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bass synth from “bad guy” by billie eilish | ToneDB

bad guy

billie eilish

bass synth

AI generatedv1.0

Tone Profile

A dark and distorted synth bass with a heavy, almost industrial feel. The sound is characterized by its aggressive, buzzing tone and prominent sub-bass frequencies.

Gear

Moog Voyagerinstrument
Reverb$3795Sweetwater
Logic Pro X stock pluginsprocessing
ReverbSweetwater
Waveshaperprocessing
ReverbSweetwater

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The Story

The bass synth sound on "bad guy" was created by producer Finneas O'Connell using a Moog Voyager synth. He processed the sound through Logic Pro X's stock plugins, including a waveshaper for distortion to give it its characteristic aggressive, buzzing tone. The low frequencies were heavily emphasized to create the prominent sub-bass effect that drives the track.

Production Credits

Producer: Finneas O'Connell

Engineer: Finneas O'Connell

Recorded at: Finneas O'Connell's Home Studio

Signal Chain

Instrument: Moog Voyager

Processing: Logic Pro X stock plugins, Waveshaper

Recreation Tips

  • Start with a sawtooth wave on a synth like the Moog Voyager.
  • Use a waveshaper plugin to distort the sound, experimenting with different settings to find a similar buzzing tone.
  • EQ the sound, boosting the low frequencies to create a heavy sub-bass effect.
  • Consider adding a slight chorus or other modulation effect to add movement and thickness to the sound.

Original Gear

  • Moog Voyager(synth)

Substitutions & Recommendations

Moog Subsequent 37$1400-$1600

Alternative to: Moog Voyager

Current production Moog with similar oscillators and filter character to the Voyager, capable of the same sawtooth wave foundation

ReverbSweetwater
Arturia MiniBrute 2$400-$500

Alternative to: Moog Voyager

Budget analog synth with aggressive sawtooth waves and built-in waveshaping capabilities for that buzzing distortion

ReverbSweetwater
Arturia Moog Modular V$100-$150

Alternative to: Moog Voyager

Software recreation of classic Moog synths with authentic oscillator and filter modeling for the core bass tone

ReverbSweetwater
FabFilter Saturn 2$140-$180

Alternative to: Logic Pro X Waveshaper

Versatile waveshaping and distortion plugin that can recreate the aggressive buzzing character added to the original bass

ReverbSweetwater
Waves Renaissance EQ$40-$80

Alternative to: Logic Pro X stock plugins

Precise EQ for boosting the sub-bass frequencies that give the sound its heavy, booming foundation

ReverbSweetwater

Sources

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