Remaking the bass synth from the 1998 song "Roygbiv" by Boards Of Canada can be an exciting challenge for any synthesizer enthusiast. Here’s how you can create the "Roygbiv" 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
Boards of Canada’s 1998 track “Roygbiv,” from their album Music Has the Right to Children, features a distinctive bassline that exemplifies their nostalgic, analog sound. The bassline is characterized by warm, detuned sawtooth waves, likely produced using a Roland SH-101 synthesizer. This sound is prominently heard at the beginning of the song and is further shaped by low-pass filtering and subtle pitch modulation, contributing to its rich, vintage texture. We’ll recreate this sound with just a single synth patch.
You can hear the bassline start at the beginning of the song.
Original Performing Instrument
- Roland SH-101
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 "Roygbiv" by Boards Of Canada, 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: 100%
- Volume: 100%
- Sub Oscillator
- Waveform: Pulse
- Pulse Width: 100%
- Pitch: -1 Octave
- Volume: 50%
Filter
- Type: Low Pass
- Cutoff: 60%
- Key Tracking: 50%
Filter Envelope
- Modulation Amount: 5%
- Attack: 0 ms
- Decay: 2400 ms
- Sustain: 0%
LFO
- Destination: Pulse Width
- Waveform: Triangle
- Amount: 100%
- Rate: 1/2 Note
- Trigger: Off
Reverb
- Mix: 30% Wet
- Size: Small
Note: the patch settings may slightly differ in the Syntorial challenge.
Explore More
- Boards of Canada Roygbiv in TAL Bassline 101 – Free Presets (Lars Lentz Audio)
- Deconstructing the Boards of Canada (BoC) Sound and Music (Lars Lentz Audio)
- Boards Of Canada – Roygbiv | Bass Synth Preset Remake (Download) (Syntorial)
- Emulating Boards of Canada’s Classic Synth Sound Without Breaking Your Bank or Brain (Soundfly)
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
