoyed it a lot! It gave me confidence in working in Serum! Thank you.
Date published: 2021-01-31
Rated 5.0 out of 5 by from More than i expected ! This tutorial is not only teaching me every nook and cranny of this vst but is also helping me understand sound design. My outlook on serum is different now. Its not just a vst where i cycle threw presets. I now see it as a machine within a machine.
Date published: 2020-06-26
Rated 0.5 out of 5 by from Horrible experience. Why the teacher felt it was necessary to demonstrate how fast he could play piano keys while trying to explain envelopes is beyond me. Envelopes shape a sound over time so by playing keys so quickly completely destroyed trying to learn how envelopes work to shape a sound over time. I got so angry, I stopped the tutorial and won't go back. Really a bad experience. Also, sometimes he showed the keyboard display and sometimes he didn't. Really made it difficult to see what was going on.
Date published: 2020-04-20
Rated 5.0 out of 5 by from Love for Kenny I started with this tutorial and was delighted to find that Kenny Gioia was the instructor. I recognize him from the REAPER Mania YouTube channel which has also helped me a lot. Serum Explained has done just that and given me the foundation I need to begin thinking creatively with the software. Thanks!
Date published: 2020-03-09
Rated 5.0 out of 5 by from Great Tutorial I recently purchased Serum, read the manual but didn't feel like it explained how to use the interface. This video series breaks down the fundamental functioning of the various elements of Serum and explains how to use everything. Most sounds created in the videos are pretty basic, but the point of this instruction is to introduce the watcher to the tools of the synth which are often times most clearly explained with simple sounds. I highly recommend this video series if you are new to Serum and don't have an experienced user around to show you how to use the interface.
Date published: 2019-12-31
Rated 5.0 out of 5 by from very helpful great lecture ..i loved it .so well explained .cheers to you and thank you so much .
Date published: 2019-12-14
Rated 5.0 out of 5 by from Great! Excellent examples and explanation. Really happy I went through it.
Date published: 2019-12-11
Rated 5.0 out of 5 by from Excellent Excellent tutorial. No fluff, just clear straight ahead information.
Date published: 2019-06-26
Rated 0.5 out of 5 by from Why does Kenny Gioia have to be always so wordy, repetitive and tiring? I know this instructor from his Reaper series of videos on youtube. He simply makes a single instruction last for much longer than needed. I do not recommend this author, he repeats unnecessary information over and over. I got here excited but I am leaving frustrated and tired.
Date published: 2019-06-05
Rated 5.0 out of 5 by from A lot of good information and instruction These videos really helped me get going with Serum, they're informative and clear. Just what I was looking for.
Date published: 2019-05-14
Rated 4.5 out of 5 by from Helpful and inspiring I found this walk-through exemplary in fundamentals for Serum and I have a better core understanding of the vst now. I wish you could of done a little more putting it all together for further inspiration. Also a bit more on sequencing for arpeggio and note placements.
Date published: 2019-03-04
Rated 4.5 out of 5 by from Learned a lot That was a great course, inspiring and letting me jump on Serum
Date published: 2018-11-12
Rated 5.0 out of 5 by from Great work Awesome series. I can do anything I want on serum now thanks to this course.
Date published: 2018-09-02
Rated 5.0 out of 5 by from Very complete course Great course. I'm learning a lot.
Date published: 2018-04-29
Rated 5.0 out of 5 by from Excellent as always Although Kenny has some kind of strange pronunciation he is an excellent tutor. And once you get used to his phrasing it is even helping to understand things better. In this video series he is covering all there is to know about serum. Great!
Date published: 2018-03-23
Rated 2.5 out of 5 by from Good...but...why...does...he...talk...like...this? Solid tutorial, but the way he talks is distracting. Reminds me of the kid in Malcom in the Middle.
Date published: 2018-03-03
Rated 5.0 out of 5 by from Excellent Kenny is very good at explaining and showing examples of what he is talking about. He is also pleasant to listen to. I always enjoy his videos.
Date published: 2018-01-15
Rated 4.5 out of 5 by from Great way to get the lay of the land! This has been helpful in breaking down all the different capabilities of Serum.
Date published: 2018-01-09
Rated 5.0 out of 5 by from Must see for every begginers in Serum! Now I know what every knob does and I tweak sound not so random.
Date published: 2017-12-27
Rated 5.0 out of 5 by from Very very useful tutorial The instructor is very knowledgeable and easy to follow.
Date published: 2017-12-25
Rated 3.5 out of 5 by from ? This is a very comprehensive and detailed explaination... But? Every sentence? Is? Ending? with? a? Question Mark? this is very disturbing for my ears. great resource BTW...
Date published: 2017-09-19
Rated 5.0 out of 5 by from Well Done! This is how an "Explained" series should be done.
Date published: 2017-08-21
Rated 5.0 out of 5 by from Thorough and Clear I bought Serum knowing that this tutorial was going to be here so my first toe in the water after trying a few presets was to watch "Serum Explained" while I followed along. The pacing and clarity and completeness of this tutorial series is nothing short of stelar. I started knowing absolutely nothing and now feel I can both edit the factory patches and create my own from scratch. This isn't my first rodeo, but it is my first time playing in this particular arena. Bottom line, I feel like I've been using Serum for years and feel competent and confident using it. Fantastic job!
Date published: 2017-08-07
Rated 4.0 out of 5 by from Thorough Explanation as always Great explanations, my crisicism is I wish the instructor give us a deeper understanding of why you would want to use certain warp mode functions among other aspects of the synth. I would like to see better explanation of application of the features in this synth
Date published: 2017-08-01
Rated 5.0 out of 5 by from Fantastic and helpful! Loved it - to the point - went over everything great.
