Parliament Funkadelic - Flashlight | Bass Synth Patch Remake

Remaking the bass synth from the 1978 song "Flashlight" by Parliament Funkadelic can be an exciting challenge for any synthesizer enthusiast. Here’s how you can create the "Flashlight" 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

Parliament’s 1978 track “Flash Light,” from the album *Funkentelechy vs. the Placebo Syndrome*, features a groundbreaking synth bass line crafted by Bernie Worrell using multiple Minimoog synthesizers. This innovative approach replaced traditional electric bass, contributing to the song’s distinctive funk groove. Worrell’s synthesized bass line is characterized by its “descending and ascending chromatic line with a meaty tone and a certain swagger,” which has influenced genres ranging from funk to synth-pop. You can hear the iconic bassline starting at 0:09 in the track.

Original Performing Instrument

Minimoog Model D

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 "Flashlight" by Parliament Funkadelic, 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

Remake This Sound Yourself

Learn how to program this synth preset with Syntorial, all by ear. Download the demo and try up to three challenge packs for free.

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.

Voices

  • Voice Mode: Mono
  • Portamento: 30 ms

Amp Envelope

  • Attack: 0 ms
  • Sustain: 100%
  • Release: 15 ms

Oscillators

  • Oscillator 1
    • Waveform: Saw
    • Volume: 60%
  • Oscillator 2
    • Waveform: Pulse
    • Pulse Width: 100%
    • Pitch: +5 Cents
    • Volume: 40%
  • Reset All Oscillators Phase On Note Start: Yes
  • Noise Volume: 5%

Filter

  • Type: Low Pass
  • Cutoff: 45%
  • Resonance: 35%

Filter Envelope

  • Modulation Amount: 10%
  • Attack: 0 ms
  • Decay: 400 ms
  • Sustain: 0%

Distortion

  • Drive: 32%

Note: the patch settings may slightly differ in the Syntorial challenge.

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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:

  • Primer, our free synthesizer VST
Download Presets

Comments

This recipe is the result of a Syntorial community preset remake request. Need support remaking this sound? Have comments?

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