How can I recreate basslines such as these?

[mcu_808]

Hi everyone

I'm kind of stuck with these 80's inspired basslines, I only have the Korg MS2000 and the Korg Legacy Collection to do it. I figured that the other softsynths I have, just can't do the job (or it's just me..) because they have a hard time mimicking analog synths? dunno..

while i'm at it: what's your favorite analog sounding softsynth by the way?


Here are the links to a few tracks:

- bassline drops at 2:02
WhomadeWho - Every Minute Alone (Tale of Us Remix)

- bassline drops at 1:50
Maceo Plex - Frisky

- bassline drops at 0:34
Art Department - Without You (Extended 12" Mix)

It's maybe some kind of balance between the kick and the bassline itself? I noticed in the second song there is no sub in the kick, or not a very loud one.. But in the first one, there is a big sub and the bassline is subby too, so how can that possibly fit together? Shouldn't the frequencies clash with each other? Or maybe (in case of the first track) the bass is fully panned to the sides so the sub of the kick can roam in the center? Dunno

Can someone please help me out here?

Thanks guys.

[Marshall Jefferson]

What DAW or sequencer are you using? Are you side chaining to separate the kick and the bass? You can make your song a lot louder sounding just by side chaining. You can get the sound you want with the Korg stuff, you just have to mix it right.

[Ashwell]

+1 on sidechaining...and yeah, you don't want a lot of overlap in the low end. These frequency charts might be helpful -- http://thegarynobleshow.tumblr.com/page/9

Here's a free frequency analysis plug if you don't have one. http://www.bluecataudio.com/Products...t_FreqAnalyst/

On analog sounding synths...i'm not one of those people who snubs vsti's by any means but I don't really know of any of them that sound that analog. you might consider picking up a used DSI mopho on ebay. They're dirt cheap now and they sound great.

[Ashwell]

On the softsynths, check out U-He Ace. it sounds good and it's cheap. Those fxpansions d-cam synths sound good too. I'd wait for a sale though. I don't know if you have a copy of cubase but that new vsti that comes with it - Retrologue - is really good. Like Marshall said, you can probably get what you need out of the korg plugs though.

[Ben Cenac]

I really like the Linplug Alpha for bass, whether it's for House or Electro. It's my go to synth for that now. If you have Logic I also highly recommend the ES1. Perfect analog sound for bass. Of course, my tastes may be a bit more eccentric than most. After all, I used the DX7 almost exclusively for bass (Electro, House, Hip-Hop, R&B, whatever...) for a good 7 years, at a time when EVERYBODY was telling me that it sucked for bass.

As for side-chaining, I have never been much of a fan. What I have usually done is kept the kick mono and mostly dry and let it own the sub below 70Hz. The bass I will low cut at 70Hz and notch somewhere between 150Hz and 250Hz and give it just enough mid and high as to allow the character of the patch to be expressed, but I would also pan it spread just wide enough in the stereo spectrum to give the kick the absolute center with clarity. In the old days I would accomplish this with the Roland Dimension D (still got mine but it's just collecting dust lately with the rest of my analog gear), nowadays I just use the plug-in's chorus settings.

[Marshall Jefferson]

That's a great philosophy Ben. I do something similar with slightly different frequencies (in addition to side chaining), only I give the kick 60-100hz and low cut the subs for clarity. This is for your basic 909 type kick though, you may use something different. If I don't cut the subs things get pretty muddy. I also give the bass 200 to 350. I LOVE spreading things to give the bass/kick room in the center BUT in my experience 80% of the clubs I play in have mono sound systems and great stereo soundstage recordings sound horrible on them. And I'm not talking about small clubs either. Festivals are the worst culprits. Germany is excellent for stereo systems but everywhere else has to catch up. Rob Papen Predator is great for bass sounds and very cheap.

[Ben Cenac]

Great points Marshall. The Hz I give the kick varies depending on the type of kick I use of course. I play with a lot of different kicks and will often adjust the tuning as well to match the key of the track. Depending on the kick I will also low cut it below 30 - 45Hz if needed. For House I will usually use 909ish kicks but I like those with a little added texture and character for a unique flavor. Regardless, I always low cut the bass at 70Hz so that everything below belongs exclusively to the kick.

I have learned not to make the bass too wide, at the most 30% or so left and right usually does the trick. Unfortunately, I don't get to hear my House tracks too often at clubs or venues, so I pray to God that they don't sound like shit in them! LOL!!

Yeah, Predator (and all Rob Papen softsynths) are dope! I haven't tried Predator for bass, but will definitely check that out.

Are you in the UK now Marshall?

[Marshall Jefferson]

I'm in Long Branch, New Jersey at this very moment. Predator is really nice for bass sounds.

[mcu_808]

ok guys, thanks for the tips.
my DAW is Ableton, so i tried some Operator FM synthesis for the bass but i always come up with a techno bassline i'm really into this funky 80s house that guys like soul clap put out. I already downloaded some cool drumbox samples from the earlydays.

yeah i'm well aware of the rob papen softies, but never used predator before! will def check that one out. normally with bass the sub has to stay in the center right? on the 2nd track I posted above the bass is widened a lot. so is it a bad thing to widen the whole thing or do i need to split it up in different bands?

[antwone]

I personally use Kontakt libraries of old vintage synths, I layer 2 or 3 samples, eq and filter a little bit et voilà....sometimes I find Sylenth and Zebra pretty cool for basses

[Ben Cenac]

I'm in Long Branch, New Jersey at this very moment.

Ah, ok... your location says Manchester, UK so I thought maybe you had moved to England.

[Ben Cenac]

normally with bass the sub has to stay in the center right? on the 2nd track I posted above the bass is widened a lot. so is it a bad thing to widen the whole thing or do i need to split it up in different bands?

Hmmm? The 2nd one you posted the bass is much less wide than the other two. Really, it very much depends on your mix and where your other sounds and instruments are placed in the stereo spectrum. The first and third tracks are rather minimal so spreading the bass out very wide seems to come off effectively with them. The 2nd track is much closer to how I like to mix, though I might make my bass just a little wider. However, Marshall's point about how widely spread stereo mixes sound on mono systems is something that you should give some serious consideration to.

I suggest trying various techniques and listening back to the mixes on a lot of different systems until you find the ones that work best for you. Plenty of ways to skin that cat.

[mcu_808]

woops i'm sorry, ofcourse i meant the 1ste one. I posted this in another forum as well, where they are in another order. Not much help on that other forum, tho.
thanks for the widening tips, I'm planning to put a liveset together and if many clubs use mono systems instead of stereo, then that's good advice to remember. But first i need to make a lot of tracks

I'll post the liveset here when i'm finished

[Marshall Jefferson]

The key is the sound check. Get 2 songs that you know and play them on the system, going out on the dance floor. 100% of the sound guys you ask will swear on their mother's life that their system is stereo. Remember, they're getting paid for it. I stopped asking years ago. Test it out though and you'll usually find a different story. If the system is mobile, forget it. And even with systems that are stable, it's extremely hard to get proper stereo when you have to account for the room, crowd density, positioning, etc. I've had sound guys swear to me the system is stereo with me looking at a mixer switch toggled to mono 2 feet away.

[djfunq]

I've had sound guys swear to me the system is stereo with me looking at a mixer switch toggled to mono 2 feet away.