Metallic FM Clank Bass

Sounds like: An aggressive, clanking bass with an unstable, metallic sound.

Sound type: bass · Genre: IDM, Experimental · Style: aggressive FM bass with inharmonic partials, IDM production style

An aggressive, clanking bass with heavily inharmonic partials — deliberately unstable and slightly unpleasant in a controlled way, built for IDM-leaning material rather than a smooth dancefloor bass.

Open this patch in the interactive Patchpad

Digitone II

Exact match: Inharmonic, clanking bass

SYN page 1

• ALGO: 8
• RATIO C: 1.00
• RATIO A: 5.70
• MIX: -64

SYN page 2 · Operator A

• LEV: 89
• ATK: 0
• DEC: 0
• END: 127

FLTR page 1 · Multi-mode

• FREQ: 89
• RESO: 25
• TYPE: 0 (LP)

AMP page

• ATK: 0
• DEC: 18
• SUS: 38
• REL: 11
• MODE: ADSR

FX page

• OVER: 19

The reference synth for this patch — RATIO A at 5.70 is a much higher, more aggressively non-integer ratio than FM Bell Bass's 3.50, and Operator A's LEV is pushed hard (89, vs. 45 there) for maximum clank rather than a controlled bell partial. AMP page's low SUS and short DEC/REL keep the tone unstable and clattering rather than settling into a smooth sustain.

Syntakt

Exact match: SY TONE FM

SYN — SY TONE

• TUNE: 0
• RATIO: 75
• PNCH: 0
• DEC: 30
• FDBK: 50
• MOD: 100
• MENV: 40
• OVER: 70

FLTR PAGE 1

• FREQ: 89
• RESO: 70
• TYPE: Lowpass

AMP PAGE 1

• ATK: 0
• DEC: 18
• SUS: 38
• REL: 11

AMP PAGE 2

• MODE: ADSR

SY TONE is Syntakt's two-operator FM voice: a high, non-integer-feeling RATIO with heavy MOD and FDBK makes the inharmonic clank, and OVER adds edge. Play notes in the bass octave. AMP PAGE 2's MODE must be ADSR (the default for SY machines, but drum machines default to AHD), or SUS is ignored. RATIO is by ear; the manual gives no scale.

Novation Summit

Exact match: Osc 1 > Osc 2 FM

OSCILLATOR 1

• WAVE: Sine
• RANGE: 4'
• COARSE: +5 semitones

OSCILLATOR 2

• WAVE: Sine
• RANGE: 16'

MIXER

• Osc 1: 0
• Osc 2: 100

FM

• Osc 1 > Osc 2 DEPTH: 100
• Osc 1 > Osc 2 SOURCE: Manual

FILTER

• SHAPE: LP
• SLOPE: 24dB
• FREQUENCY: 89
• RESONANCE: 70
• OVERDRIVE: 60

AMP ENVELOPE

• ATTACK: 0
• DECAY: 18
• SUSTAIN: 38
• RELEASE: 11

EFFECTS

• DISTORTION LEVEL: 70

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. Heavy FM depth (100) with a non-integer ratio gives the inharmonic, unstable clank; the 24 dB filter's resonance and Overdrive add edge on top.

Arturia MiniFreak

Exact match: Inharmonic, clanking bass

OSCILLATOR · Osc 1

• TYPE: BasicWaves
• WAVE (Morph): 50 (pure sawtooth)
• TIMBRE (Sym): 0
• SHAPE (Sub): 0
• VOLUME: 90

OSCILLATOR · Osc 2

• TYPE: FM/RM
• WAVE (Wave of Osc 2): 90
• TIMBRE (FreqMod): 90
• SHAPE (RingMod): 60
• VOLUME: 80

ANALOG FILTER

• TYPE: Low Pass
• CUTOFF: 65
• RESONANCE: 40
• ENV/VELO: 20

ENVELOPE

• ATTACK: 0
• DECAY: 20
• SUSTAIN: 30
• RELEASE: 15

DIGITAL EFFECTS · FX1

• TYPE: Distortion
• INTENSITY: 70
• AMOUNT: 60

Osc 1 is 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). Osc 2 is the FM/RM engine (Osc 2 only): Osc 1 modulates it; Wave is Osc 2's waveform, Timbre the FM amount and Shape the ring-mod amount. Values are on MiniFreak's native 0-100 scale.

