Remaking the bass synth from the 2022 song "Break My Soul" by Beyonce can be an exciting challenge for any synthesizer enthusiast. Here’s how you can create the "Break My Soul" bass patch and play this iconic sound on most hardware or software subtractive synthesizers (Serum, Vital, Pigments, Prophet, Korg, Moog, etc). We've included the preset download directly for your convenience, but we strongly recommend you use our programming tutorial to recreate it yourself.
Original Audio
Beyoncé’s “Break My Soul” features a classic dance synth bass sound reminiscent of ’90s house music, prominently using the Korg M1’s Organ 2 preset. This iconic bassline is heard from the beginning of the track and is characterized by its deep, rich tones. The sound is similar to that used in Robin S’s “Show Me Love,” another classic track that heavily utilized the same preset.
Original Performing Instrument
- Korg M1
Our Remake of The Bass Synth
This audio clip is how close we've matched the original tone of the bass synth from the song "Break My Soul" by Beyonce, giving you a reference point as you design your own synthesizer preset. Play it as often as you need to familiarize yourself with the nuances of the sound.
Synth Patch Programming Recipe
Remake This Sound Yourself
Learn how to program this synth preset with Syntorial, all by ear. Download the demo and try unlimited famous sound challenges for free.
Getting Started
- Start by initializing your synthesizer to a plain saw with no filter, modulation or effects. For soft synths use the "init"/"default" preset or the the button to reset all parameters to their default factory values.
- No two synths are exactly alike, so treat the values below as approximate, and use your ear.
- Percentage values (e.g. 50%) represent the relative position of a knob or slider within its full range. The full range of each parameter may differ from synth to synth, so use your ear.
Voices
- Voice Mode: Mono
Amp Envelope
- Attack: 0 ms
- Sustain: 100%
- Release: 100 ms
Oscillators
- Oscillator 1
- Waveform: Pulse
- Pulse Width: 100%
- Volume: 50%
- Oscillator 2
- Waveform: Pulse
- Pulse Width: 100%
- Pitch: +31 Semitones
- Volume: 50%
Filter
- Type: Low Pass
- Cutoff: 40%
Filter Envelope
- Modulation Amount: 20%
- Attack: 0 ms
- Decay: 250 ms
- Sustain: 0%
- Release: 160 ms
Note: the patch settings may slightly differ in the Syntorial challenge.
Explore More
- Beyonce’s Break My Soul sounds like a love letter to the Korg M1 synth (MusicRadar)
- Beyonce’s “Break My Soul” Music Theory Explained (Stereogum)
- Re-create “Break My Soul” by Beyoncé with Roland Cloud (Roland Articles)
Preset Downloads
Don't want to learn synth programming now? Use our synth preset as your starting point and tweak it from there. Register an account with Audible Genius and download the presets for free for the following synths:
- Primer, our free synthesizer VST
