Seinfeld Bass Sound Revealed.

[Lance Bunyon]

It turns out it's totally hybrid.
It's definitely MANIPULATED bass guitar. It's not synth. The engineer finally puts it to bed:
Which synth was used to create the Seinfeld slap bass sound? None of them, it turns out

 

[silky smoove]

It's never sounded like a synthesizer created that bassline to me. It's always sounded like a sampler, which is what Wolff confirmed it to be. Consider me not shocked. It's still fair to say that the compositions weren't played on a bass guitar even though the original audio may have originated on a bass guitar, or indeed multiple bass guitars.

 

[Lance Bunyon]

It's never sounded like a synthesizer created that bassline to me. It's always sounded like a sampler, which is what Wolff confirmed it to be. Consider me not shocked. It's still fair to say that the compositions weren't played on a bass guitar even though the original audio may have originated on a bass guitar, or indeed multiple bass guitars.

Did you read the article? The signal began as bass guitar.

 

[silky smoove]

Did you read the article? The signal began as bass guitar.

Did you read my post? I state that specifically.

 

[Lance Bunyon]

Did you read my post? I state that specifically.

No you don't. You stated "The original audio may have originated on bass guitar". Very different statement than "it originated on bass guitar.
I don't call people out unless they are vague (as in this case) or opposed to the source material.

 

[Lance Bunyon]

The entire point of this thread is that the engineer debunks an age old myth perpetuated on TB that the Seinfeld theme was synthesizer generated.
It was not.

 

[silky smoove]

No you don't. You stated "The original audio may have originated on bass guitar". Very different statement than "it originated on bass guitar.

You've omitted the rest of my sentence which includes the words "...or indeed multiple bass guitars." Wolff's own description in the article makes this clear. No one bass guitar was used for the compositions, nor was a bass guitar used to perform the composition. My statement is accurate to the article as-written.

 

[Lance Bunyon]

You've omitted the rest of my sentence which includes the words "...or indeed multiple bass guitars." Wolff's own description in the article makes this clear. No one bass guitar was used for the compositions, nor was a bass guitar used to perform the composition. My statement is accurate to the article as-written.

Ok.

 

[walking_line]

Well, that was fun.

Cool, I always wondered how they got that sound.

 

[Whale guy]

I cant count the number of times someone has asked me to play the Seinfeld opening. I went ahead and learned a little of it to shut them up. Really not as hard as it sounds.

 

[Rabidhamster]

A lot of people hear “Seinfeld was played on keyboard” and don’t realize that includes samplers too.
Marketing of ROMplers got a whole generation of keyboardist and non-keyboardist alike confused about what a synthesizer really is.
If a keyboard has built in samples, sampling capability, and the ability to synthesize basic waveforms, a lot of people just colloquially say “synth”.
For the general public, IMO, if it has keys and it’s not a piano or an organ then it must be a synth, right? Even if it’s a harpsichord, it’s not, it’s just a weird piano.
“Well this one actually uses short recordings of real things and modifies them to create sounds not possible in…” Average person: Yeah yeah, sounds like a synth to me, and I’VE seen (band with a keyboard player).

 

[silky smoove]

A lot of people hear “Seinfeld was played on keyboard” and don’t realize that includes samplers too.
Marketing of ROMplers got a whole generation of keyboardist and non-keyboardist alike confused about what a synthesizer really is.
If a keyboard has built in samples, sampling capability, and the ability to synthesize basic waveforms, a lot of people just colloquially say “synth”.
For the general public, IMO, if it has keys and it’s not a piano or an organ then it must be a synth, right? Even if it’s a harpsichord, it’s not, it’s just a weird piano.
“Well this one actually uses short recordings of real things and modifies them to create sounds not possible in…” Average person: Yeah yeah, sounds like a synth to me, and I’VE seen (band with a keyboard player).

Well said

 

[Killing Floor]

I’m typing this exciting and highly compelling post on a keyboard but isn’t it really a capacitive touchscreen?

 

[2F/2F]

Is this news? I thought it was fairly obvious, and long ago confirmed. It’s bass samples, played on a keyboard. I have never believed “synthesizer,” and not sure if I’ve ever even read that – but definitely keyboard, pretty obviously.

 

[Smooth_bass88]

Newman!

 

[JuanB]

The water was cold!

 

[Machocula]

This is one of my all time favorite YouTube videos. Him explaining how he made the intro.

 

[nonohmic]

Lol this thread got off to a good start

 

[jdjk7]

The entire point of this thread is that the engineer debunks an age old myth perpetuated on TB that the Seinfeld theme was synthesizer generated.
It was not.

I don't think it was a persistent myth amongst people who knew what they were talking about. The sampled nature of the sound is pretty evident to those that are familiar with synthesizers and samplers. The real debate would be exactly what was sampled, if it was a stock sample of any particular instrument, etc.

But, at the same time, since this is an issue that's come up in this thread... the difference between "bass guitar was the source of the sound" and "the piece was performed on bass guitar". I can sample my own bass guitar into a sampler and then use that sample to create sounds not possible on the original instrument. So, it's good to distinguish between the two situations.

 

[Dominic D]

I don't believe I've ever heard anyone argue it was synth as opposed to a sampler. The whole point was that it was played on a keyboard.