Before tweaking the synth and setting up the effects, a few words about chords and scales: they set the mood. The most prominent one in dub-related genres is the minor scale (if you’re not firm with scales, here’s a very handy tool for learning them).

Yes, that’s Captain Obvious at work. At the same time: how often are people browsing synth presets thinking “yeah, that’s close–but not really” unable to find the what they’re looking for? Been there, done that, too. Suggestion: first set the mood by figuring out which chord you’re after. Then sift through presets. It’ll save you a lot of time and frustration.

If you don’t have a midi keyboard, experiment with Ableton’s chord utility. Try inversions and complex ones. Spread notes across octaves. Make mistakes. Truth is: I’m a really shitty keyboard player. I see a lot of artists sharing this sentiment. Yet they always find ways to experiment their way to interesting chords. I sometimes sit in front of my midi keyboard trying combinations of keys I haven’t tried before. In the end, nobody will cares about how you got to the result. The point is: spend more time finding chords that suit you. It’ll be worth it.