How can I get this synth sound?

[JosephRose]

Right at the beginning when the beat/synth kick in:

Full disclosure, that's my track, and the synth is an Arturia Microbrute.

I'm working on a drastically different project now, and I'd love to get my bass guitar as close to that ripping synth sound as possible. I've watched so many pedal videos, my head is spinning. Any opinions on how to best get that sound from my bass? Like, specific pedal recommendations.

 

[Mo'Phat]

Quick answer is an Electro Harmonix Bass Micro Synth with Octave and Square Wave sliders up, and no filter sliders used.

 

[JimmyM]

I could probably get close with an OC-2 doing octave down and a fuzz pedal.

 

[winterburn69]

I could probably get close with an OC-2 doing octave down and a fuzz pedal.

Definitely an OC-2 & something extreme like a Swollen Pickle would nail this.

 

[JosephRose]

Hmm. I have a Dirty Robot on the way, I will give that a shot. I tried a EHX Bass Micro Synth, but I wasn't feeling it.

 

[Xandrell]

 

[waveman]

Something makes me think you can get both the filtery and non-filtery synth tones out of a Zoom MS-60B. I would have to play with to get more specific.

 

[Alien8]

Future Impact will be your best bet - will take some time to program.

Moog FreqBox maybe on its own, but adding a filter (Moog or Iron Ether, or even the MicroBrute filter.) wouldn't hurt. The key here will be to hit it with the most consistent level you can create - ie clean bass tone with a very squished non blooming even level signal. The FreqBox oscillator sounds close to the Brute oscillators, but thicker. the FM knob and sync function really help to add the metalizer and extra harmonics that the Brute series have.

 

[JosephRose]

Future Impact will be your best bet...

Gah. You may be right. I've looked at it and sort of ran from the prices that I see. I may end up there.

 

[dinoadventures]

My COG T70 could do that a velcro-ish fuzz in the effects loop. Some of the things you do there might need a sweepable filter. A Moog would do it if you add an exp pedal.

My Future Impact could do it too.

 

[Jared Lash]

As long as you're okay with getting somewhat close and not a mailing that tone I think it's doable.

To get in the ballpark is going to require a fuzz or another pedal that will provide similar clipping and an octave down would likely help.

One hurdle will be replicating a that portamento sound. A very high gain (very compressed) pedal and legato playing would be my approach.

Fooling around just now I got reasonably close using an IE Subterranea and IE Xerograph as a static filter to remove some of the fizzy high end.

 

[mr2xbass]

The Future Impact shows up now and then used on eBay if you aren't feeling the "new" price on there. That's how I got mine, and I feel I got way lucky getting well under new price because the seller listed it in the wrong category.

One thing I have found to be quite fun and rewarding with my FI is to find a particular synth-bass sound I am fond of and try to emulate it with the editor (a lot of Daft Punk and Basement Jaxx). I am just seeing this thread now and am about to head out for a rehearsal. But when I get a chance tomorrow, I will spend a little time and see what I can come up with for reproducing the sound you are looking for. I feel the editor has a slight learning curve but that I am starting to be able to create the sound I am looking for quickly now that I know what I can expect from the parameters.
It's ON!

 

[mr2xbass]

Ok, so I don't have as much free time as I think I do.. but here's just a quick little example. This took me all of 20min to tweak and record. The mp3 is four quick of similar sounds the FI can create, the fifth sound is the original stock FI patch (#37) that I used as the basis, then tweaked to get the first four examples. There are so many subtle adjustments you can make with the editor, as you would on an analog synth. Takes me back to my SH-101 days...
Volume level may be a little high, be warned.
Also, this is with a fretted bass. But in the areas where I slide, you can here a pretty good substitute for glissando/portamento. I have played my fretless through the FI and it does still track wonderfully, giving you true glissandos with perfect tracking.

 

[JosephRose]

but here's just a quick little example.

Well damn! That would definitely satisfy me. And here I am jerkin' around with the Dirty Robot. Time to save my pennies, I guess.

Is there any way to share presets? Or screenshot them, or something? Thanks for doing that.

 

[BassAndReeds]

Check out Soundblox pedals. They will do this easy.

 

[DDXdesign]

Don't forget to throw a wah pedal after it (either the Robot plus an Octave, or the Future Impact should you end up with one) so you can emulate those peaky screamy sweeps you did between verses. Badass sound out of that Brute for sure, brother.

EDIT: @JosephRose I really enjoyed that whole song.

 

[mr2xbass]

Is there any way to share presets?

Yes. In the editor, every patch you create can be saved as a file for easy sharing and loading. There's a public Google drive too people have been using to share patches they've created. I forget exactly what the address is, but I know it can be found in the main FI thread here on TB

 

[JosephRose]

So, the Future Impact appears to sell new from their website for about $333 (314.96 EUR), but they are listed on eBay and Reverb for $499. Why would that be?

 

[mr2xbass]

That price is excluding VAT, with VAT it's $429eur. When I was shopping around for mine, I vaguely recall seeing someway you can have the VAT tax reimbursed, but I forget how that it worked, and it seemed like a hassle.

 

[mr2xbass]

Then again, idk. The website is different from when I was looking at just last October. There is defined some sort of import/VAT tax on top of that $333, but idk how much it would be. Definitely worth looking into. Maybe the eBay and Reverb sellers bought a bunch of stock and then Panda Audio lowered the price on their own site(?). The website is a bit confusing but it does state on one page that "customers outside of the EU can have the VAT refunded upon request". The creator has a profile somewhere here on TB, you can find him in the main FI thread. I'd say reach out to him and find out for sure