# Free sub bass samples

> Free sub bass one-shots and loops: clean sine subs, rumbling drops and deep bass tones for dubstep, drum and bass, grime and house, with key and licence shown.

28 samples from 2 sources (Openverse 14, Strudel sample banks 14), updated 2026-10-23. Picked from a live search and refreshed daily.

- Same search in the browser: https://sound.shep.bot/search?q=sub&category=bass.sub
- Same search over the API: `curl "https://sound.shep.bot/v1/search?q=sub&category=bass.sub"`
- Details, files and the credit line: `GET https://sound.shep.bot/v1/samples/{id}` with an id from the table below.
- Licence verdicts: "Commercial use OK" (with or without credit) is cleared for a release; anything else must be checked or is non-commercial. See https://sound.shep.bot/docs/licences.md

## The lowest layer

A sub bass is the part of the low end you feel more than hear. In dubstep, grime, drum and bass and a lot of house, it plays the bassline as a near-pure tone while a mid-range bass or lead carries the character. Because it is so simple, the details matter: a clean start without a click, a steady level and the right key.

## Using sub samples

Treat a sub one-shot like an instrument. Load it into a sampler, check its root note (shown on the card where it is known), and play your bassline from the keyboard. Keep it mono, and avoid stacking it with an 808 or a long kick tail in the same register, or the two will fight. Sidechain it lightly to the kick so the kick's attack comes through.

Watch for phase: two low sounds that start at different points in their cycle can cancel each other out. A sub that starts at zero, with a short fade-in, layers more predictably.

