FM Bell Bass

Sounds like: A solid low note with a metallic, bell-like clang on top.

Sound type: bass · Genre: Electro, IDM · Style: metallic FM bass with bell-like upper harmonics

A bass with a metallic, slightly inharmonic edge riding on top of a solid low fundamental — reads as both a bass and a percussive tonal element at once.

Open this patch in the interactive Patchpad

Digitone II

Exact match: FM metallic edge over a low fundamental

SYN page 1

• ALGO: 8
• RATIO C: 1.00
• RATIO A: 3.50
• MIX: -64

SYN page 2 · Operator A

• LEV: 45
• ATK: 0
• DEC: 15
• END: 10

FLTR page 1 · Multi-mode

• FREQ: 83
• RESO: 13
• TYPE: 0 (LP)
• ENV: 19
• ATK: 0
• DEC: 30
• SUS: 51

AMP page

• ATK: 0
• DEC: 23
• SUS: 76
• REL: 15
• MODE: ADSR

ALGO 8 with MIX at -64 selects the X output (Operator A's effect on Operator C, plus B2 as a plain carrier) — RATIO A at a non-integer 3.50 (rather than a clean whole number) is what makes the modulation inharmonic and bell-like instead of just brighter. Operator A's own SYN page 2 envelope decays fast down to a low END level, so the metallic edge only colors the attack before the tone settles into the plain 1.00-ratio fundamental underneath.

Syntakt

Exact match: FM metallic edge over a low fundamental

SYN — SY TONE

• TUNE: 0
• RATIO: 45
• PNCH: 0
• DEC: 70
• FDBK: 0
• MOD: 40
• MENV: 60
• OVER: 0

FLTR PAGE 1

• FREQ: 83
• RESO: 15
• TYPE: Lowpass
• ENV: 90
• ATK: 0
• DEC: 15
• SUS: 25

AMP PAGE 1

• ATK: 0
• DEC: 23
• SUS: 76
• REL: 15

AMP PAGE 2

• MODE: ADSR

Syntakt's SY TONE machine is a two-operator FM voice (RATIO, FDBK, MOD, MENV), so FM is available on the melodic tracks. A mid-high RATIO puts the modulator off the harmonic series for the bell edge, and MENV sets a decaying modulation so the metallic edge is strongest at the attack while the fundamental stays solid. RATIO is machine-specific and by ear; play notes in the bass octave.

Novation Summit

Exact match: Osc 1 > Osc 2 FM

OSCILLATOR 1

• WAVE: Sine
• RANGE: 8'
• COARSE: +5 semitones

OSCILLATOR 2

• WAVE: Sine
• RANGE: 16'

MIXER

• Osc 1: 0
• Osc 2: 100

FM

• Osc 1 > Osc 2 DEPTH: 50
• Osc 1 > Osc 2 SOURCE: Mod Env 2

MOD ENVELOPE 2

• ATTACK: 0
• DECAY: 40
• SUSTAIN: 15
• RELEASE: 20

FILTER

• SHAPE: LP
• SLOPE: 12dB
• FREQUENCY: 83
• RESONANCE: 13
• SOURCE: Mod Env 1
• ENV DEPTH: 19

MOD ENVELOPE 1

• ATTACK: 0
• DECAY: 26
• SUSTAIN: 51
• RELEASE: 15

AMP ENVELOPE

• ATTACK: 0
• DECAY: 23
• SUSTAIN: 76
• RELEASE: 15

Summit has real FM: the panel FM section's Osc 1 > Osc 2 control sets how much Oscillator 1 frequency-modulates Oscillator 2's pitch, and its Source button picks Manual, Mod Env 2 or LFO 2 (the sources add together). Osc 1 is the modulator (its Mixer level is 0) and Osc 2 is the carrier; the Osc 1 : Osc 2 pitch ratio (set with Range and Coarse) decides whether the sidebands are harmonic or bell-like. Osc 2 is the low carrier (16') and Osc 1 sits at about 2.7 times its frequency (an octave up plus 5 semitones), so the metallic edge rides on a solid fundamental; Mod Env 2 lets it fade after the attack.

