Remaking the bass synth from the 2006 song "1983" by Flying Lotus can be an exciting challenge for any synthesizer enthusiast. Here’s how you can create the "1983" bass patch and play this iconic sound on most hardware or software subtractive synthesizers (Serum, Vital, Pigments, Prophet, Korg, Moog, etc). We've included the preset download directly for your convenience, but we strongly recommend you use our programming tutorial to recreate it yourself.
Original Audio
Flying Lotus’s 2006 debut album *1983* features a distinctive blippy, heavy bass patch that emerges prominently at 0:56. This sound is constructed using a sine wave processed through a driven 24 dB low-pass filter and overdrive-style distortion, with modulation applied to both filter drive and distortion levels. Higher-pitched notes receive increased filter resonance and distortion for a brighter, more aggressive tone, while lower frequencies maintain smoother, sub-heavy characteristics through reduced processing. The patch’s rhythmic interplay with the track’s glitchy percussion and ambient textures creates a tension between melodic basslines and percussive synth elements.
Original Performing Instrument
Unknown
Our Remake of The Bass Synth
This audio clip is how close we've matched the original tone of the bass synth from the song "1983" by Flying Lotus, giving you a reference point as you design your own synthesizer preset. Play it as often as you need to familiarize yourself with the nuances of the sound.
Synth Patch Programming Recipe
Getting Started
- Start by initializing your synthesizer to a plain saw with no filter, modulation or effects. For soft synths use the "init"/"default" preset or the the button to reset all parameters to their default factory values.
- No two synths are exactly alike, so treat the values below as approximate, and use your ear.
- Percentage values (e.g. 50%) represent the relative position of a knob or slider within its full range. The full range of each parameter may differ from synth to synth, so use your ear.
Note: the patch settings may slightly differ in the Syntorial challenge.
Explore More
- Roland Cloud Tutorial: Flying Lotus Bass Techniques
- Ableton Tutorial: Recreating Flying Lotus Bass Sounds
- Album Review: Descriptions of Bass Tones in *1983*
Preset Downloads
Don't want to learn synth programming now? Use our synth preset as your starting point and tweak it from there. Register an account with Audible Genius and download the presets for free for the following synths:
- Vital
Comments
This recipe is the result of a Syntorial community preset remake request. Need support remaking this sound? Have comments?
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