Detuned Analog Stab Bass

Sounds like: A short, wide, slightly wobbly bass stab that hits like a rhythmic accent.

Sound type: bass · Genre: House, Techno · Style: short, wide, detuned analog stab bass used as a rhythmic accent

A short, wide stab with just enough detune to feel analog and alive, but tight enough decay to work as a rhythmic accent rather than a sustained bassline.

Open this patch in the interactive Patchpad

Digitone II

Exact match: Small detune between two voices

SYN page 1

• ALGO: 3
• RATIO C: 1.00
• RATIO B: 1.00
• DTUN: 10
• MIX: -64

SYN page 2 · Operators A & B

• LEV (A): 0
• LEV (B): 0

FLTR page 1 · Multi-mode

• FREQ: 76
• RESO: 19
• TYPE: 0 (LP)
• ENV: 38
• DEC: 13
• SUS: 0

AMP page

• ATK: 0
• DEC: 33
• SUS: 0
• REL: 15
• MODE: ADSR

Digitone II's ALGO 3 gives three plain carriers (C, B2, B1) when the FM depth of A and B is off, so LEV (A) and LEV (B) are both 0. MIX -64 selects the X tap (C + B2), and DTUN, which offsets only the ratio of operators A and B2, detunes B2 against C so the two beat against each other. DTUN below 64 is a very slight detune; above 64 is heavier. A subtler translation challenge than Reese Bass since the offset here is small.

Syntakt

Exact match: Small detune between two voices

SYN — SY RAW

• WAV1: Saw
• TUNE: 64
• DET: 20

FLTR PAGE 1

• FREQ: 76
• RESO: 19
• TYPE: Lowpass
• ENV: 38

AMP PAGE 1

• ATK: 0
• DEC: 33
• SUS: 0
• REL: 15

SY RAW's DET parameter is a real, built-in detune amount, kept low here for a subtle offset rather than layering a second track.

Novation Summit

Exact match: Small detune between two voices

OSCILLATOR 1

• WAVE: Sawtooth
• RANGE: 8'

OSCILLATOR 2

• WAVE: Sawtooth
• RANGE: 8'
• COARSE: 64
• FINE: +9 cents

MIXER

• Osc 1: 100
• Osc 2: 100

FILTER

• SHAPE: LP
• FREQUENCY: 76
• RESONANCE: 19
• SOURCE: Mod Env 1
• ENV DEPTH: 38

MOD ENVELOPE 1

• ATTACK: 0
• DECAY: 13
• SUSTAIN: 0

AMP ENVELOPE

• ATTACK: 0
• DECAY: 33
• SUSTAIN: 0
• RELEASE: 15

A very natural fit given Summit's true dual-oscillator layer — OSC2's FINE at +9 cents is a small offset against OSC1's center.

Arturia MiniFreak

Exact match: Small detune between two voices

OSCILLATOR · Osc 1

• TYPE: BasicWaves
• WAVE (Morph): 50 (pure sawtooth)
• TIMBRE (Sym): 0
• SHAPE (Sub): 0
• VOLUME: 100

OSCILLATOR · Osc 2

• TYPE: BasicWaves
• WAVE (Morph): 50 (pure sawtooth)
• TIMBRE (Sym): 0
• SHAPE (Sub): 0
• TUNE/OCT: +5 cents (click-hold for fine-tune)
• VOLUME: 100

ANALOG FILTER

• TYPE: Low Pass
• CUTOFF: 60
• RESONANCE: 15
• ENV/VELO: 30

ENVELOPE

• ATTACK: 0
• DECAY: 20
• SUSTAIN: 0
• RELEASE: 12

Osc 1 and Osc 2 are BasicWaves with Morph at 50 (pure sawtooth): the Morph knob runs from a square (0) through a sawtooth (50) to a double sawtooth an octave up (100), Sym only changes the pulse width below 50, and Sub adds a sine an octave down (0 here). Since Osc 1 and Osc 2 are edited via the same OSCILLATOR page's Select toggle, the two page entries above represent Osc 1 and Osc 2 respectively. Values are on MiniFreak's native 0-100 scale.

Dreadbox Typhon

Exact match: Small detune between two voices

FRONT PANEL

• WAVE: ~3 o'clock (VCO1 saw blended with VCO2 saw)
• TUNE 2: ~1 o'clock, just past center (small offset against VCO1)
• CUTOFF: ~5 o'clock (fairly open)
• RESON: ~9 o'clock (low)
• EG LEVEL: ~11 o'clock (light)
• FILTER TIME: ~2-3 o'clock (fast)
• AMP TIME: ~2-3 o'clock (fast)
• VOLUME: ~12 o'clock

AMP ADSR

• ATTACK: 0
• DECAY: 30
• SUSTAIN: 0
• RELEASE: 15

Compared with other synths: Typhon's dedicated 2-VCO TUNE knob handles this cleanly — a small nudge just past center on TUNE 2 gives the same subtle offset used across this library for this patch.

ASM Hydrasynth Desktop

Exact match: Small detune between two voices

OSCILLATOR 1

• MODE: Single
• WAVE: Saw
• SEMI: 0
• CENTS: 0
• KEYTRACK: 100%

OSCILLATOR 2

• MODE: Single
• WAVE: Saw
• SEMI: 0
• CENTS: +5
• KEYTRACK: 100%

MIXER

• OSC 1 LEVEL: 100.0
• OSC 2 LEVEL: 100.0

FILTER 1

• TYPE: LP Ldr24
• CUTOFF: 76.0
• RESONANCE: 19.0
• ENV 1 AMOUNT: 38

AMP

• AMP LEVEL: 100.0

ENVELOPE 1

• ATTACK: 0 ms
• DECAY: 100 ms
• SUSTAIN: 0.0

ENVELOPE 2

• ATTACK: 0 ms
• DECAY: 130 ms
• SUSTAIN: 0.0
• RELEASE: 60 ms

Compared with other synths: Two true independent oscillators with a small CENTS offset is a direct match — no workaround needed, same core mechanism as Summit.

How the synths compare

Keep the detune noticeably narrower than Reese Bass — the goal here is 'alive', not 'growling'.

Patchpad is a free reference of drum patterns and synth patches written for real hardware: Digitakt II, Digitone II, Syntakt, Novation Summit, Arturia MiniFreak, Dreadbox Typhon and ASM Hydrasynth Desktop.