Dreadbox Typhon

Approximation: Filter FM stands in for oscillator FM

FRONT PANEL

• WAVE: ~7 o'clock (the FM position, fully counter-clockwise: VCO1 square FM'd by VCO2 triangle — the most inharmonic labeled position)
• TUNE 2: ~4 o'clock (heavily detuned against VCO1)
• CUTOFF: ~2 o'clock (~65%)
• RESON: ~4-5 o'clock (high, near self-oscillation)
• EG LEVEL: ~2-3 o'clock (moderate-strong)
• FILTER TIME: ~1 o'clock (fast-medium)
• AMP TIME: ~1 o'clock (fast-medium)
• VOLUME: ~12 o'clock (global, not stored in the preset)

FILTER ADSR

• ATTACK: 0
• DECAY: 35
• SUSTAIN: 30
• RELEASE: 20

AMP ADSR

• ATTACK: 0
• DECAY: 18
• SUSTAIN: 30
• RELEASE: 15

FX1

• TYPE: Foldback
• GAIN: 60
• LVL: 55
• MIX: 70

SET

• VCO GLIDE: 0
• VCO LVL: 100
• VCF TRACK: 0
• VCF FFM: 35
• VCA LVL: 100

The WAVE knob's FM-blend position (VCO1 square FM'd by VCO2 triangle) plus SET's VCF FFM (VCO2-into-filter-cutoff FM amount) are what get Typhon closest to genuine inharmonic modulation rather than plain detuning — combined with high RESON and FX1's Foldback distortion for real aggression. One of the harder translations in this library; expect a rougher, less controllable result than the FM-capable synths.

ASM Hydrasynth Desktop

Exact match: Ring modulation gives the inharmonic partials

OSCILLATOR 1

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

OSCILLATOR 2

• MODE: Single
• WAVE: Saw
• SEMI: +7
• CENTS: +18
• KEYTRACK: 100%

MIXER

• OSC 1 LEVEL: 70.0
• OSC 2 LEVEL: 0.0 (feeds Ring only)
• RING VOL: 100.0
• OSC 1/2 FILTER ROUTING: 100:0 (Filter 1 only)
• FILTER ROUTE: Series

FILTER 1

• TYPE: LP Ldr12
• CUTOFF: 89.0
• RESONANCE: 35.0
• DRIVE: 60.0
• KEYTRACK: 0%

AMP

• AMP LEVEL: 110.0

ENVELOPE 2

• DELAY: 0 ms
• ATTACK: 0 ms
• HOLD: 0 ms
• DECAY: 140 ms
• SUSTAIN: 30.0
• RELEASE: 90 ms

PRE-FX

• TYPE: Distort
• DRIVE: 75
• DRY/WET: 60%

Resonance is kept lower here (35) since the ring-mod routing supplies most of the inharmonic edge, not the filter.

Compared with other synths: Oscillator 2 is a non-integer interval (+7 semitones, +18 cents) above Oscillator 1 and reaches the Filter only via the Mixer's RING VOL — genuine ring modulation between two inharmonically-related pitches, pushed to full RING VOL for maximum inharmonic content, closest result to Digitone II among the non-dedicated-FM synths.

How the synths compare

Digitone II and Syntakt (SY TONE) have real FM, MiniFreak has Osc 2 FM/RM, and Hydrasynth uses ring modulation; Summit and Typhon rely on detuning, distortion and resonance as a rougher substitute.

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.