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bass synth from “99 luftballons” by nena | ToneDB

99 luftballons

nena

bass synth

AI generatedv1.0

Tone Profile

A classic synth bass sound with a slightly buzzy and resonant character, typical of early 80s new wave. The tone is relatively clean and punchy, providing a solid foundation for the song.

Gear

Roland Jupiter-8instrument
ReverbSweetwater

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The Story

The bass synth on Nena's '99 Luftballons' was created using a Roland Jupiter-8 synthesizer, recorded directly into the mixing console at Spliff Studio in Berlin. The track was produced by Manfred Praeker with Reinhold Heil as engineer, utilizing the Jupiter-8's sawtooth wave capabilities with filter adjustments to create the characteristic buzzy yet punchy bass sound that became iconic of early 80s new wave.

Production Credits

Producer: Manfred Praeker

Engineer: Reinhold Heil

Recorded at: Spliff Studio, Berlin

Signal Chain

Instrument: Roland Jupiter-8

Recreation Tips

  • Start with a sawtooth wave on a Roland Jupiter-8 or similar analog synth.
  • Adjust the filter cutoff and resonance to achieve a buzzy but defined tone.
  • Use a short attack and decay envelope for a punchy sound.
  • Apply slight compression to even out the dynamics and add sustain.
  • Consider adding a touch of EQ to boost the low-end and high-mid frequencies for clarity.

Original Gear

  • Roland Jupiter-8(synth)

Substitutions & Recommendations

Arturia Jupiter-8V$199

Alternative to: Roland Jupiter-8 synthesizer

Accurate software emulation of the Jupiter-8's sawtooth oscillators and 24dB lowpass filter, perfect for recreating the buzzy resonant character

ReverbSweetwater
Roland Jupiter-X$1,799-$1,999

Alternative to: Roland Jupiter-8 synthesizer

Modern Roland synth with authentic Jupiter-8 modeling via ACB technology, providing the same sawtooth waves and filter behavior

ReverbSweetwater
Behringer DeepMind 12$699-$799

Alternative to: Roland Jupiter-8 synthesizer

Analog polysynth with similar sawtooth oscillators and resonant filter capabilities at a budget-friendly price point

ReverbSweetwater
Native Instruments Massive X$199

Alternative to: Roland Jupiter-8 synthesizer

Modern wavetable synth capable of classic analog-style sawtooth bass with precise filter control and built-in compression

ReverbSweetwater
Universal Audio 1176 Collection$299

Alternative to: Direct console recording compression

Period-appropriate compression modeling to add the punch and sustain characteristic of 80s console-recorded synth bass

ReverbSweetwater

Sources

Frequently Asked Questions

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