## Samples

| Sample | id | What | Source | Licence | Commercial use | Direct download |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [SUB A# 2 secs.wav](https://freesound.org/people/uzerx/sounds/63138) | `openverse:244b0713-eed9-4dc1-8b05-cc3df10da93c` | Sub bass, One-shot, 2.0 s | Openverse | CC0 1.0 | Commercial use OK | yes |
| [SUB OCEANO C.wav](https://freesound.org/people/uzerx/sounds/81147) | `openverse:aa4e0e1d-0b7a-4803-87bf-fd34c4e17b0e` | Sub bass, One-shot, 2.3 s | Openverse | CC0 1.0 | Commercial use OK | yes |
| [sub bass 4 secondsssss.wav](https://freesound.org/people/uzerx/sounds/59540) | `openverse:4f866dd5-ded4-4d76-85fe-5e1e77cc2595` | Sub bass, One-shot, 2.4 s | Openverse | CC0 1.0 | Commercial use OK | yes |
| [Dirt-Samples · feel · 6](https://github.com/tidalcycles/Dirt-Samples/blob/master/feel/sub.wav) | `strudel:dirt-samples/feel/6` | Sub bass | Strudel sample banks | No licence stated | Unclear: check the terms | yes |
| [SUB OCEANO D.wav](https://freesound.org/people/uzerx/sounds/81148) | `openverse:76aa1231-b609-413c-ba36-9b7215aa1a98` | Sub bass, One-shot, 2.1 s | Openverse | CC0 1.0 | Commercial use OK | yes |
| [Dirt-Samples · subroc3d · 0](https://github.com/tidalcycles/Dirt-Samples/blob/master/subroc3d/000_01.wav) | `strudel:dirt-samples/subroc3d/0` | Sub bass | Strudel sample banks | No licence stated | Unclear: check the terms | yes |
| [SUB OCEANO A sharp.wav](https://freesound.org/people/uzerx/sounds/81144) | `openverse:2eadbca9-e7ba-459d-977a-efda7edd2f77` | Sub bass, One-shot, 2.6 s | Openverse | CC0 1.0 | Commercial use OK | yes |
| [Dirt-Samples · subroc3d · 1](https://github.com/tidalcycles/Dirt-Samples/blob/master/subroc3d/001_02.wav) | `strudel:dirt-samples/subroc3d/1` | Sub bass | Strudel sample banks | No licence stated | Unclear: check the terms | yes |
| [SUB OCEANO A.wav](https://freesound.org/people/uzerx/sounds/81145) | `openverse:ce7296ac-2ade-4fa2-a3e5-7b02af7059c8` | Sub bass, One-shot, 2.7 s | Openverse | CC0 1.0 | Commercial use OK | yes |
| [Dirt-Samples · subroc3d · 2](https://github.com/tidalcycles/Dirt-Samples/blob/master/subroc3d/002_03.wav) | `strudel:dirt-samples/subroc3d/2` | Sub bass | Strudel sample banks | No licence stated | Unclear: check the terms | yes |
| [SUB OCEANO B.wav](https://freesound.org/people/uzerx/sounds/81146) | `openverse:8a856be2-2adc-4145-81b7-605569b9dabe` | Sub bass, One-shot, 2.4 s | Openverse | CC0 1.0 | Commercial use OK | yes |
| [Dirt-Samples · subroc3d · 3](https://github.com/tidalcycles/Dirt-Samples/blob/master/subroc3d/003_04.wav) | `strudel:dirt-samples/subroc3d/3` | Sub bass | Strudel sample banks | No licence stated | Unclear: check the terms | yes |
| [sub bass 5 secondsssss.wav](https://freesound.org/people/uzerx/sounds/59541) | `openverse:7d760c83-de23-4e35-9fd2-99579eab3f03` | Sub bass, One-shot, 1.9 s | Openverse | CC0 1.0 | Commercial use OK | yes |
| [SUB OCEANO G sharp.wav](https://freesound.org/people/uzerx/sounds/81149) | `openverse:900e47e1-7aa3-4443-8403-bce89474c0aa` | Sub bass, One-shot, 2.9 s | Openverse | CC0 1.0 | Commercial use OK | yes |
| [Dirt-Samples · subroc3d · 4](https://github.com/tidalcycles/Dirt-Samples/blob/master/subroc3d/004_05.wav) | `strudel:dirt-samples/subroc3d/4` | Sub bass | Strudel sample banks | No licence stated | Unclear: check the terms | yes |
| [Cinema Sub Bass](https://freesound.org/people/TheNikonProductions/sounds/171312) | `openverse:dda9a7bc-54be-4216-9940-7e02127ffd79` | Sub bass, One-shot, 2.0 s | Openverse | CC BY 3.0 | Commercial use OK with credit | yes |
| [Dirt-Samples · subroc3d · 5](https://github.com/tidalcycles/Dirt-Samples/blob/master/subroc3d/005_06.wav) | `strudel:dirt-samples/subroc3d/5` | Sub bass | Strudel sample banks | No licence stated | Unclear: check the terms | yes |
| [Dirt-Samples · subroc3d · 6](https://github.com/tidalcycles/Dirt-Samples/blob/master/subroc3d/006_07.wav) | `strudel:dirt-samples/subroc3d/6` | Sub bass | Strudel sample banks | No licence stated | Unclear: check the terms | yes |
| [sub bass 3 secondsssss.wav](https://freesound.org/people/uzerx/sounds/59539) | `openverse:d382a74c-8e65-4e6b-9781-08f61db24be4` | Sub bass, One-shot, 1.3 s | Openverse | CC0 1.0 | Commercial use OK | yes |
| [Dirt-Samples · subroc3d · 7](https://github.com/tidalcycles/Dirt-Samples/blob/master/subroc3d/007_08.wav) | `strudel:dirt-samples/subroc3d/7` | Sub bass | Strudel sample banks | No licence stated | Unclear: check the terms | yes |
| [Dirt-Samples · subroc3d · 8](https://github.com/tidalcycles/Dirt-Samples/blob/master/subroc3d/008_09.wav) | `strudel:dirt-samples/subroc3d/8` | Sub bass | Strudel sample banks | No licence stated | Unclear: check the terms | yes |
| [rotating-menu-sub-hit-at-end.wav](https://freesound.org/people/newagesoup/sounds/339344) | `openverse:bb56a4e6-1985-4ce1-b27e-e6d4316ad468` | Sub bass, One-shot, 6.6 s | Openverse | CC BY 4.0 | Commercial use OK with credit | yes |
| [Dirt-Samples · subroc3d · 9](https://github.com/tidalcycles/Dirt-Samples/blob/master/subroc3d/009_11.wav) | `strudel:dirt-samples/subroc3d/9` | Sub bass | Strudel sample banks | No licence stated | Unclear: check the terms | yes |
| [Dirt-Samples · subroc3d · 10](https://github.com/tidalcycles/Dirt-Samples/blob/master/subroc3d/010_12.wav) | `strudel:dirt-samples/subroc3d/10` | Sub bass | Strudel sample banks | No licence stated | Unclear: check the terms | yes |
| [sub __](https://freesound.org/people/waveplaySFX/sounds/201526) | `openverse:1c46b279-3f91-4841-a82c-861efb9889d8` | Sub bass, One-shot, 1.0 s | Openverse | CC0 1.0 | Commercial use OK | yes |
| [Dough-Fox (FoxDot samples) · fsub · 0](https://github.com/Bubobubobubobubo/Dough-Fox/blob/main/fsub/1_low_bass.wav) | `strudel:dough-fox/fsub/0` | Sub bass | Strudel sample banks | CC BY-SA 4.0 | Restricted: read the conditions | yes |
| [Low Floortom with sub](https://freesound.org/people/_micro/sounds/178250) | `openverse:e73809d0-7f9e-49b8-b375-058d3c9f8f93` | Sub bass, 4.5 s | Openverse | CC BY-NC 4.0 | Non-commercial only | yes |
| [Dough-Fox (FoxDot samples) · fsub · 1](https://github.com/Bubobubobubobubo/Dough-Fox/blob/main/fsub/0_low_bass.wav) | `strudel:dough-fox/fsub/1` | Sub bass | Strudel sample banks | CC BY-SA 4.0 | Restricted: read the conditions | yes |

## Questions

**What is the difference between a sub bass and an 808?**

An 808 is a decaying drum hit with a punchy start, used as a bass. A sub bass is usually a steady, pure low tone, often close to a sine wave, that sits below everything else. Both live roughly between 30 and 80 Hz.

**Why can't I hear my sub bass on laptop speakers?**

Small speakers can't reproduce frequencies that low. Add a little saturation to create harmonics an octave or two above the fundamental, which small speakers can play, and check your sub on headphones or a proper monitor system.

## Related collections

- [Free 808 samples](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-808-samples.md): Free 808 bass samples for trap, drill and hip hop, from clean sub booms to distorted glides, with key, length and a commercial-use verdict for each.
- [Free Reese bass samples](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-reese-bass-samples.md): Free Reese bass samples: detuned, phasing saw basses for drum and bass, jungle, dubstep and techno, as one-shots and loops with a licence verdict on each.
- [Free impact sound effects](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-impact-sound-effects.md): Free impact and hit sound effects: cinematic booms, sub drops, braams and slams for drops, trailers and transitions, each with a preview and licence verdict.
- [Free kick samples](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-kick-samples.md): Free kick drum samples for any genre, from punchy acoustic kicks to drum machine thumps, each with a preview and a verdict on commercial use.
- [Free synth bass samples](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-synth-bass-samples.md): Free synth bass one-shots and loops, from acid squelches to analogue plucks and house bass stabs, with root notes where known and a licence verdict.

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Source: https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-sub-bass-samples