Does anyone have tips on how I can emulate the NiN “Closer” synth bass sound?

A

acwild

Experienced
I thought it’d be easy to drop an envelope filter block but apparently I don’t have a clue as to how to make it do what I want. A band that I sit in for plays this song in their set and I used to cheat by using a wah but it’s a stretch. I know my FM3 should be able to handle this sound but I’m completely lost with the process.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
acwild said:
I know my FM3 should be able to handle this sound but I’m completely lost with the process.
Click to expand...

Which instrument are you playing? Assuming guitar, but just need to know if you'll need to pitch-mod the signal @ all. I'm feeling creative this afternoon so I might be able to come up with something fairly quick... fingers-crossed
 
PRSfreak4 said:
Which instrument are you playing? Assuming guitar, but just need to know if you'll need to pitch-mod the signal @ all. I'm feeling creative this afternoon so I might be able to come up with something fairly quick... fingers-crossed
Click to expand...
I’m going to use a 5-string bass. Thanks man! I tried the formant and envelope blocks but nothing was happening to my sound. I’m clueless.
 
acwild said:
tried the formant and envelope blocks but nothing was happening to my sound.
Click to expand...

See if a Synth into a Wah block + the FAS Bass amp/cab combo sounds good. Attached is the preset, two scenes Intro & Main (self-explanatory).

The parameters to continue to refine are:

Synth
  • Mix %
  • Type
  • Frequency/Filter Frequency
  • Duty Cycle
  • Attack
Wah
  • Control Taper
  • Control
    • Off Value
    • Attack
  • Frequency
Screen Shot 2021-06-08 at 3.44.29 PM.png

It's not perfect... That sound is a key synth probably made on Trent's Commodore 64 ;)



Hope it works, others feel free to post some ideas on the signal chain.
 

Attachments

  • NiN Closer Bass Synth.syx
    24.1 KB · Views: 5
I think you got it really close once I turned down the treble on my bass. The other thing that I did to intensify the "wah" effect is place the wah after the cab. It's nearly there. Thanks for doing all of the work, PRSFreak4!
 
With my bass through my setup, I think this is close enough that the drunk audience won't notice. :) Thanks again for the help!
I did a bunch of mods and my patch does use an York Ampeg mix IR.
 

Attachments

  • NiN Closer Bass Synth Version 2.syx
    24.1 KB · Views: 10
acwild said:
With my bass through my setup, I think this is close enough that the drunk audience won't notice.
Click to expand...

This is exactly what I was thinking :cool::tearsofjoy::tearsofjoy: You're version sounds much closer dude, go with it!!

Side note, this is the first time I've played a bass through the FM3. Wow, it sounds amazing.
 
I think the approach should be a synth block with parallel bandpass and lowpass filters.

The original is either a sample, or can also be heard to have keyboard tracking, the equivalent of which would be possible on the Axe-Fx III but not the FM3, I think.

I'll try something tonight for you.
 
Last edited:
i noticed there's a tiny bit of ambience on it. it might not seem like it's worth bothering with, but it kinda is imo
 
PRSfreak4 said:
This is exactly what I was thinking :cool::tearsofjoy::tearsofjoy: You're version sounds much closer dude, go with it!!

Side note, this is the first time I've played a bass through the FM3. Wow, it sounds amazing.
Click to expand...

It does make for a great bass rig!

Admin M@ said:
I think the approach should be a synth block with parallel bandpass and lowpass filters.

The original is either a sample, or can also be heard to have keyboard tracking, the equivalent of which would be possible on the Axe-Fx III but not the FM3, I think.

I'll try something tonight for you.
Click to expand...

Thanks Matt! Some of the effects blocks are a complete mystery to me. I’ve opened them up but don’t know what to do.

simeon said:
i noticed there's a tiny bit of ambience on it. it might not seem like it's worth bothering with, but it kinda is imo
Click to expand...

Do you mean on the song or my patch? I added a touch of reverb but I don’t remember why. 😂
 
Here's something quick for you. I don't really know the song so I just improvised stupidly over some bitcrushed drums.



And....
I just noticed that you plan to play it on a bass. Since I used a guitar, I have the synth set to -24. You'll want to set it to -12 and play it an octave higher than you want it to sound. (Also disable the pitch/pan thing since the tracking will be wrong.)
 

Attachments

  • NIN Closer_FM3-20210609_203710.syx
    24.1 KB · Views: 12
Last edited:
Give this a try. Played it on a seven string AEADGBE. Used the Envelope flower on quite a few areas so when you pic light you get the lowest bass note and hard hits the upper note. No idea how this would work with an actual bass but I used a bass amp and cab blocks.

Ops I made this on AFXIII 16.02 release, don't know how that translates to FM3.
 

Attachments

  • NIN Quacken.syx
    48.2 KB · Views: 7
Last edited:
Thanks Matt and Tom! It’s very much appreciated! I can’t wait to try these out but I’m on the road until Saturday.
Matt, your sample sounds great on guitar! I’m going to be using a 5-string bass, so should I still use the synth to -12?
 
Another idea I had: you could apply the three ADSR filters in my preset to the sound of a distorted bass amp and eliminate the synth entirely.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom