need to know what kind of synth (bass?) this is and how to replicate it with my computer

January 7, 2007 9:03 AM

need to know what kind of synth (bass?) this is and how to replicate it with my computer

a few songs its used in is "global deejays - sound of san francisco" "pussy cat dolls - buttons (aude club mix)" and "the disco boys - hey st peter (club version"

heres a short sound clip:
http://rapidshare.com/files/10666451/sound.mp3.html

or visit http://myspace.com/globaldeejays and listen to the 4th song (san francisco) and youll hear it right at the beginning


If i cant do it on the pc (preferably audacity) then id still like to know what that type of synth is called, thanks :)

posted by freddymetz to technology (9 comments total)

It's almost impossible to tell what synth created what sound nowadays as most of them have enough flexibility to emulate almost any sound you can think of. Software-wise, if you are looking to do something like this, try the Pro-53 by Native Instruments. There are a couple presets that are close and with a couple tweaks you should be able to replicate it.
posted by phixed at 9:33 AM on January 7, 2007

Seems to be just a simple saw bassline, not sure what effects it has on it though. Sounds just like Benassi. I'm toying with it now to see if I can make it sound exactly like it does in those songs.
posted by pwf at 10:01 AM on January 7, 2007

Sounds like the classic TB303 sound. I don't think audacity does much synthesizing, but there's plenty of software clones of that sound.
posted by O9scar at 10:04 AM on January 7, 2007

Sounds like TB303, with a "frown" rather than "smile" EQ curve, to me. Or perhaps wide-Q filter setting that doesn't sweep (at least, doesn't sweep in the few seconds I listened).

You can replicate this sound pretty well in Reason with the Subtractor Synth using a sawtooth wave. I think the notable thing here is how it's EQed -- the midrange boost I think is what counts. Oh, and make sure that you have the right portamento setting.
posted by chimaera at 10:14 AM on January 7, 2007

That's the Benny Benassi bassline (after his track 'satisfaction' introduced it)

There are a few tutorials for it available online. -- look up variations on 'benassi bass gated reverb sidechain compression' on google...

But, basically what you're going to do is use a saw wave with gated, metallic reverb and use sidechain compression to make the bass pulse in reaction to the kick drum.
posted by empath at 10:44 AM on January 7, 2007

oh, and you can't do it in audacity. You need something with oscilators, filters, reverb, compression, etc--

Cubase, Ableton (using the operator synth), Reason, and Fruity Loops should all be able to produce it, and there should be free demos available for all of them.

You may be able to find a pre-made patch for it, too, if you dig around Reasonstation.
posted by empath at 10:48 AM on January 7, 2007

There are links for a couple of 'benassi bass' patches for Reason here.
posted by empath at 10:50 AM on January 7, 2007

Yep -- a sawtooth wave sound, which can be coaxed out of most contemporary synths (hardware or software). It has a distinctive buzzy quality. More here.
posted by Artifice_Eternity at 9:42 PM on January 7, 2007

There are actually two lines there, the bass line and the lead. most of the posts here are referencing the lead, and I would definitely agree that it's a saw tooth wave synth voice, that's very distinctive of benny benassi, who's known for using that sound.

As for the actual bassline... that sounds like a standard sine synth, although, it could be the exact same sawtooth without the resonance filter applied.

I agree with others here, you will need a pc synth, either a vst instrument or a bigger package like Reason, to generate that sound.
posted by djdrue at 11:12 AM on January 8, 2007