Date published: 2017-07-26
Rated 4.5 out of 5 by from very helpful helpful
Date published: 2017-07-14
Rated 5.0 out of 5 by from Internalize Serum Before You Terrorize With It Awesome ground-up look into every facet of Serum. A great place to start when learning the interface of the plugin and college course worthy concepts of synthesis and sound design itself. I watched the entire series before really putting my hands on Serum and it really helped me fundamentally understand what I was doing once I actually did put my hands on it. This series drastically improved the quality of what I was able to create as well as my speed of creating it. This is Drivers Ed for Serum!
Date published: 2017-07-08
Rated 5.0 out of 5 by from very helpful great insight
Date published: 2017-07-08
Rated 5.0 out of 5 by from Covers it all very complete, picked up a few things i did not know and had not seen in other video's.
Date published: 2017-07-04
Rated 5.0 out of 5 by from Extremely helpful! I've struggled with trying to find presets to best suit my needs in the past. After watching this, I've learnt how to change sounds according to my needs! Hands down the best tutorial on serum out there!
Date published: 2017-06-25
Rated 5.0 out of 5 by from Very thorough Very detailed without being too technical. Much better than any tutorials for Serum I've seen yet.
Date published: 2017-06-06
Rated 4.5 out of 5 by from Very helpful Learn different things which I didn't knew.
Date published: 2017-05-28
Rated 5.0 out of 5 by from Steady, Informative, and Easy to Follow! He's patient. Which isn't often found in tutorial videos by professionals as they have a tendency to skip critical points. That being said, the pace isn't so slow that you lose interest. The videos are well-balanced and informative. Bravo!
Date published: 2017-05-25
Rated 4.5 out of 5 by from Very clear and useful Very clear (maybe sometime even too much :-)) explanation with lot of details on how to use Serum with practical examples (at the end of the course). If you are not an English native maybe it could be hard, at the beginning, to follow each word from the teacher, because he has a "strange" accent, but anyway he is very good to explain and show on the screen how to do what is explaining. He tend to explain and show twice the same concept, so you cannot get it wrong! Very helpful! P.S.: Audio quality is not perfect, with square waveform you can hear some annoying aliasing effect.
Date published: 2017-05-23
Rated 5.0 out of 5 by from Very Helpful Very helpful in explaining how Serum works
Date published: 2017-05-10
Rated 5.0 out of 5 by from Learned so much! This has helped me out a lot! Now I can go ahead, and create my own signature presets.
Date published: 2017-05-10
Rated 4.5 out of 5 by from Complete Serum Course This one's for people that don't know about Serum at all and those who know about it but want to tweak it like a pro. Decent tutorial.
Date published: 2017-05-04
Rated 5.0 out of 5 by from love the guys accent Really good tutorial
Date published: 2017-05-03
Rated 5.0 out of 5 by from Amazing! In-depth, very clear explanation of the plug-in. Helpful to gain complete understanding of the software. Enjoying listening, watching, learning and testing out during each video. Just brilliant!
Date published: 2017-04-24
Rated 5.0 out of 5 by from Simple, organized and to the point Simple, organized and to the point
Date published: 2017-04-09
Rated 4.0 out of 5 by from Helpful walkthrough of all features, but poor delivery. If you need a buddy to walk you through every feature in a dry, monotone voice, this is your tutorial. I think a previous reviewer mentioned how his voice gets annoying after a bit, and I agree. Seriously though. It is helpful because the manual is a bit lacking and stepping through every single feature on your own is simply a bit boring and time consuming. Not to mention it is easy to get lost and sidetracked. This series does this in a structured, systematic way with some additional explanations.
Date published: 2017-03-19
Rated 4.0 out of 5 by from nice Liked the voice of the tutor
Date published: 2017-03-15
Rated 5.0 out of 5 by from Serum explained in detail! Like the title suggest, this tutorial will explain every feature of Serum. Easy to follow and nice structure of the videos. Bought my Groov3e subscribtion because of this tutorial and I will most certainly renew the subscription. I did not feel that the narrator's tone bothered me (since it is a tech-info vid not anything creative). Good job Groove3!
Date published: 2017-02-01
Rated 5.0 out of 5 by from Excellent tutorial by a master presenter Kenny's tutorials are clear and concise and tell you just what you want to know. This one covers Serum in such detail that you'll master the synth by the end of the course. Highly recommended.
Date published: 2017-01-31
Rated 5.0 out of 5 by from Great run through Great tutorial on Serum. Right to the point and definitely gave me a wider understanding of Serum and how to use it. And while I am not a Serum master at least it doesn't look like a bunch of gobbledygook to me anymore. Great stuff thanks.
Date published: 2016-10-03
Rated 4.0 out of 5 by from Very clear and straightforward This is an excellent overview of Serum for someone getting started with it or needing a refresher. The narrator is not anything exciting. In fact, he's reading straight from his notes, obviously, and his emphasis on the wrong words from time to time indicates that he's not a very skilled read-aloud person. But that doesn't really get in the way of the content. I still found it very useful.
Date published: 2016-09-11
Rated 3.0 out of 5 by from Accurate technical info, awful presentation I had to give up after the first 20 minutes of this tutorial. While the information seems accurate and useful, the presenter's voice just got on my nerves so quickly and thoroughly that I couldn't continue. He constantly pauses in mid sentence for no reason (almost sounds like bad audio editing), and he ends his sentences in a rising tone as if every single thing he says is a question. It sounds like this: Serum is a synthesizer that... uses wavetables to... play music? Like over here? If you... turn this knob... slightly? You can hear... the change in audio? Like over here? And over here? You can... adjust the timing so that... it will sound good?
Date published: 2016-08-23
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