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p-funk · intermediate · 110 bpm · Bb minor

Parliament · Flash Light · 1977

every note swept by the envelope. percussive. the bass IS the lead.

the reference

Flash Light

Parliament · 1977

the moog bassline that retired all the other bassists. bernie worrell played a square + sub through a fast filter envelope — you can hear the cutoff opening on every single note.

the building blocks

one element

click any download. the lab opens in a new tab, renders the pattern, drops a WAV in your downloads folder. lab stays interactive — tweak knobs + re-export.

  • BASSelement 1 of 1

    bernie's voice — minimoog Flash Light bass

    square wave + sub octave + fast filter envelope. the patch IS the song.

    ↓ download wav →
the tip

this is what 'expressive monosynth' means. every note bernie played was shaped by the envelope — fast attack, fast decay, the filter opens just enough to give the note bite, then snaps shut. if you turn off the envelope, the patch is dead. the envelope IS the performance.

the common mistake

leaving the envelope amount low. crank it. you want the filter to MOVE on every note. that's the whole sound.

filter envelope sweepsub octave layeringmonosynth phrasingMinimoog
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