Remaking the bass synth from the 1979 song "Heart Of Glass" by Blondie can be an exciting challenge for any synthesizer enthusiast. Here’s how you can create the "Heart Of Glass" 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
Blondie’s 1979 hit “Heart of Glass,” from their album Parallel Lines, showcases a distinctive blend of disco rhythms and new wave sensibilities, largely attributed to the innovative use of synthesizers and drum machines. The Roland SH-1000 monophonic synthesizer was employed for the persistent 16th-note “dugga-dugga” sequence that underpins the track. Jimmy Destri, Blondie’s keyboardist, favored the SH-1000 for its reliability and distinctive sound during the band’s early years.
Original Performing Instrument
Roland SH-1000
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 "Heart Of Glass" by Blondie, 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: 20 ms
Oscillators
- Oscillator 1
- Waveform: Pulse
- Pulse Width: 20%
- Volume: 50%
- Pitch: +3 Cents
- Oscillator 2
- Waveform: Pulse
- Pulse Width: 20%
- Pitch: -3 Cents
- Volume: 50%
- Sub Oscillator
- Waveform: Pulse
- Pulse Width: 100%
- Pitch: -1 Octave
- Volume: 50%
Filter
- Type: Low Pass
- Cutoff: 50%
- Resonance: 75%
LFO
- Destination: Volume
- Waveform: Saw
- Amount: 100%
- Rate: 1/16 Note
Modulation Wheel
- Destination: Cutoff
- Modulation Amount: 25%
Note: the patch settings may slightly differ in the Syntorial challenge.
Explore More
- Blondie – Heart Of Glass – making of documentary (Youtube)
- Deconstructing Heart Of Glass︱Isolated Tracks (Youtube)
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
Comments
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