Arturia MiniFreak

Exact match: FM metallic edge over a low fundamental

OSCILLATOR · Osc 1

• TYPE: Two Op. FM
• WAVE (Ratio): 35
• TIMBRE (Amount: modulation index): 45
• SHAPE (Feedback): 20
• VOLUME: 100

OSCILLATOR · Osc 2

• TYPE: Bass
• TUNE/OCT: -12
• VOLUME: 55

ANALOG FILTER

• TYPE: Low Pass
• CUTOFF: 65
• RESONANCE: 10
• ENV/VELO: 15

ENVELOPE

• ATTACK: 0
• DECAY: 25
• SUSTAIN: 60
• RELEASE: 18

Osc 1 is Two Op. FM: Wave sets the ratio between the two operators (non-integer ratios are inharmonic and bell-like), Timbre is the modulation index and Shape is the feedback. Osc 2 is Bass: Wave is Saturate, Timbre is Fold and Shape is Noise. Values are on MiniFreak's native 0-100 scale.

Dreadbox Typhon

Approximation: No FM: filter-envelope spike instead

FRONT PANEL

• WAVE: ~12 o'clock (plain VCO1 triangle-leaning, no VCO2 blended in)
• CUTOFF: ~2 o'clock (fairly open, ~65%)
• RESON: ~3 o'clock (light-moderate, brief edge on the attack)
• EG LEVEL: ~2 o'clock (moderate filter envelope amount)
• FILTER TIME: ~2-3 o'clock (fast, so the resonance push only colors the attack)
• AMP TIME: ~11 o'clock (medium)
• VOLUME: ~12 o'clock (global, not stored in the preset)

FILTER ADSR

• ATTACK: 0
• DECAY: 20
• SUSTAIN: 15
• RELEASE: 20

AMP ADSR

• ATTACK: 0
• DECAY: 45
• SUSTAIN: 60
• RELEASE: 35

SET

• VCO GLIDE: 0
• VCO LVL: 100
• VCF TRACK: 0
• VCF FFM: 0
• VCA LVL: 100

Typhon has no FM engine, so the metallic partial is approximated with a fast Filter ADSR spike (short DECAY, low SUSTAIN) pushing RESON's edge briefly on the attack rather than a genuine inharmonic partial — expect a warmer, rounder result than the FM-capable synths in this library. FRONT PANEL knobs are physically unmarked, so RESON/CUTOFF/EG LEVEL above are clock positions, not percentages.

ASM Hydrasynth Desktop

Approximation: Ring modulation stands in for FM; the FM-Lin Mutator would be the closer route

OSCILLATOR 1

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

OSCILLATOR 2

• MODE: Single
• WAVE: Saw
• SEMI: +12
• CENTS: 0
• KEYTRACK: 100%

MIXER

• OSC 1 LEVEL: 90.0
• OSC 2 LEVEL: 0.0 (feeds Ring only, not audible directly)
• RING VOL: 70.0
• OSC 1/2 FILTER ROUTING: 100:0 (Filter 1 only)
• FILTER ROUTE: Series

FILTER 1

• TYPE: LP Ldr12
• CUTOFF: 83.0
• RESONANCE: 13.0
• ENV 1 AMOUNT: 19
• KEYTRACK: 0%

AMP

• AMP LEVEL: 110.0

ENVELOPE 1

• DELAY: 0 ms
• ATTACK: 0 ms
• HOLD: 0 ms
• DECAY: 100 ms
• SUSTAIN: 51.0
• RELEASE: 100 ms

ENVELOPE 2

• DELAY: 0 ms
• ATTACK: 0 ms
• HOLD: 0 ms
• DECAY: 180 ms
• SUSTAIN: 76.0
• RELEASE: 120 ms

ENVELOPE 3

• DELAY: 0 ms
• ATTACK: 0 ms
• HOLD: 0 ms
• DECAY: 90 ms
• SUSTAIN: 0.0
• RELEASE: 10 ms

MOD MATRIX

• SOURCE: Env 3
• DESTINATION: Mixer RingVol
• DEPTH: 80

Oscillator 2 isn't heard directly (its Mixer level is 0) — it only feeds the Mixer's Ring Vol source, ring-modulated against Oscillator 1's low triangle for the metallic edge.

Compared with other synths: Envelope 3 (a free-assign envelope, not Envelope 1 or 2) is routed via the Mod Matrix to Ring Vol with a fast decay to near-zero, so the ring-mod edge only colors the attack before the tone settles into Oscillator 1's plain fundamental — the closest result to Digitone II's FM patch among the non-dedicated-FM synths here.

How the synths compare

Digitone II and Syntakt (SY TONE) have real FM, as does Hydrasynth; the purely analog synths approximate the metallic edge with resonance and detuning instead.

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.