Patch Request: Parliament - Flash Light (Funky Bass)
Patch / Preset Recreated
Bernie was amazing! His out of this world synth sounds really piqued my curiosity as a kid. How did they do that?!? I couldn't figure out what could possibly make those sounds!
I recently found out that he joined the Talking Heads in the '80s and sure enough, he can be seen in the film Stop Making Sense. Amazing! Opposite ends of the musical spectrum, yet both strong, unique, musical personalities. And somehow he fits perfectly, from 70's funk to 80's new-wave. RIP Bernie! We miss you.
The synth bass sound from Flashlight sparked decades worth of bass & sub-bass phrases & lines that stuck with me and informed my musical choices. Powerful, deep & catchy. Infinitely more interesting than your standard rock-bass continuous eighth-notes of the chord fundamental.
I've heard Bernie played Moogs. MiniMoogs, specifically. I'm sure he used other synths as well, but I don't know which ones. I have a Behringer Model D + a Moog SubHarmonicon. I'd like to recreate some of his tones as accurately as possible using one or both of those.
Please lend your ear & skills to help me conquer the code. Much gratitude for any/all assistance in this endeavor!
Timothy Huffman
3 years ago
Activity
2 votes
Categories
Synth Patch / Preset Request
Classic. The Flashlight bass is fat and simple. Try this:
Oscillators
Filter
24 dB Low Pass. And ideally you want a Moog-style filter that you can Drive. Really crank the Drive. Turn up the Res a little.
LFO
Modulate the pitch to create vibrato, and route the Mod Wheel to the LFO Amount so that you can turn it off and on.
Credit to the below video for the steps. And it's interesting to watch him recreate it on an actual Moog:
0 3 years ago Reply