Remaking the bass synth from the 1999 song "Flat Beat" by Mr Oizo can be an exciting challenge for any synthesizer enthusiast. Here’s how you can create the "Flat Beat" 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
Mr. Oizo’s 1999 hit ‘Flat Beat’ features a memorable bassline that starts at 0:26, characterized by its deep, resonant, and slightly filtered sound. The bass is generated by a Korg MS-20 monophonic synthesizer, which is known for its rich and warm tones. The sound is achieved through the use of a low-pass filter with significant resonance and an LFO creating the distinctive ‘whoww’ effect.
Original Performing Instrument
Korg MS-20
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 "Flat Beat" by Mr Oizo, 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.
Oscillator Setup:
- Oscillator A: Basic Square, -12 semitones (one octave down). Find a Korg-20 wavetable to get closer to the original timbre
- Unison: 1 voice, 20% detune, 0 phase randomization.
- Filter Routing: Routed to Filter 1.
Filter Settings:
- Filter Type: Analog 24dB Low-pass.
- Drive: 0, but you can play with it for added analog warmth and saturation.
- Cutoff: 125Hz, Modulated by LFO 1.
- Resonance: 33%
Envelope Settings:
-
Envelope 1 (Amp Envelope):
- Instant Attack.
- ~1s decay
- Full Sustain
- Short Release (~150ms).
LFO Settings:
-
LFO 1:
- Triangle shape with second half of the curve rounded up
- Synced to 1/2 note timing.
- Modulates Filter Cutoff (79) and Oscillator Level (0.6) for movement.
Modulation Matrix:
- LFO 1 → Filter 1 Cutoff (Primary modulator for movement).
- Mod Wheel → LFO 1 Rate (Dynamic speed control). Play with the mod wheel to increase rate on the 4th bar
- LFO 1 → Oscillator Level (Subtle amplitude modulation).
Effects Processing:
-
Compressor:
- Single Band Mode, +12db Band.
- Attack 100%
- Release 50%
- Full Wet
-
Filter:
- Analog 12dB.
- Full wet
- Cutoff to the max, just to squeeze the brightness
-
Reverb:
- Low cut to 0
- High Cut to 2700Hz
- 6% wet
- 50% size
- No delay
- 25ms time
- ~5% Chorus amount
- 0.250 Hz chorus frequency
Note: the patch settings may slightly differ in the Syntorial challenge.
Explore More
- Flat Beat by Mr Oizo – what synth is it? (KVR Audio Forum)
- Mr. Oizo’s Gear (Equipboard)
- mr oizo bass line (Ableton Forum)
- Ask the Experts: Mr. Oizo (XLR8R)
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
