#013 - Drop Sample Pack Chord Stabs into Your Wavetable Synth

Wavetable synths like Serum, Vital and Phase Plant accept any audio file as wavetable source material. This means the chord stab samples in your sample pack - already harmonically rich, already in key - can become the source for fully-playable wavetable patches that are uniquely yours and impossible to find as factory presets.

The technique

1. Open Serum or Vital (both free options exist for Vital)
2. Drag a chord stab sample from your sample pack directly onto the wavetable window - Serum and Vital automatically convert it into a scannable wavetable
3. Use the wavetable position knob to scan through the chord - different positions deliver different harmonic content from the source sample
4. Modulate position with an LFO or envelope for movement
5. Layer with a second oscillator (sine sub, saw lead) for foundation
6. Process with filter, distortion, reverb as normal - the wavetable now has all the harmonic character of the original chord stab but is fully playable across the keyboard

The same technique works with any harmonically interesting sample - vocal phrases, atmospheric textures, plucked instruments, found sounds. Every sample in your library is potential wavetable source material for synthesiser patches that are completely yours.